Act 5, Scene 1 Summary

This scene takes place in Dunsinane, in an anteroom in Macbeth's castle, where a doctor and a Gentlewoman are discussing Lady Macbeth, who is sleepwalking. She will actually even write in her sleep. While they are conversing, Lady Macbeth, eyes completely open, sleepwalks in front of them. She is rubbing her hands, trying to rid herself of a "damned spot." She speaks aloud, talking about how it was possible for an old man to have so much blood in him. Is the old man Banquo? She talks about Macduff's wife. Is she dead to- by her hand? Now, she mentions Banquo explicitly. He is dead. He cannot come out of his grave, she says- and then retires. The doctor does not know what to say. He has heard the unthinkable. He believes she needs a priest more than a physician.

Act 5, Scene 1 Analysis