Macbeth has resolved that he will kill Banquo, his friend and comrade in battle, so as to ensure his future as King. He calls on the night to galvanize his resolve by annulling "that great bond' which keeps him pale and vacillating. The presentiment of evil follows quickly with the flight of the crow to the rooky wood and all the creatures of darkness, the black agents aroused by the atmosphere charged with malevolence, stir in readiness to aid this foul deed.