What are the main events in Act 1 of Macbeth?
Act 1 Scene 1: The audience is introduced to the witches. They do some cool rhyming, but only one thing of importance is said. They will meet again in front of Macbeth after the battle.
Act 1 Scene 2: Duncan is debriefed on the battle by a wounded captain. Duncan is told how great Macbeth fought and how instrumental he was at fighting off the Norwegians. The captain also told Duncan that the Thane of Cawdor committed treason by fighting with the Norwegians against Duncan. Duncan orders the man executed and the title "Thane of Cawdor" transferred to Macbeth.
Ace 1 Scene 3: Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches. Some more cool rhyming. The witches greet Macbeth by his original title, and as the "Thane of Cawdor." They also greet Macbeth as the future king. Macbeth doesn't understand this and asks for more details, but the witches start rhyming...
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at Banquo. They tell Banquo that he will never be king, but his kids will be. Then they vanish.
Ross and Angus show up and tell Macbeth that he is now Thane of Cawdor. He can't believe it, and he is shocked that the prophecy has come true already. Banquo warns Macbeth the dangers of half truths. Temptation starts to grab Macbeth, and he wonders if he will have to murder Duncan to be king, or if it will simply happen.
Act 1 Scene 4: It's at Duncan's palace or castle. Duncan gets a report that the original Thane of Cawdor is dead. Duncan expresses great thanks to Macbeth and Banquo. Duncan then invites himself over to Macbeth's castle for dinner. Probably the most important part of this scene though is Duncan announcing his son, Malcolm, as the heir to the throne. Macbeth now wonders exactly how he can be king.
Act 1 Scene 5: The main event of this scene is introducing Lady Macbeth as a power hungry, conniving woman. She tells Macbeth that Duncan cannot be allowed to live another day and to leave the plans to her.
Act 1 Scene 6: Lady Macbeth and Duncan meet, and Lady Macbeth is the very picture of hospitality.
Act 1 Scene 7: Macbeth convinces himself that he is not going to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth is super angry and calls into question Macbeth's manhood. She explains her plan, and Macbeth is amazed at its bold simplicity. He agrees to kill Duncan.
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What events occur in the human realm in Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth?
Like the other post states, act 1, scene 1 focuses on the three Weird sisters. The audience or reader only knows about the events beyond the witches’ meeting because of their conversation about them.
The “battle” that rages around them will be done “ere the set of sun,” at which point the witches agree to meet upon the “heath” to encounter Macbeth.
Without yet knowing what transpires in the next scene, the reader can infer a couple things. First, there is clearly a war that has almost reached its end. The war is occurring somewhere where there are open fields, and someone named Macbeth is involved in this battle.
Before they exit, the witches have provided the audience with a little exposition. This exposition serves to provide the audience with necessary information, but this particular scene functions mostly as a mood-setter. Immediately, Shakespeare introduces elements of the supernatural and potentially sinister, which indicates the dark aspects of the play that follow. The sparse details about the human “realm” only provide just enough to get the reader interested in why the witches are so interested in the titular character.
All we can tell of the human realm from the witches' first meeting is that a battle is going on. The witches agree to meet when the "hurly-burly's done/when the battle is lost and won." They say that they will meet with Macbeth, and we can tell as they chant "what's foul is fair" that they do not mean well. In the second scene, we learn that the battle in question is the result of a rebellion against King Duncan by traitorous nobles named Macdonwald and the Thane of Cawdor as well as an invasion by the King of Norway. Macbeth emerges as the King's preeminent defender, killing Macdonwald and leading his forces to victory. After the battle, the witches reveal to Macbeth that he will become King of Scotland, setting in motion a tragic train of events that result in the deaths of almost all of the play's major characters.