Macbeth Summary
King Duncan hears of Macbeth’s heroics at war and bestows
the title Thane of Cawdor on him. The current Thane of Cawdor has been deemed a
traitor and the king orders that he be killed.
The Three Witches
Unaware of this, Macbeth
and Banquo meet three witches on a heath who predict that Macbeth will inherit
the title and eventually become king. They tell Banquo that he will be happy
and that his sons will inherit the throne.
Macbeth is then informed that he has been named Thane of
Cawdor and his belief in the witches’ prophecy is confirmed.
King Duncan’s Murder
Macbeth contemplates his fate and Lady Macbeth encourages
him to act to ensure the prophecy is realized.
A feast is organized to which King Duncan and his sons are
invited. Lady Macbeth hatches a plot to kill King Duncan while he sleeps and
encourages Macbeth to carry out the plan.
After the murder, Macbeth is full of regret. Lady Macbeth
scorns him for his cowardly behavior. When Macbeth realizes that he has
forgotten to leave the knife at the scene of the crime, Lady Macbeth takes over
and completes the deed.
Macduff finds the dead King and Macbeth accuses the
Chamberlains of murder. King Duncan’s sons flee in fear of their lives.
Banquo’s Murder
Banquo questions the witches’ predictions and wants to
discuss them with Macbeth. Macbeth sees Banquo as a threat and employs
murderers to kill him and his son, Fleance. The murderers botch the job and
only manage to kill Banquo. Fleance flees the scene and is blamed for his
father’s death.
Banquo’s Ghost
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth host a feast to lament the death of
the King. Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in his chair and his concerned
guests soon disperse. Lady Macbeth urges her husband to rest and forget his
wrongdoings, but he decides to meet with the witches again to discover his future.
Prophesies
When Macbeth meets the three witches, they concoct a spell
and conjure apparitions to answer his questions and predict his fate. A
bodiless head appears and warns Macbeth to fear Macduff. Then a bloody child
appears and assures him that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” A third
apparition of a crowned child with a tree in his hand tells Macbeth that he
will not be vanquished until “Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall
come against him.”
Macduff’s Revenge
Macduff travels to England to help Malcolm (King Duncan’s
son) avenge his father’s death and overthrow Macbeth. By this time, Macbeth has
already decided that Macduff is his enemy and kills his wife and son.
Lady Macbeth’s Death
The doctor observes Lady Macbeth’s strange behavior. Every
night she acts out washing her hands in her sleep as if trying to wash away her
guilt. She dies shortly after.
Macbeth’s Final Battle
Malcolm and Macduff have assembled an army at Birnam Wood.
Malcolm suggests the soldiers each cut down a tree in order to advance on the
castle unseen. Macbeth is warned that the wood seems to be moving. Scoffing,
Macbeth feels confident that he will be victorious in battle as his predicted
invincibility that “none of woman born shall harm him” will protect him.
Macbeth and Macduff finally confront each other. Macduff
reveals that he was ripped from his Mother’s womb in an untimely manner, so the
“none of woman born” prophesy does not apply to him. He kills Macbeth and holds
his head aloft for all to see before declaring Malcolm’s rightful place as
king.
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