Reading Notes: The water snake, Part A

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

A girl went to bathe in the forest with others, but once in the pool there was a snake. The girl got out but found the snake was on her clothes, and upon trying to poke it with a stick to get it to leave the snake said it would leave - if shed marry it.

The girl did not want to, but upon peer pressure of the others she did. She got her clothes back and went home, telling her mother what happened. The mom said it was ridiculous as no one could marry a snake. They all forgot the weird event.

The girl came home one day, crying as she had been chased by a horde of snakes. The mom barred the door shut. The snakes broke the windows and stole her, which her mom followed the girl as she was taken by the snakes.

They went into the pond where they turned into people. The mom cried but went home, accepting her daughters fate. Three years went buy and the girl remained under the pond, having children with the snake. She begged her snake husband to let her see her mother, and one day he did. Before she left, she asked what to say when she needed him. He told her a phrase and she left with her children. The mother was so happy to see all of them. The mom asked how she would get back home, and she told her the phrase. After she went to sleep, the mom took and axe and called out the phrase, to which immediately the snake showed up. The mom cut off his head, and the pond water turned red. The daughter awoke saying it was time to leave, but the mom asked her to stay another night. The next day she left and said the phrase, but her snake husband did not show. She saw his head floating in the pond and guessed what happened.

In grief, she turned herself and her children into birds.

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Reading Notes: The Two Corpses, Part B

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

A soldier was going home to pray and pay respect to his parents. On his way home, when it was dark, he passed a graveyard and heard someone running and crying saying he couldn't escape. He saw a corpse running after him with lashing teeth. The soldier ran and found a church, hiding inside. In it, there was nothing but another corpse on a table. The soldier hid in the corner, waiting to see what would happen. The first corpse ran inside and the second asked the first why it was here. The first said he wanted to eat a soldier he found, but the second argued the soldier was in his home so he should get to eat the soldier. They argued and fought, and fought so hard they fought to death (super death I guess). The soldier went home, and praised god.

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Reading Notes: The Witch Girl. Part B.

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

A Cossack asked for help and to spend the night at a house, the homeowner said to enter if he wasn't afraid to die. The Cossack thought why he would say such a thing, and went to feed his horse. In the stable, he saw men and women and children praying for help. The Cossack asked why they were all upset, and the homeowner said that in their village Death comes at night and whichever cottage she looks into, those people must be buried alive. Tonight is the night this house gets buried. The Cossack says he wont allow that to happen, and keeps an eye out.

At Midnight, the window opens to a white witch. She tried to enter the house and Cossack cut off her arm. He picked up her arm and hid it under his cloak, finally going to sleep. The next morning saw that everyone was alive and were happy. The Cossack said he would show them death and that they should all gather tonight so they can find her. The family went to gather the town, but everyone was gone. They reached the last house where they found a man who said his daughter was ill. Inside, they found a girl with a missing arm. Cossack was rewarded and the witch was drowned.

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After thoughts -

so it wasn't death but a witch who was killing town after town, possessing or posing as a normal person. This time, she got to all the families but one, and when her arm was taken off she could not take them. She returned home, and was found by the people as not the girl they thought they knew but a witch/demon.

Reading Notes: The Bad Wife, Part A.

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

A wife never listened to her husband when he spoke, and did the opposite of anything he said. If he asked for food, she said he didn't deserve any; but if he said he didn't want food, she made a feast. If he told her to relax, she did chores. 

He was so fed up, he went to the forest to look for berries. While searching he found a bottomless pit and contemplated if he should put her in it to teach her a lesson. So when he returned home, he told her not to look for berries. Then - she jumped into the bottomless pit. The husband returned home happy, and for 3 days it was bliss. On the fourth day, he visited his wife and dropped a rope, and when he pulled it back up a demon was attached. 

The demon begged for mercy and to not be let back down, as some evil woman has been killing them. He promised to repay him for mercy. The man let him free, and the demon asked him to follow as the demon was going to torment people while the man helped them. 

In the town, the demon possessed other's wives and daughters, who went crazy. Then, the man would show up and as soon as he did the demon would leave and a blessing would fall on the house. Everyone started to think the man was a doctor and gave him money for making the demon leave. 

Once the demon made him alot of money, he said he was finished and off to go posess someone else but did not want the man to be there. If the man showed up, the demon threatened to eat him. The town people looked for the man when the next woman went crazy, and he came. He asked them to leave him alone, and he told the people to crack the horses whips and scream "the bad wife has come!"

When the man entered the house, the demon came out and said he would eat him. The man said, I just came to warn you my wife is back. The demon looked out the window and saw the townspeople shouting about the bad wife, and asked the man where he could hide. The man told the demon to hide in the pit since she was gone. The demon returned, to where the wife still was. The girl was free and her family made her the mans new wife and gave him land. To this day, the bad wife still is in the pit. 

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Afterthoughts 

What a roller coaster - I loved this story. The picture is of a demon from the TV show Disenchantment - if you liked Futurama, the writers made this new show on netflix! 

Reading Notes: Inferno: Satan, Part B

Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline (2002).

the demons of hell are coming toward Dante and his guide. The guide asks him to look forward and try to recognize Satan.

He looks and notices a tall structure with massive winds, he tries to hide behind the guide because there is no shelter here. Absolutely doused in fear, he looks around at what lays in Hell. Many bodies are frozen in stone, some laying, some standing, some on their head and some bent so that their head touches their feet. Finally, they reached Lucifer.

Though he thought he could fear no more, a new wave of terror struck like a tsunami. He became so enveloped in horror that he did not die, but he was no longer alive. He was suffering in limbo while looking upon the once beautiful angel, now a hideous devil.

The devil stood waist high in ice, but know he was by no means small. The average man was closer to a giants height than a giant was to just one of lucifers arms. His body was as massive as he was ugly.

Three faces were on one head, each with a body being chewed in the mouth inflicting unique pain and suffering. The eyes - one fiery red, two joined to it on either side- sat above the center if each shoulder, which were linked at the neck with one white and one black eye on the center of the throat. On the faces where the eyes should have been were large wings like a bird but leathery as a bats. This was the source of the wind creating the frozen wasteland that surrounds them - hell is not on fire, but burns hot from the frost, so cold it splits lips and cracks the skin. Regardless of the cold, Satan wept from all his eyeless sockets, weeping blood that fell down three chins.

The three sinners he chewed were Judas, Brutus, and Cassius, They were stripped of skin. Judas flailed wildly while Brutus quietly squirmed. Cassius was very long limbed and endured the torture still.

Night was coming, and now they had to climb up Satan's body to leave hell.

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Reading Notes: The Elves, Part A

The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

A poor shoemaker only had enough leather for one pair of shoes left, so he made the stencil and went to sleep, intending on finishing them in the morning. He awoke to find the shoes made perfectly, and done so well that the first customer to walk in paid more than the normal price for them.

He now had enough money for two pairs of shoes. He went to bed again with the stencil cut out for four shoes, and woke to the shoes made as perfectly as the last. A customer once again paid more than the original price and he had enough money to buy leather for four pairs. This pattern continued and he became very wealthy.

One night, before Christmas, his wife and himself decided to stay up and see who was making the shoes. At midnight, two streakers appeared and started making the shoes.

The wife said they should show gratitude to the naked men, and sewed them some clothes while the husband made them shoes. They set the presents out and waited to see what would happen. They were so happy that they left and never returned, but the shoemaker still prospered and had a good life.

Elf on the Shelf: Halloween Edition

Afterthoughts 

I decided on the elf on the shelf for my picture, but since Halloween is around the corner I chose this version of him. 

Why did the little men come, and why did they leave once they had clothes? At first my mind went into horror story mode and they would find that the shoes were made of human skin instead of cow. Then I had an idea, maybe the little men were cursed to perform good acts until they were given a gift of gratitude - after that they could stop. It also reminded me of the whole elves-steal-your-left-sock thing and that's why your socks always go missing. This story doesn't provoke too many ideas for a rewrite, so I hope next week's A and B stories do.

Reading Notes: The Night on the Battlefield, Part B

The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

A merchant travels and becomes weary, a storm comes and the sun sets, and suddenly he sees the lights of an Inn flicker on of a building he did not notice before. He goes to the inn and asks for board and food and wine. The inn says they have a spare room for him, but all their food and drink must be saved as a battalion is coming in later.

Later that night, he could not sleep. He heard weird noises and looks through the crack in the door to see the all the men drinking and eating on the floor. Then, in walks the general. He commends them for their hard work and says he is going to rest. With his assistant in tow, he goes to his room which is adjacent to the merchant. Through another crack in the wall, he looks into the Generals room and sees the general take off his head. His assistant helps him by taking off his arms, then legs, and turns off the light.

The merchant tried to sleep, but he could not from the hunger, thirst, and crazy thing he just witnessed. He awoke to the sound of a crow, and realized he was outside. The inn was no where to be seen.  He runs to the nearest Inn he finds and recounts what happened, asking what that Inn owner thinks. The inn owner says that the entire forrest he was in was a battleground, and strange things happen after dark.

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After thoughts

Well I really enjoyed this story because of the supernatural element and twist. This will make an awesome rewrite. The general dismemberment scene reminds me of something that occurs on the show Supernatural, where sometimes ghosts become stuck in loops and keep reenacting their death (called a death echo). Maybe this general was dismembered during an ambush, maybe this inn was one that once stood before treason. I like the idea of the time loop happening every night on that ground, or maybe the man had ingested something like a mushroom that made him hallucinate or able to see the dead.

Reading Notes: Horse's Head or Silkworm Goddess, Part A

I decided to give Chinese Fairy Tales a try this week for extra credit. I usually read Russian stories as extra credit, but I have been reading this book called The Poppy Wars by author R. F. Kuang who studies Chinese history and wrote the fantasy fiction in a very similar light to Chinese history (it's an awesome book so far FYI). Off topic - this is the first book I have read where the author is younger than me (she's only 22!)

China: The Girl with the Horse’s Head or the Silkworm Goddess

The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens (1921).

An old man went away leaving behind his daughter and white horse, who fed the horse everyday in his absence. One day she told the horse if it brought back her father she would marry the horse. As soon as she uttered the words, the horse ran and brought back her father. 

During the travel back, the father thought something was wrong to be seeing the horse. He tried feeding the horse but it would not eat. When the horse returned, it tried to bite the girl. Confused, the father asked why and the girl explained what she had asked of the horse. She was very embarrassed so the father killed the horse and went back on his journey. 

Another day after all this happened, the daughter was out walking with a friend and scolded what was left of the horse for wanting to marry a human. As she taunted the dead hide, the horse hide wrapped around the girl and ran away with her. Her friend was horrified and ran home to tell her father what had happened. The neighbors all looked for the girl but never found her. 

One day, they found her hanging from a tree branch still wrapped in horse hide and she turned into a silkworm, weaving herself a cocoon. Her friend took her off of the tree and helped her out of the cocoon and took the silk for profit. 

The girl's relatives missed her so much. The girl rode through the sky in the clouds and told her family she was assigned the duty of watching over the silkworms, and that they should not miss her anymore. 

Her family built a temple to her and every year sacrificed and made offerings in her name asking for protection. She is known as the silkworm goddess but also the girl with a horses head. 

After Thoughts

Okay - weird origin story. So she turns down the idea of bestiality, only to be kidnapped and then turned into a goddess of silk but she has a horse face. Why does this remind me of BoJack Horseman?

BoJack

Reading Notes: The Headless Princess, Part B

This week I chose, surprise, Russian myths. I think I am probably going to keep reading them as my extra credit until the stories run out, as I am really enjoying them.

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston (1887).

A king had a daughter who was a witch, nearby a priest lived and had a son of 10 years old who was learning how to read and write. One day he passed by the window of a princess, and he saw her dressing and noticed that she took off her head! She cleaned it and put it back on. He told anyone who would listen about what he saw.

One day, the headless witch became sick. She demanded if she died that the priest’s son reads something called a psalter over her three nights in a row. When she died, the king ordered the son to do as the princess had wished. The boy was unhappy, and when he told his teacher about it she gave him a knife for protection to trace a circle around him. She warned him he should do his work, but not to look up from the reading no matter what happened.

When he started reading, the princess rose from her grave, furious he had been a peeping tom and a gossip. She rushed the boy, but the circle protected him. She made all kinds of horrible hallucinations happen, but he never looked up. Once the sun came up, she went back to her coffin. The second night the same thing happened. The third night though, the teacher gave him a hammer and four nails, to nail the coffin shut and to hold the hammer when he started reading.

When the princess tried to leave, she found she couldnt and was furious. She made him think the church was on fire, but he did not look and when the day came the church was fine. As the princess rushed her coffin.-The king found her inside the coffin the next day, lid open and her body face down. The king found out from the boy what had happened, and a stake was driven through her chest. He rewarded the boy for his bravery with money and land. 

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End Thoughts

I love how at a loss I always am for these stories. Was the reading causing her to rise, or did she know she would rise and wanted him to be there to torment him, and the reading was a distraction for him? Why was she headless? Why did she die? Why punish a boy in the wrong place, wrong time? Why did the teacher have all the answers - was she a witch too? Maybe she had cursed the princess for some wrongdoing? Who knows, but this gives me an idea for a story.

And About My Image Choice 

I love the movie Mars Attacks! and when I searched for "female headless horseman" on google, the image results made me think of this scene in the movie where a lady whose obsessed with her dog gets a little switch-a-roony during one of the alien's experiments. If you are in the mood to watch a crazy weird and funny 90's movie, this would be a good start!

Reading Notes: The Three Copecks, Part A

I really loved the Dead Mother story when I was just exploring the UnTextbook, so I thought I would do some reading notes over another Russian Fairy Tale. I chose this one because I had no idea what Copecks were (Russian currency, the more you know).

The Three Copecks

A poor orphan didn't have a penny to his name, so he offered to work for one copeck a year for a rich moujik. When he was paid, he through it down a well thinking if it floated he could keep it and if it sank then he did not deserve it. The next year the same thing happened. The third year, the moujik gave him a rouble instead of a copeck. The orphan demanded a copeck and once it was recieved he threw it down the well. To his surprise, not one but three copecks were floating. He took them and went to town. In town, he saw three horrible children hurting a kitten, and gave his three copecks for it. To earn (money?) again he started working for a merchant. When the business became successful, the merchant asked the boy for his kitten to keep his goods safe from mice out at sea. The orphan agreed, warning him if he lost the cat there would be hell to pay. The merchant then went to a land far away that had never heard of cats. When the landlord offering a room to him was hoping he would die from the rat infestation, he was surprised the little cat kept him safe and killed all the rats. The landlord asked the merchant for the cat, the merchant accepted the offer of a trifle of gold, enough of it to hide the cat with. On his way home, the merchant thought to keep the gold to himself and share none with the orphan. Suddenly, a storm threatened to sink their ship. The merchant realized this was the hell to pay the orphan spoke of, and swore he would pay him back. When he arrived to shore, he gave the orphan all the gold. The orphan used it to buy incense and burn it for God. An old man appeared and asked if he wanted riches or women, and the boy said he didn't know. The old man said to ask three brothers plowing what they thought he should do. The orphan did, and the boys said to ask the eldest brother - somehow, a three year old was the oldest and he told the orphan to ask for a good wife. The orphan did, and then became a husband.

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What an odd story! The cat part got me sad - I adore animals and feel terrible just seeing roadkill. I though there would be a moral to the story... maybe it is that if you are honest and good you will be rewarded? I'm not sure, but I love the bizarre world of Russian fairy tales. 

Reading Notes: Macbeth

Act 4, Scene 3 

Malcom wants to cry, and Macduff wants to kill somebody. Malcom suggests that Macduff will hand him over to Macbeth to win his favor, but Macduff says he is not a traitor. They try to think of a way to take him down, but Malcom thinks he would make no better leader as he cant keep his hands of of women and Macduff thinks he can learn to hide it from the public - but Malcolm can't stop talking down on himself. Macduff makes a speak so inspiring that Malcolm decides he will let him guide him and that he is trustworthy.
Their conversation is interrupted by a doctor who speaks of one curing by touch, and eventually Ross follows. Ross speaks of the great fall of the nation under Macbeths rule. He then reveals that Macduff's wife and children have been slaughtered. Malcom uses this info to fuel Macduff into killing Macbeth. They end the scene by deciding to go fight Macbeth.

Act 5, Scene 1

Doctor and a man speak of Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking. As they discuss it, she walks in appearing to be washing her hands, speaking of secrets and blood on her hands.

Act 5, Scene 2

Tension rises in the rebel army, they speak of how insane Macbeth has become.

Act 5, Scene 3

Macbeth is freaking out, yelling at servants and putting on armor before the battle has arrived. He learns his wife is sleepwalking. He barks orders at anyone within shouting distance, saying he has no fear until the army is past Birnam Wood.

Act 5, Scene 4 

The men are past Birnam Wood. They hide behind shrubbery to hide their numbers from the spies Macbeth surely has watching. They march.

Act 5, Scene 5

Macbeth brags that if only so many men hadn't deserted him then they would meet the opposing army to fight, but they can wait them out. He finds out his wife has died, and barely has an afterthought about it saying it would have happened eventually. A messenger tells him the forest is moving! Macbeth decides he has had enough of this thing called life, and wishes that if he dies he dies in armor and chaos.

Act 5, Scene 6 

Short and sweet, the rebels prepare for battle.

Act 5, Scene 7 

Macbeth kills a man, referencing how the only one he cares for is the one not born of a woman. Macduff swears he will be haunted forever if he is not the one who kills Macbeth.

Act 5, Scene 8

Macbeth and Macduff come face to face, Macbeth brags on how charmed his life is and how Macduff is worthless to try fighting him as he can be killed by no man born of a woman - this is when Macduff reveals he was born via cesarean. Macbeth, frightened, says he will not fight Macduff. But as we cut scenes to the rebellious army who has won, in walks Macduff with Macbeth's head.

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And so ends the tale of Macbeth. A once noble man turned merstyrant with power and greed, a once doting husband who ended a man that could not care less about the suicide of his wife. Were the witches to blame, or would he found his way to his moral demise without them?

Reading Notes: Macbeth

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Act 2, Scene 3 

A drunk gate keeper fantasizes of being the gate keeper of hell - maybe he doesn't like his job, or the king. Macbeth and friends talk, when suddenly Macduff enters wailing about his discovery - the king is dead! The sons, Malcolm and Donalbain flee in fear for their lives while Macbeth puts on quite a show for how pointless life is now that the king is dead.

Act 2, Scene 4

Ross and an old man speak of the omens and signs that the day the king died was a bad day. Macduff enters, suggesting the sons ran because they were bribed to kill their son with the prize of being king themselves. They also speak of Macbeth being crowned.

Act 3, Scene 1

Banquo ponders the possibility that things are all too good to be true for Macbeth. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter and awkward conversation ensues. When Macbeth is alone, he thinks of his fear of Banquo and of the prophecy the witches gave - him a childless king and Banquo a kingless father of kings.  Two murderers are brought to him, and Macbeth makes them believe it is Banquo's fault their lives are so terrible and not his. He orders/asks them to kill Banquo in a way that will leave him with no possible link to the crime, so he can grieve to their mutual friends without suspicion. the murderers agree.

Act 3, Scene 2 

Lady Macbeth starts to feel guilt, all these crimes will be for nothing if she does not feel happy in the end. Macbeth and her chat about how they cannot relax yet, and Macbeth seems to have learned from his mistakes before and tells her she is better left in the dark for this next part. He asks her to make Banquo feel special, as right now it is important that they act normal.

Act 3, Scene 3

The murderers attack Banquo with the help of a third man. During the struggle the torch lighting the area goes out, and on his dying breath Banquo tells his son to flee. The murderers have failed half of their duty, and leave to go warn Macbeth.

Act 3, Scene 4

The first murderer informs Macbeth that though Banquo is dead, his son escaped. Macbeth is troubled but knows his son is no threat at the moment like Banquo was. He returns to entertaining his guests when suddenly he sees the Ghost of Banquo in his chair. He starts to freak out, insisting someone is in the chair everyone else says is empty. His wife tries to cover for him, and to him berates him for freaking out over something so silly as a hallucination. After composing himself, he apologizes to his guests for his outburst. The ghost returns, Macbeth freaks out, Lady Macbeth makes fun of him, and the ghost leaves. After this repeated onslaught of craziness, Lady Macbeth orders everyone to leave. They discuss his outbursts and he says he is suspicious of Macduff, but it is late and he will see the witches tomorrow to find out more information. He thinks it will be equally hard to go back to being good as it is to keep killing (but I guess he's gonna keep on keepin on).

Act 3, Scene 5

The witches leader is pissed, apparently they told Macbeth his prophecy without her permission. But all will be well, as he is coming tomorrow and they can right their wrong. They will make him crazier with more illusions. The witches talk trash on Macbeth, that he is spoiled and will mock death like only a fool would.

Act 3, Scene 6

Lennox think's Banquo's son must have murdered him, since he his no where to be found. Here he mentions how great of Macbeth it was to kill those two servants before they even woke up. But apparently all do not see Macbeth is so great, as Macduff and Malcolm are seeking alliances to overthrow Macbeth. Macbeth had ordered Macduff to return and he refused. Lennox ends things by saying Macduff should return, and free them from the bad king that is Macbeth.

Act 4, Scene 1 

The witches are busy making a charm when Macbeth enters, demanding answers. They make an apparition appear that can read his thoughts. One tells him to beware Macduff. A second apparition appears, stating he should fear no man born of a woman. The third says that he will never be defeated until Birnam Wood comes against him at Dunsinane Hill. As Macbeth demands to know if Banquo's children will reign, he is once again met with Banquo's ghost. The dead Banquo is happy to show Macbeth that at least 8 of his descendants will rule. Finding out from Lennox that Macduff has fled, he is angry that he did not act on his impulse when he had the chance and vows to be impulsive in the future.

Act 4, Scene 2

Lady Macbeth expresses anger that Macbeth is gone and Ross tries to ease her nerves that Macbeth knows what he's doing. Lady Macbeth talks of him being dead, and tells her son that Macbeth is a traitor. A messenger interrupts their conversation to warn them that something bad comes this way, and they should leave while they can. The murderers enter soon after, and man oh man are they angry. They stab Lady Macbeths son for being the son of a traitor, as they say Macbeth is. Lady Macbeth flees as she is chased by the murderers, carrying her dead son.

Reading Notes: Macbeth

Yay - Macbeth! I am finally starting my journey in reading Shakespeare, as reading the majority of his known work is on my book-bucket-list. To begin my first reading notes of this assignment, I am sharing two photos of my dog I took when I came home with the book. I think we had the same feelings - first a little intimidation and then pure interest.

The task of reading this book was much less daunting once I broke it apart by weekly reading assignments (another win for making small goals!).

Photo I took and edited

As a personal note, I had originally overdone my notes which consisted of about 2500+ words. This has now been condensed to just over 1000 words, including this introduction portion.

Act 1, Scene 1 

The story starts with three witches. They discuss meeting later and a reference is made to their familiars - animals that do their bidding.

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Act 1, Scene 2

An injured Captain excitedly recounts tales of bravery and bloodshed that occurred during not one, but two battles that Macbeth effortlessly conquered. The King is all too impressed, what with Macbeth cutting open a man belly to jaw and mounting his head on a stick. Even better than two battles one, Macbeth has defeated a rebel, the Thane of Cawdor. So enamored, the King strips this title from the former Thane and gives it to Macbeth (in addition to putting the former Thane to death). He sends his men to announce the good news to Macbeth.

Act 1, Scene 3

Once again we are greeted with three witches, discussing their merriment in killing farm animals and putting curses on the husbands of women who refuse to let the witches them steal their food. Suddenly, Macbeth and his friend Banquo walk into the party and think they are imagining things because the witches start praising Macbeth and announcing his current title, future title, and that he will be king. As the men question the validity of their statements, they vanish. And as the witches have dissapeared, the kings men arrive to pronounce his new title as Thane of Cawdor – fulfilling the first of two claims/prophecies the witches just made. Banquo questions the reality of the moment with a line I really adore:

“What, can the devil speak true?” (sarcastically, since to him the devil is the father of lie - but Banquo then makes a counterpoint) “oftentimes, to win us our harm, instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence”

Macbeth thinks the witches may not have been lying, and this causes him some distress. If it is a good thing, and he will be king, then why would he ever kill the king? (I guess we are assuming murder is the only way to get a pay raise around here). If it is bad, why has the title of Thane of Cawdor been given to him? He instinctually says no – he would never kill the king (his chiveralous side), however, he cannot get the idea of murder from his thoughts (his soldier side).

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Act 1, Scene 4

In this scene, the King and Macbeth discuss his new title.

Act 1, Scene 5

Lady Macbeth is introduced, reading a letter from Macbeth about the events that have transpired. It is implied that Macbeth is onboard with the possible murder to gain the crown, as she immediately starts to come to terms that they have to murder the king. At first, she has similar thoughts that parallel Macbeth’s, she wants to be a good person but the chance to be Queen is so tempting. Upon finding out the King will be staying the night in their castle, the nail is put in the coffin as she starts to form a plan – ending the scene with a knife in her hand.

Act 1, Scene 6

The King has arrived, Lady Macbeth is trying very hard to act as if she isn’t plotting his demise, and Banquo is comparing the nice weather to birds having sex in their nest above the church.  

Act 1, Scene 7

Macbeth is alone again, having an inner struggle again. He knows the king trusts him implicitly, and has no real desire to see him dead other than getting the crown. He decides to drop the idea of killing him, but his wife charges in calling him a coward. In an analogy, she states; like a cat who wants a fish but is afraid to get its feet wet (pretty tame analogy for murder). Much less tamely, she tells him she understands that the king adores him but that he needs to, well, get over it:

"the babe that milks me, I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed its brains out"

 He caves to his wife and is back on board with murdering the king. They make a plan to get the king drunk, his two servants that guard his room drunk, and then murder him while framing the servants. 

Act 2, Scene 1

Alone, Macbeth hallucinates a vision of a dagger. After some deep thought, he takes his own from its sheath, casting away any last hesitations and goes to commit the act. 

Act 2, Scene 2

Lady Macbeth has done her part, the servants are drunk and asleep on the job. Macbeth enters, having killed the king, but is in complete shock. He can’t cover up the evidence because he is too shaken, so his wife - appalled at his emotions - finishes the job. They argue until a knock at the door forces them to put on their pajamas and pretend they’ve been asleep this whole time. 

Summary

I do not know the ending to this story, so this is all genuine speculation. I believe the witches knew Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor, but had no idea if he would ever become king – that was a seed they planted in his head, knowing the temptation would be too great for even the noblest of men. It seems though he would have not succumbed, had he never told his wife of the prophecy. He also might have backed out again, but I think the hallucinations of the dagger are something supernatural to bring him back on the path to death.

Some quotes that I think apply to the morals/themes of this story so far:

It has often been said that power corrupts. But it is perhaps equally important to realize that weakness, too, corrupts. Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many – Eric Hoffer; the idea of power almost corrupts Macbeth, but he is too noble indeed; however, his wife is not and his weakness to his wife is his real downfall.

Bad company corrupts good character – Menander; I believe this also adequately relates to his wife.