Act 4, Scene 3

Macduff and Malcolm speak together of Macbeth's treachery and try to find a way to overthrow him, and put Malcolm in his place. On page 186, Macduff refers to Macbeth’s jealousy and treachery as so: “this avarice sticks deeper: grows with more pernicious root than summer-seeming lust.” In essence, he is saying that Macbeth’s greed is deeply rooted, and that root is more harmful than youthful lust.
A group of people with a strange disease searched out King’s touch. Their disease is unmendable by the surgery of the time, and so they sought out the holy blessing of the King to cure them. The disease is called the King’s Evil, which is another allusion to strangeness and supernatural occurrences in Macbeth. The King is also said to have the holy ability of foresight. “The mere despair of surgery, he cures, hanging a golden stamp about their neck put on by holy prayers: and tis spoken, to the succeeding royalty he leave the healing benediction. With this strange virtue he hath a heavenly gift of prophecy, and sundry blessings hang about his throne that speak him full of grace.” Shakespeare did a clever thing my introducing the idea that Macbeth has holy power by virtue of the throne. HE is an unjust, fruitless, evil and false king, and so instead of being blessed with these powers the king is supposedly supposed to control, Macbeth has gone insane, and derives his insanity from the witches. The contrast is that the good king gets power from god, and the bad king becomes insane at the hand of witches.

Act 4, Scenes 1-2

The root of all images of strangeness in Macbeth comes from the witches, or Weird Women. Scene one of act four opens with the witches stirring and circling a cauldron, throwing nasty, vile ingredients within, creating a concoction that will aid them in their next three-part prophesy to be delivered to Macbeth. The witches also chant mystical rhymes and evil rhythms. Macbeth come forward to seek out the witches prophesy, and more apparitions appear to him, at the witches bidding. The first apparition appears to Macbeth as a head in armor. It tells Macbeth to beware the thane of Fife-Macduff. The second apparition appears as a newborn baby. It tells Macbeth that none born of women will harm Macbeth. The third apparition appears as a child wit ha crown on its head and a tree in his hand. It tells Macbeth that he shall never be defeated until “great Burnam Wood shall come against him at Dunsinane Hill.” Macbeth is a play that is defined by the affect of the supernatural upon the characters. Strangeness is an image in Macbeth that is not always alluded to in simile or some other literary device. It is spoken about and refered to through actions of characters, and actual happenings in the play. For this reason, it is more important to the theme and plot than sleep, disease, planting, clothing, or any of the other images.

Act 3 Scenes 4-6

Scenes four through six of act four are full of imagery of strangeness. On page 138, after Macbeth sees the apparition of Banquo, he relays his fear of the strangeness that came before him. "The time has been, that, when the brains were out, the man would die, and there an end: but now they rise again, with twenty mortal murders on the crowns, and push us from our stools. This is more strange than such a murder is." Macbeth ordered a murder of Banquo, who was subsequently killed with twenty mortal wounds to his head. Banquo's ghost, risen from the dead, comes back to haunt Macbeth, and Macbeth states that such an occurance is stranger than death. The strange imagry of this passage is added to when Macbeth apologizes to his guests, saying that he is afflicted by a strange illness. The ghost continues to come back as he entertains his guests. On page 144, after Macbeth has returned to his bedchamber, he discusses Banquo's ghost with Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth: All causes shall give way, stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er: strange things I have in my head that will go to hand, which must be acted ere they may be scanned.
Lady Macbeth: You lack the season of all natures, sleep (nature/harvest/planting?)
Macbeth: Come, we'll to sleep. My strange and self-abuse is the initiate fear that wants hard use: we are yet but young at deed.

Act 1 Scenes 4-7

In scene four on page 44, Malcolm speaks of the traitor Macdonwald, "nothing in his life became him like the leaving of it. He died as one that had been studied in his death, to throw away the dearest thing he owed as 'twere a careless trifle." My this Malcolm means that Macdonwald's life meant nothing and the only importance that came out of his existence was his death. He knew that he would die and how he would die. This quote serves to mirror the image of disease and death. On page 46, Duncan says to Banquo, "Welcome hither: I have begun to plant thee, and will labour to make thee full of growing..." Banquo replies, "There if I grow, the harvest is your own." Duncan means that he is expressing goodwill towards Banquo and hopes that Banquo will benefit from it. Banquo's response means that Banquo hopes that any benefit of their relationship will be that of the King. There are many additional examples of disease and distruction. In scene 6, Macbeth says, “…which being taught return to plague th’inventor; this even handed justice comments th’ingredience of our poisoned chalice…” He speaks that fair justice will result in Macbeth dieing because of the foul deeds eh has wrought.

Act One Scenes 1-3

In Act One Scenes 1-3, there is an overwhelming amount of injury and disease because of the recent battle against the traitor MacDonwald. On page 26, the Seargent speaks of Macbeth: "Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution." This is a graphic image of the gore and chaos of medieval warfare. It speaks of the injuries that the brandished steel (sword, axe, etc.) inflicted upon Macbeth's enemies. The Seargent continues to make allusions to injury and illness on page 28, where he says, "But I am faint, my gashes cry for help." This allows us to see the damage that is also inflicted on the side of the Scots. The imagry presented about illness and suffering in the first scenes of the first act let us know that the battle that took place is a very large and important aspect of the play, and that it will stage much of the book.