Macbeth summary by act analysis and study guide
Macbeth summary by act analysis and study guide
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Macbeth summary by act analysis and study guide
Macbeth Study Guide
Terms:
- Comedy
- girl meets boy, they fall in love get married
- cases of mistaken identity for comic affect (girls as guys); purely for entertainment
- good wins, bad lose
- disorder for comic effect à new order restored
- nobody dies
- History
- way of teaching the audience about the history of a nation
- someone is trying to usurp the throne à creates disorder à usurper dies, king restores order
- Tragedy
- a character makes a flawed decision that leads to his doom, often death
- character brings disorder à lives lost à then king reestablishes order
- not necessarily historically accurate
- Verbal Irony
- saying the opposite of what you mean
- the person speaking is aware of the twist à the character creates the twist
- Dramatic Irony
- when the audience knows something that the character doesn’t
- the character is unaware
- playwright controls the lines and creates the twist
- Irony of Situation
- twist of events
- surprise ending that we aren’t expecting
- Blank Verse
- iambic pentameter
- without rhyming lines
- 5 iambs per line ( × / )
- Prose (vs. verse)
- nonmetered language with no qualities of poetry
- often spoken by uneducated people (like the porter in MacBeth)
- verse: metered language with feet
- Pun
- play on words
- Aside
- character turns to the side and directly faces the audience à we hear his thoughts
- other people are on stage, but they don’t hear it
- usually short, rarely a few lines
- Monologue
- 1 person does all the talking
- speech is directed at the people on stage à the others can hear him
- Soliloquy
- Character is always alone on stage
- Character expresses his/her inner thoughts
- Paradox
- figure of speech
- speaks the truth/creates an additional truth
- “Nothing can be whole which has not been rent”
- Antithesis
- 2 ideas in opposition
- a sentence written in parallel form with contrasting ideas for effect
- rhetorical device
- examples:
To be or not to be
Fair is foul and foul is fair
Man proposes God disposes
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
- Repertory
- 10 plays in a cycle
- like Shakespeare’s troop
- Annapolis
- Anachronism
- out of place in time
- like a gun in Romeo and Juliet
- Equivocate
-
- Pathetic fallacy
- A phrase coined in the 19th century to denote a way of crediting nature with human emotions
- It has evolved to mean just another version of personification by poets and writers
Folios and Quartos
- Folio = A large collection of plays published after the writer’s death
- printer’s term for “one fold”
- Published after death
- Paper was very expensive and so was labor
- The printer, not the writer, made the money
- First Folio = the name given to the huge collection of Shakespeare’s plays published after his death by his friends
- 36 out of his 38 plays were published in the First Folio
-There are only 230 copies left – 75 are in the Folgier Library
- No copyright back then: once you published your work, it was anyone’s game
- Many plays were pirated by other theaters:
- Fierce competition between theatres: if a play was a big money maker, rival theatres wanted it
- Disgruntled actors who wanted bigger parts would snitch to other theatres
- A pirated version of Romeo and Juliet appeared in the Rose Garden theater
- Quarto = the collection of plays produced at the time the play was playing in theatre
- Printer’s term for “4 fold”
- Published during the time of the play
- Was usually smaller
- Not authorized, but was legal
- 18 quartos were published in Shakespeare’s lifetime
-some were very popular and went through many printings
-NEVER MacBeth: Macbeth was only published after his death
Four Periods of Shakespeare’s writing
- Period I (up until 1594)
-writes most of his histories
-writes a few comedies
-dabbles in poetry
-no sonnets or tragedies yet
- Period II (1594-1599)
-writes most of his comedies during this period
-histories were how people learned history
-most people were illiterate: plays were the bread and butter of english
-Romeo and Juliet was written: considered an experiment with form; not considered a true tragedy
- Period III ( 1599-1608)
-writes most of his tragedies
-written when he was middle-aged: older and wiser
- Period IV (1608-1613)
-writes his tragic comedies: happiness lost and found
*1623: First Folio gets officially published
About Macbeth (the play)
- The shortest play: written Christmas 1606
- Was very dark play
-because it was played indoors
-it becomes an asset to the mood
- Honored royalty and rightful, virtuous qualities of a good king
-Main focus: What makes a good king?
-Shakespeare wanted to please James
- Set in the Dark Ages in Scotland in the 11th century
-harsh, dark times
-Scots were primitive and rough
- References to equivocation, witches, and treason
-these all intrigued James
-allowed scholars to time the play
- He was writing his play to honor his king, James I
-he needed to make sure that he makes all of the king’s ancestors honorable
-he twisted history a little- took poetic license to please James
True Story of Macbeth
- Shakespeare tweaked the information as to not upset the king
- Macbeth was actually the great ruler
- Duncan was actually a terrible king:
-spoiled and overzealous man who killed his grandfather to get into power
The Great Chain of Being
- It is a hierarchical system in which everyone is born into a certain rank
- People in high positions could elevate people of low positions
-Kings anointed knights; popes anointed cardinals
- Extends from god down to the lowest forms of life. Chaos is at the very bottom: chaos symbolized evil for them, just like reason symbolized good.
- Elizabethans believed in an absolutely ordered universe
- When Macbeth kills Duncan, he violates this order, creating chaos. This order isn’t restored till the end of the play
**Killing the king isn’t just a social action à It’s a cosmic crime and the universe reflects the disruption
Shakespeare
- Lived from 1564-1616
- Lived in Stratford upon Avon
-3rd of 8 children
-son of a tradesman
- Attended grammar school: learned Latin, Greek, literature, and speaking
- At age 18, he married Anne Hathaway
-6 months later, they had baby twins
-banns of marriage: published 3 months before so any objections can come forward
-She stayed behind with the family when he started working because the theatre life was sketchy
- 1588 on = the Forgotten Years
-Shakespeare in Love – focuses on this time
-no records of him at all in this gap, until he makes a name for himself
- He worked in the Globe theatre in London
-He first was an actor à became a playwright à became a part owner of the Globe
- He retired at 47, the height of his career
-built 2nd largest house in Stratford and lived comfortably
About the Witches
-James associated witches and treason
-witches = old hags invaded by spirits
-3 witches = past, present, and future
-They speak in a different rhythm:
-NOT in iambic pentameter (x /): speek in trochees (/ x)
-Everything is turned upside down
Antithetical statements
- “When the battle’s lost and won” (witches)
- “Fair is foul and foul is fair” (witches)
- “Lesser than Macbeth and greater; not so happy, yet much happier; thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” (Witches prophecy to Banquo)
- “False face must hide what the false doth know” (Macbeth)
- “God’s benison (=blessing) go with you and with those that would make good of bad and friends of foe” (Old Man)
- “Fathered he is, and yet he’s fatherless” (Lady Macduff)
- “The night is long that never find the day” (Malcolm)
Act 1
Page 9: Captain reports on Macbeth’s achievements on the battlefield, revealing what kind of man Macbeth is
-Shows Macbeth is brace, almost to the point of being reckless, and ruthless and bloodthirsty
“For brave Macbeth (well he deserves the name), Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution, like valor’s minion, carved out his passage till he faced the slave, which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, till he unseamed him from the nave to th’ chops, and fixed his head upon our battlements”
Page 11: Captain reports on Macbeth and Banquo’s courage against the Norwegian king’s second attack
-They weren’t surprised or scared at all: they charged at it like cannons and were very fierce.
“As sparrows eagles or the hare the lion. If I say sooth, I must report they were as cannons overcharged with double cracks. So they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe. Except they meant to bathe in reeking would or memorize another Golgotha, I cannot tell”
Page 13: Duncan demonstrates the fate of traitors
“No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his death”
-punishing the traitor, rewarding the loyal
-very resolute, in control, quick to make decisions, knows what he wants
Page 15: Witches are portrayed as petty, nasty, vicious, and vengeful
-Tells story of a sailor’s wife who refused to give them chestnuts, so the witch is going to take revenge on her husband’s ship
Page 17: Banquo’s response to the witch’s prophecy shows him to be innocent and good-hearted
*FOILS Macbeth and his response
-Asks Macbeth why he’s startled: this is great!
-Asks the witches if they’re for real and then asks for some information too.
“Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear things that do sound so fair – I’ th’ name of truth, Are you fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly you show?”
-Banquo: thinks their prophecy is hilarious and funny
-Macbeth: is too curious and demands more information
Page 23: Banquo’s reluctance to trust the witches depicts his integrity of character
-knows that they will tempt you with truth but destroy you
“Tis strange and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betray’s in deepest consequence”
Page 31-35: Lady Macbeth’s letter soliloquy reveals a lot about her character
*Lots of good quotes – see page*
-She fears Macbeth’s kind nature and thinks he doesn’t have the ruthlessness to accomplish this
-thinks he would only do things approved by god, and is too afraid to do what he really wants
-She thinks she needs to step in so he can get his fated crown
-likens her persuasion to poison and sees herself as evil
Page 33: Lady Macbeth invokes evil spirits
*Lots of good quotes – see page*
-Asks to be transformed from her loving sex (as a female)
-Asks to be filled with cruelty and to block all remorse so nothing is in her way
-Asks to not think, but just to act
Page 35: Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to hide his true feelings from the world
“Look like th’ innocent flower”
-Macbeth looks scared and terrified
Purpose of Act 1 Scene 6: to show how Banquo and Duncan are clueless and how Lady Macbeth is able to act innocent and fool them
Page 39: Macbeth gives an important soliloquy that exemplifies his uncertainty and doubts about committing the murder
“If it were done when tis done, then twere well it were done quickly. If the assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with surcease success….We still have judgment here which being taught return to plague the inventor”
-If there were no consequences to my actions, I would do the murder right away
-images of scooping the murder and its consequences up with a net
-we have judgment that will plague us after the murder
-we’ll feel so guilty it’ll destroy us
-I’m betraying Duncan: I’m his subject and relative, I’m his host, and Duncan has been such a good king with such good virtues
Page 41: Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeth once he calls off the murder, attacking his manhood
-Page 43: She demonstrates how far she’ll go to keep her word- would have killed her own kid
“Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale…Art thou afeared to be the same in thine oft and valor?”
“When you durst do it, you were a man”
Page 45: Macbeth is overpowered by Lady Macbeth and agrees to the murder
“False face must hid what the false heart doth know”
-Macbeth is very aware of the wrongness of what they’re doing
-Lady Macbeth asked to act without thinking or guilt, so she is ignoring the immorality
“Bring forth men-children only for they undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males.”
Act 2
Page 49: Banquo FOILS Macbeth as he resists temptation and invokes the heavens
“A heavy summons lies upon me and yet I would not sleep. Merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose
-idea of sleep
Page 51-53: Macbeth’s dagger soliloquy
*IMPORTANT: see pages*
Page 55: Lady Macbeth has been drinking, suggesting that she needs to build her courage and isn’t as strong and vicious as she seems
-She’s a nervous wreck before Macbeth comes back
-afraid it didn’t work
-makes excuses: I would have done it, but Duncan reminds me of my dad
Page 57-59: Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth not to think about the murder
-Macbeth couldn’t say Amen, so he realizes that he’s been damned
-She tells him to go wash the blood of his hands à get rid of all of the guilt
-She has to go take the daggers back because he is unable too
-She tells him to calm down; he’s acting like a spooked child
Page 57: “Macbeth does murder sleep”
Page 59: Lady Macbeth continually belittles the event
-Don’t think about it; otherwise you’ll realize how serious it is, will feel guilty, and won’t be able to move on
“A little water clears us of this deed. How easy is it, then!”
Act 2 Scene 3 (Page 61-63): the porter
-ONLY humorous scene in the whole book
-The porter pretends to be the gatekeeper at the gates of hell
**CASTLE = HELL (evil and chaos)**
-He pretends to let in all sorts of people, most importantly an equivocator
*link between equivocation and treason à would have pleased James
-He asks for a tip and talks about how “drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery”
**SYMBOLICALLY**
- The porter is symbolic of the state the castle is in
- The porter himself symbolizes chaos
*chaotic mess that has been unleashed
-moral laws have been broken and the Great Chain of Being has been disrupted
-The English hated chaos and wanted peace
Page 65: An account of nature’s condition (by Lennox) implies that nature responds to disruptions of order on earth with chaos
-Lennox describes how terrible the night has been – “The night has been unruly”
-given by Lennox: objective and unbiased
Page 65: Macduff, finding Duncan dead, likens him to a holy temple
Page 69: Macbeth responds oddly to Duncan’s death, and we recognize that he is expressing regret
-Suggesting that he wished he had died before he could have committed the murder so he wouldn’t be damned
-He says that nothing has meaning and life is trifling, not serious
-“Renown and grace is dead”
-grace = king, honor, his own salvation, and forgiveness and mercy
Act 2 Scene 4 (Pages 73-77): the purpose of this scene is to portray what happened in nature when Duncan was killed, implying that nature responds to the actions of men
-told by Ross and the Old Man: lets us know about the condition of Scotland from an objective viewpoint (Old Man is 70 years old and has never seen anything like this before)
-Nature is reversed
-It’s the middle of day, but it looks like night (eclipse)
-A falcon (a regal bird associated with royalty and kings) was killed by an owl (associated with evil) à symbolizes Duncan killed by Macbeth
-Duncan’s horses have eaten each other
**Nature responds to actions of men and chaos in unleashed**
Page 75: Macduff subtly expresses his suspicions about Macbeth to Ross and the Old Man
-he refuses to go to Macbeth’s coronation because he doesn’t approve
-he goes home to Fife
Act 3
Page 81: Banquo is lured and tempted by what the witches said, but he doesn’t take action
-“I fear thou played’st most foully for it” – I’m afraid Macbeth played foully for king
-Reflects on his own prophecy and starts to gain hope in what the witches aid
-FOILS Macbeth: Macbeth acts without thinking, but Banquo doesn’t take any action
**Banquo controls his response
Page 85: Macbeth gives an important soliloquy in which he reveals his fears of Banquo
-He’s afraid of his noble character: his royal nature, courage, and kingly braveness
-only fears Banquo
-reflects back: he egged on the witches for information à he’s paranoid about being usurped
-thinks he’s done all the dirty work for Banquo’s kids, who will just take the crown
-He’s given his soul to the devil and damned himself for them
-He didn’t wait for fate: he acted on it and killed Duncan
-before he was apprehensively weighing things
-now he’s trying to control fate
Page 87: Macbeth manipulates the murderers into going after Banquo by reminding them of all the reasons they have to hate Banquo and appealing to their manhood
Page 91: In private, Lady Macbeth expresses regret and dissatisfaction
“Naught’s had, all’s spent where our desire is got without content”
“Tis safer to be that which we destroy than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy”
-we’ve gained nothing, but have wasted everything because we don’t have happiness
-She’s wasted her security, peace of mind, intimacy and relationship with Macbeth
Page 93: In public to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth changes faces
-She asks him to accept the murder and move on and to not dwell on it
-Ironically, she hasn’t gotten over it and was just dwelling on it.
“Things without all remedy should be without regard. What’s done is done.”
Page 93: Macbeth admits that he is guilt-driven and going crazy and shuts Lady Macbeth out.
-He has no sleep or peace of mind
“Better to be with the dead, whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy”
-Better to be Duncan: he has eternal sleep
-He doesn’t let her in on his plan to kill Banquo.
-He tells her “Make our faces vizads to our hearts, disguising what they are”
*before she said this to him àroles are reversed
“Full of scorpions is my mind!”
-He’s tortured
-NOW Macbeth calls on images of evil and darkness
-Asks the heavens not to see
-reversed roles with Lady Macbeth
“Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.”
-The way to make bad things good is to do more bad – right bad deeds with bad actions
**He initiates the action- he could stop at any point
Page 99: Macbeth is relieved to hear of Banquo’s death, but terrified when he hears Fleance escaped
“Then comes my fit again. I had else been perfect…but now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears”
Page 99: Lady Macbeth plays the mediator and public face while Macbeth has his fits
-“Sit worthy friends. My lord is often thus and hath been from his youth. The fit is momentary.”
Page 109: Macbeth talks of how ghosts will avenge and murder will have revenge after seeing the ghost of Banquo.
“It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood”
Page 109: Macbeth is suspicious of Macduff and decides to visit the witches
-Macduff wasn’t at their feast or the coronation
-He’s going to send a spy to Macduff’s house
**Now he’s seeking the witches instead of the witches seeking him
Page 109: Macbeth says that even though he’s new to it, he has got to get used to killing people
“My strange and self-abuse is the initiate fear that wants hard use. We are yet but young in deed”
Act 3 Scene 5: People think that Shakespeare didn’t write this part with the witches and Hecate
-It has a different rhythm
-The witches were very popular, so people added more in after his death
Page 113: Lennox’s sarcastic tone shows that he is very hostile towards Macbeth
-He doesn’t just say that he doesn’t like him because the lord might be a spy
“The gracious Duncan was pitied of Macbeth…and the right valiant Banquo walked too late.”
“How it did grieve Macbeth! Did he not straight in pious rage the two delinquents tear?”
Page 115: the lord gives Lennox news about Scotland
-Reports and recounts the awful things happening in the kingdom
-Says that a group is gathering against Macbeth in England and Macduff has joined
-Macbeth’s response to Macduff going to England = war
Act 4
Page 121: The witches throw stuff into their cauldron for their spell as each thing gets increasingly evil
-starts off with ordinary animals but then to evil things (are all outcasts in society)
**Child imagery**
-sacrificing innocence
-but not traditional innocence: a prostitute’s baby born in a ditch
Page 125: First Apparition = an armed head
“Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife!”
-it could have been his own head coming back to warn him
Page 125: Second Apparition = a bloody child
“Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth!”
-no man born of a woman shall kill you
Page 127: Third Apparition = a crowned child with a tree in his hand
“Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.”
Act 4 Scene 1: Macbeth acts like he’s better than the witches
-He demands guidance and is controlling and bossy
-He feels really confident after the first 3 apparitions, but then he even goes after another’s prophecy (Banquo’s) à goes way past his boundaries
Page 129: A show of 8 kings, the 8th with a glass in his hand, and Banquo last
-Macbeth realizes that Banquo’s descendents will be kings
-Shows an uninterrupted line of kings, all the way down to James
Page 131: Macbeth decides to kill all of Macduff’s family
-he has no compassion and does the unthinkable
-more child imagery: going to sacrifice Macduff’s kids (Macbeth doesn’t have any himself)
**now he’s killing innocents**
Page 133: Lady Macduff is angry at her husband for leaving them
-thinks he lacks humanity and a paternal touch
-She tells her son that his father is dead
**lots of images of birds throughout the whole scene**
Page 133: Ross insists that Macduff is noble and he had to do what was right
-He can’t say too much because there are spies in the house
Page 135: Shakespeare adds the conversation of traitors between Lady Macduff and her son to please James.
“What is a traitor?” à “One that swears and lies”
“Who must hang them?” à “The honest men”
Page 137: Lady Macduff lives in a world where FAIR IS FOUL and FOUL IS FAIR
**World of Macbeth and the witches**
-Everything is upside-down”
“I am in this earthly world, where to do harm is often laudable, to do good sometime accounted dangerous folly”
Act 4 Scene 3: Shift to England
*What qualities make a good king
Demonstrated by:
1) Malcolm and Macduff literally talking about it
2) Malcolm’s actions
Page 139: Malcolm is cautious and suspicious
“You have loved him well. He hath not touched you yet…you may deserve of him through me, and wisdom, to offer up a weak poor innocent lamb to appease an angry god”
“Angels are bright, still, though the brightest fell”
-He wonders if he was disloyal to his family, how can he be sure he’ll be loyal to him?
Page 141: Scotland = a wounded warrior
“Bleed, bleed, poor country!” – Macduff
“It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash is added to her wounds” – Malcolm
-Scotland has also been wounded and is dying
Page 143: Malcom tests Macduff by telling him that he is worse than Macbeth
-I’m a womanizer – the women in Scotland wouldn’t be safe
-Macduff: desperate: well…there are plenty of women in Scotland who would want you…So present one face to the public and have lots of women in secret (Motif of 2 Faces)
-I’m greedy – I would steal the nobles’ lands and create conflict to take wealth
-Macduff: well…this is pretty bad, but Scotland has a lot to satisfy you…you have a lot of other good qualities that balance out
-I have no good qualities – if I had power, I would create chaos
-you’re not fit to live, let alone rule! Scotland is doomed, what am I going to do?!!
Page 147: Malcolm tells Macduff that he was just testing him and he’s really a good person
“Child of integrity” à Macduff’s passion proves him true
“What I am truly is thine and my poor country’s to command à he’s servant of the state
-Macbeth = confused: “Such welcome and unwelcome things at once till hard to reconcile ”
Page 153: Ross delivers the bad news that macduff’s family is dead
“They were at peace when I did leave them”
Act 5
Page 161: the gentlewoman tells the Doctor about Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking, but still can’t reveal her master’s secrets.
“Neither to you nor anyone having no witness to confirm my speech”
-She can’t expose Lady Macbeth à It’ll be treason à She’s protecting herself
Page 163: Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and reenacts her crimes
**stream of consciousness
-nightmares and dreams tell the truth
-reenacts Duncan’s murder, Macbeth’s fits at dinner, murder of Macduff’s family
-“out damned spot, out!”
“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”
-Before: she thought a little water washed this deed à now she realizes that her hands will never be clean and neither will her conscious
-she can’t get rid of the smell of blood, no matter how much she masks it with perfume
**parallels Macbeth’s image of turning water red
-“What’s done cannot be undone”
Page 165: Doctor tells the gentlewoman that he can’t help Lady Macbeth, suggesting that Lady Macbeth must make a confession for repentance
-her nightmares stem from her dreams
-she could commit suicide, so remove anything that she could hurt herself with
-“This disease is beyond my practice…more needs she the divine than the physician”
-“Infected minds to their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets”
Even the setting of scenes is antithetical: Scene 1 vs. Scene 2
-Scene 1 = very troubled scene at night
-Scene 2 = confident march of Scottish troops
Page 167: Angus and Caithness talk about Macbeth and his diseased rule
Motifs:
- 2 faces: wearing a mask to the world
-Page 17: can’t tell if the witches are human or not
-ambiguous reality
“You should be women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.”
-Page 27: Duncan fully trusted the traitorous Thane of Cawdor
“There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He wasa a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.”
-Page 35: Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to look like an innocent flower and hide his true agenda from everyone
-Page 45: “False face must hide what the false heart doth know”
-wear a mask to the outside world
-Page 71: Malcolm tells Donalbain that they should flee because they could be the next victims
-Whoever killed Duncan could be conspiring and faking (showing one face to the public), but will literally stab them in the back
-Donalbain: “There’s daggers in men’s smiles. The near in blood, the nearer bloody”
- Clothing
-Page 25: Banquo calls Macbeth’s new title his new strange garments
-Page 21:
-Page 41: Lady Macbeth suggests Macbeth dressed himself in a courageous demeanor
Page 167: Angus talks about Macbeth’s awful reign as king
“Now does he feel his title hang loose about, like giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief”
-his title doesn’t fit him: he should have been a “giant,” a great king
-But instead he is a dwarf in comparison of greatness: is a terrible king
- Plant
-Page 27: Duncan has planted Macbeth and will develop him
-Page 169: (Lennox) “Drown the weeds” – get rid of Macbeth who has overrun the country
- What it means to be a man
-Page 31: Lady Macbeth doesn’t think her husband is enough of a man to achieve his fated crown
-even though we’ve seen him as ruthless
-she thinks he is too much like a woman
-Page 41: Macbeth defends himself, saying he can do all that a man is expected to do
-Page 43: Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that she’s such a tough cookie she will only have boys
-Page 155: After the death of Macduff’s family, Malcolm tells Macduff to take it like a man, and Macduff responds with “I must also feel it as a man”
- Illness
Page 141: Scotland = a wounded warrior
“Bleed, bleed, poor country!”
“It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash is added to her wounds”
-Scotland has also been wounded and is dying
Page 149: Juxtaposition of wounded Scotland that needs to whole again and the piety of king who can heal people
Page 155: Images of healing:
“Let’s make us medicines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief” – Malcolm
-Let’s be the medicine and cure your grief with our revenge
*Ruler will heal a wounded country if he’s pious
Page 167: “He cannot buckle his distempered cause within the belt of rule”
-also clothing motif of the belt
-his rule = diseased
-can’t hold it together anymore
Page 167: “Meet we the medicine of the sickly weal. And with him pour we in our country’s purge each drop of us”
-Let’s meet up with the medicine who will heal our sick nation and cleanse us of toxic Macbeth
- Equivocation
-James would have loved the references to equivocation and the gun powder plot
-The witches equivocate to Macbeth:
-the whole structure of Macbeth’s reasoning, confidence, and courage depends on the prophecies
-The witches are very vague and ambiguous
-There are also images of being 2-faced or wearing a mask to society:
-also presents the idea of not telling the whole truth
-James associated equivocation with treason
-Treason was a big issue at the time: you were betraying the loyalty and trust of your king and your nation
-the gunpowder plot was a huge deal (like 9/11)
What it means to be a good king
- Cautious and suspicious
- Page 139: Malcolm is suspicious and cautious towards Macduff
“You have loved him well. He hath not touched you yet”
“To offer up a weak poor innocent lamb to appease an angry god”
“Angels are bright, still, though the brightest fell”
-He wonders if he was disloyal to his family, how can he be sure he’ll be loyal to him?
- Malcolm lists good qualities: justice, verity, temperance, stableness, bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, devotion, patience, courage, fortitude
- Siward nobly accepts the death of his son
-James is a descendent of him and brave young Siward: would have pleased him
- Malcolm shows his gratitude for his soldiers by making them earls
- NOT A GOOD KING:
-Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, sudden, malicious, sinful
-Ruthless and not compassionate
-Lustful and greedy
At the End:
- Opens in a state of chaos and turmoil
-witches
-battle with Norway
- Peace and Order is restored
-new ruler (Malcolm) establishes order
-Universal chaos was released because of a moral law that was broken
-Those who violated the law will always be punished
(Macbeth and Lady Macbeth)
-Peace can’t be established until the Great Chain of Being is restored
- Universe rebels when something is disturbed
-Great Chain of Being was disrupted
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Macbeth summary by act analysis and study guide
A closer look at each Act
As you examine each Act identify the ten most important events in each. This will help to increase your understanding of how the themes are developed throughout the play.
Act I
The main events in Act I are:
- The witches’ plan to meet Macbeth.
- Macbeth is introduced as a hero who will become Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his loyalty.
- The witches prophesise that Macbeth will be king and Banquo will be the father of a line of kings.
- Duncan orders the execution of the treacherous Thane of Cawdor. He rewards Macbeth but announces that Malcolm will become heir to the crown.
- Lady Macbeth learns of the witches’ prophesies through the letter Macbeth has written her.
- Macbeth arrives and Lady Macbeth tells him to look ‘like the innocent flower but to act like a serpent,’ when Duncan arrives.
- Duncan is greeted by Lady Macbeth. He does not suspect what fate awaits him.
- Macbeth is troubled by his conscience and almost talks himself out of killing Duncan.
- Lady Macbeth torments Macbeth about his promise to kill Duncan, and his lack of manliness. She convinces him that a real man would keep his word. She gives the impression that she is more of a man that he is.
- They then plan the murder together.
It is Banquo’s fear that the witches' words will "enkindle [Macbeth] unto the crown;" that they will stir an ambition in Macbeth that is already latent within him (Act I Scene 3, line 132). This fear is soon realised as Macbeth's thoughts quickly turn to murder (Act I Scene 3, line 152). Why does Macbeth rely so heavily on the predictions of the witches? Does he perceive a connection between these ‘weird sisters’ and the Fates of Greek myth? The word ‘weird’ comes from an Old English word ‘wyrd’ which means ‘fate.’ Do the witches perform the function of an oracle, of the kind we associate with Greek Tragedy?
Macbeth and Banquo are presented as characters who appear equal in many respects yet Banquo does not act on the witches' prediction that he will father kings. How does his refusal to act on the witches’ prediction reflect on the differences between himself and Macbeth? What images of masculinity do the differences between Banquo and Macbeth suggest to the audience?
The ambiguity of the language used by the ‘weird sisters’ is compatible with the play’s theme of equivocation. Banquo recognises the witches as agents of the supernatural, who speak a language that appeals to the inner desires of the characters.
Banquo:
“But ‘tis strange,
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths;
Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s
In deepest consequence.”
- Why is Macbeth unable to see the double meaning of the language used by the ‘weird sisters’?
- In Act 2 Scene 1, Banquo dreams of the three ‘weird sisters.’ Why does Macbeth say, “I think not of them”?
- How does this difference between the way these two characters perceive the split between their inner and outer worlds reflect on the plays others themes of “fair” being “foul;” and the ideas of loyalty and ambition? Lady Macbeth also shares Macbeth’s prejudice in appealing to the supernatural. For her, a prediction becomes a “promise”.
“Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised; yet I do fear thy nature”
Lady Macbeth (Act I Scene 5)
- How does Macbeth’s written reference, “They met me in the day of success, and I have learned by the perfectest report they have more in them than mortal knowledge,” strengthen the similarities or differences between how Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo see the role of the ‘weird sisters’?
- Why does Shakespeare make double use of ideas like this, e.g. we all see things differently? In most of Shakespeare’s plays, he uses a mirroring of ideas between the characters, which serves to heighten their differences. Macbeth is no exception.
A major concern of the play is the relationship of the personal inner world of the character and its relationship to the social and political order of the outer world, and the way characters act or refuse to act on the way they perceive the world. Macbeth is prepared to engage in deception at Lady Macbeth’s prompt to
"look like th'innocent flower,
But be the serpent under't".
(Act I Scene 5)
Macbeth knows that he must appear to be a loyal Thane, even while he is secretly planning his dark deeds.
Lady Macbeth uses her womanly looks to flatter Duncan’s hopes for loyalty, but has already ‘unsexed’ herself to commit the bloody deed of killing him. Aspects of the inner world of human psychology are revealed through the nightmares and guilt-ridden hallucinations that accompany the carrying out of the evil acts. Shakespeare chose to present the contrast between what someone is and what they appear to be, so as to accentuate the fundamental meaning of his use of the theme of equivocation, a theme which he also connected to the theme that appearances can be deceptive.
Shakespeare uses the theme that appearances are deceptive to present Macbeth as a character who is outwardly brave but inwardly indecisive. To this he adds the idea that Macbeth’s character contains a fatal flaw. He knows what is right and what is wrong and yet lacks the moral fortitude to act correctly preferring instead to allow himself to be deceived by vague notions about what a real man would do in the circumstances. Psychologically Macbeth is emotionally tormented. His eloquent soliloquies are full of pathos and audiences cannot help but sympathise with his distress.
- Why does Shakespeare’s depiction of Macbeth evoke such sympathy?
- Contrast and compare this view of Macbeth with his depiction of Lady Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth is presented as a ruthless character driven by a desire for greatness and status. However, her desire for power represents a masculine trait that requires her to shed her feminine qualities. In her “unsex me here” speech, she identifies the feminine virtues of keeping the peace and feeling remorse as barriers to achieving her great purpose. Lady Macbeth’s rejection of motherhood arouses ‘shock horror’ emotions from the audience.
- What image of feminine power is Shakespeare presenting through his depiction of Lady Macbeth?
- How does this depiction of an essentially uncaring, evil woman increase the sympathy the audience feels for Macbeth?
- Can you think of any modern examples of this stereotypically evil woman?
Act II
All the scenes in Act II are set in or near Macbeth’s castle at Inverness. The Act begins with a discussion between Macbeth and Banquo. It is after midnight. Banquo wants to discuss the witches, but Macbeth tells him they will discuss them some other time, and bids him goodnight. He then delivers an important soliloquy beginning with the words, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”
In this act, you need to pay close attention to Macbeth’s state of mind. Does he really see a dagger or is it just a vision, a dagger of the mind? The inner world of Macbeth’s psyche seems to spill over into the physical world, as he carries, to conclusion, his plan to kill Duncan.
After killing Duncan Macbeth hears a voice saying, “Glamis hath murdered sleep and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more; Macbeth shall sleep no more.”
Earlier, Macbeth sees the dagger leading him to the murder scene. The ‘instrument’ he refers to in this speech recalls the influence of the witches referred to earlier by Banquo as the ‘instruments of darkness.’ The other references to ‘wicked dreams’ and ‘witchcraft’ support the idea that Macbeth is either possessed by the witches, or obsessed with the idea of killing Duncan to fulfill the witches’ prediction. You will need to decide to what extent Macbeth is provoked by either the witches or his own ‘heat-oppressed brain’ into committing the act of killing Duncan.
Sleep is important, as an extended metaphor, that signifies or represents Macbeth’s troubled existence, and the troubled state of the country. No one can sleep because Macbeth’s ambition to become king plunges the country into a darkness that seems to mirror his psychological state. Images of natural disorder abound in this act, an owl eats a falcon and two noble horses eat each other.
The symbolism of the act is centered on the images of birds at war with each other, and every scene in the act contains a least one reference to birds. It has been suggested that the references to the owl in this act represent a metaphor for Macbeth. Macbeth is like an owl, which sleeps by day and hunts by night.
- Compare this idea to the Elizabethan world order, which places the eagle or falcon at the top of the order of the bird kingdom. What are the implications for the order of the world?
- There are also several references to hell in this scene. The porter imagines that he is guarding the gate to hell. Explore the irony of these references.
- What other biblical references can you find in Act II? What does Banquo’s declaration,
“In the great hand of God I stand and thence against the undivulged pretense I fight”
suggest about the differences between him and Macbeth (Act II Scene 3)?
- What is the dramatic function of the Old Man’s single appearance in the play? Whose point of view does he represent? How do his lines reinforce the themes of the play?
Act III
Act III opens shortly after Macbeth has been crowned King. Macbeth’s succession has not brought peace, and the implications, in the text, reveal that he has to employ spies in each of the most important households to inform him of any move against him. The voice of conscience speaks loudly to Macbeth in this scene soon after he has Banquo murdered.
The theme to focus on in Act III is what does it mean to be a man? Earlier in the play Lady Macbeth defines masculinity as the ability to ruthlessly achieve a desired goal. In Act I Scene 2, Duncan applauds Macbeth’s ruthless killing of “the merciless Macdonald” who Macbeth “unseamed” from “the nave to th’ chaps.” Duncan exclaims, “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.”
- Identify as many versions of masculinity and femininity as you can as you read the play.
The idea of what it means to be a real man is a question that can be looked at from several different viewpoints. Try comparing the views of several different characters with each other. Then consider the way that the idea of what it means to be a man means to each of them. Consider how these ideas about masculinity move the action of the play forward. For example, Duncan rewards masculine valour with titles, this brings him closer to his own demise. Macbeth kills in order to gain power and honour from the king and his fellow thanes. He then kills the king to prove he is a man of destiny. Macduff defends his masculinity by killing Macbeth out of revenge for the killing of his wife and children.
- Examine the role that masculinity plays in motivating each of the characters to carry out their plans.
In Act III Scene 1, Macbeth’s discussion with the murderers about how a man is meant to behave mirrors the words used by Lady Macbeth in Act 1. Macbeth taunts the murderers with references to their rank, station and file (Act III Scene 1, lines 90-105).
- Reflect on the relationship Macbeth has with the murderers and how closely it mirrors the methods he and Lady Macbeth used to kill Duncan. What does this suggest about all murderers? Especially note the references to stains and blood in committing the act of murder which are meant to signify guilt.
- Why does Macbeth refer to the blood on the murderer’s face? Is this real or imagined blood? How does this link with the themes of appearances and disturbance of the natural order? How does this foreshadow the blood Lady Macbeth tries to wash from her hands in Act V?
- When Macbeth see Banquo’s ghost he is ‘unmanned’. Could it be that Macbeth’s feminine side is asserting itself through his guilt? Compare this view of masculinity to Lady Macbeth’s “unsex me here” speech.
- How do some of the supernatural elements of the play undermine notions of masculinity and femininity? What message is being directed to the audience about the roles men and women are meant to play?
- How does witchcraft undermine the established order? Relate this to the idea of cleanliness; what is being implied? Are all witches capable of murder?
- Lady Macbeth is not involved in the plan to kill Banquo and her role in the play is diminished after Act III. Think carefully about the way Shakespeare uses this mirroring technique. Lady Macbeth’s character is not as fully developed as Macbeth’s because, unlike Macbeth, she doesn’t consciously weigh the consequences of her actions. Her realisations are depicted as unconscious responses performed in sleep, whereas Macbeth thoughts are consciously and eloquently articulated to the audience.
- Is Lady Macbeth a foil for Macbeth, whose function is designed to move the audience toward a deeper understanding of the tragic nature of the play’s bloody events?
- Think of Macbeth’s speech on “vaulting ambition” as you reflect on how each of these two characters influence each other, before you decide what her dramatic function is.
The idea of cleanliness permeates this act, and the theme of removing stains and washing runs throughout the whole play. In Act II Scene 2, Lady Macbeth instructs Macbeth to wash the blood from his hands after murdering Duncan. She says, “a little water clears us of this deed,” but it doesn’t.
After the murder of Banquo, Macbeth is haunted and tormented by the sight of Banquo’s ghostly appearance at the banquet. The idea of being unable to cleanse the mind and the spirit is closely tied to the play’s themes of order and disorder and light and dark. The killing of Duncan has upset the spiritual order of the world and the ability to distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. This confusion is mirrored in the character of Macbeth who, quite literally, has replaced order with disorder on every level, including the spiritual order.
This mirroring reinforces the themes of appearances not being what they seem, but also foreshadows the madness and suicide of Lady Macbeth, which is bound to flow from such an unnatural state of affairs.
Consider Lady Macbeth’s pathos, reflected in her sleep-walking speeches, “out, damned spot”. Here, ‘damnation’ accompanies the stain that corrupts the spiritual order of the world. Macbeth’s realisation that,“ all great Neptune’s oceans” cannot wash the blood from his hands mirrors Lady Macbeth’s words, “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” Both characters are damned, reinforcing the idea that they have brought hell to earth with their deeds.
- The identity of the third murderer is a question that is also worth considering in Act III. Some critics have suggested that it is Macbeth himself. What are the implications regarding the events that follow if this is true?
- Think about Macbeth and Banquo in terms of the act’s references to light and dark that they are associated with. How do the images of light and darkness tie in with the theme of good versus evil? How does the contrast between light and dark accentuate the essential nature of each of these two characters?
- What is happening to the light as Banquo is murdered? Find other references to the sun/son in the play. What are the implications? What do these references symbolise?
Act IV
Act IV begins with the witches’ reminder of the “double, double” nature of their predictions. The apparitions that the witches summon give a double message to Macbeth and he, typically, believes what he wants to believe. The apparitions warn him to fear no man born of woman, and that he need only fear when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.
The doubling or mirroring idea continues as the witches summon the "show of kings." Each king who appears looks "too like the spirit of Banquo," which is deeply disturbing to Macbeth. They remind him of the ghost of Banquo of the previous scene.
The line of kings seems to go on forever and Macbeth notes that he sees some carry "twofold balls and treble scepters" (Act IV Scene 1). It is believed that these lines were written to flatter King James 1 who was one of Shakespeare’s patrons. James would have been very pleased with the thought that his ancestry would last “till the crack of doom.” There is also irony in the scene when Macbeth curses the witches “eternally,” as they deliver their own eternal prophesy of Banquo’s progeny. And, at the end of this “show of eight kings”, the eighth king holds a mirror in his hand. This king, an eighth-generation descendant of Banquo, is James I himself.
The extension of the play’s themes carries a greater degree of mirroring than even the audience could have guessed at, as suddenly, the play's James is doubled in the real James, who was also part of the audience. Once again, Shakespeare has blurred the boundary between imagination and reality to emphasise the idea that confusion is magnified by dabbling with the supernatural.
Think here about the importance of the coin with the flower and serpent on it. By reflecting on the nature of reality, as to whether the world of the play or the world of the audience is reality, Shakespeare warns the audience of the dangers of double dealing. Confusion, truly has made its masterpiece. The dramatic effect of the scene foreshadows the need to restore order in the world, a message that will not be lost on the audience as the grizzly events of Act IV unfold.
Shakespeare’s use of doubling is extended to the characters in the play, but it is his use of opposites that gives the play its dramatic impact. The scene in which Lady Macduff is killed continues the bird symbolism that began in Act I. Lady Macduff complains to Ross about her husband's abandoning them. She uses a bird metaphor to explain her feelings,
"the poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in her nest, against the owl"
(Act IV Scene 2, lines 11-14).
Her son also helps to extend the metaphor by reassuring her that he will have to live "as birds do". This metaphor becomes more powerful because the audience knows that Macduff’s castle is about to be attacked by Macbeth's men.
Macbeth, as suggested, is identified with the owl, and Lady Macduff, trying to protect her son, becomes the wren in a self-realisation of her own words. There are similarities here between Lady Macbeth’s haughty declaration that she would rather ‘smash out’ her baby’s brain than fail to keep a promise, such as Macbeth had made, and Macbeth’s own actions in ordering the deaths of Lady Macduff and her children. But it is the differences between the two views of mothering that creates the most dramatic impact for the audience.
- Reflect on the ideas of feminine values each of the play’s two women represent.
- Why does Shakespeare use two very different examples of womankind? How do these examples of mothering contrast with the images of fatherhood represented by Duncan, who, like a father, would like his subjects to “grow” according to their position and their worth.
- Why does Macduff leave his wife and children?
Act V
Act V begins with Lady Macbeth’s guilty, but unconscious, revelations about the murders. The audience now sees the weak side of Lady Macbeth, which presents a shocking visual contrast with the Lady Macbeth of previous acts. The washing theme is continued as the sleep-walking, sleep-talking Lady Macbeth, in vain, tries to scrub the stains of the murders from her hands. The blood represents guilt, but as guilt is associated with sin, the stain reminds the audience of the biblical reference to the sin in the book of Genesis, when Cain killed Abel and God placed a mark upon Cain.
During the period of James’ 1 reign, as many as 8000 people were tried and found guilty of witchcraft and were burned at the stake. Some were accused of being witches because they were said to have ‘the mark’ of the devil on them, which in reality, was often a mole or birth-mark. God placed ‘the mark’ on Cain to protect him, but it is clear that Lady Macbeth’s mark does not protect her because others have identified her guilt which identifies her with the devil.
This scene would remind the audience of the witchcraft trials that were going on all over the country. The doctor and nurse who attend Lady Macbeth are witnesses to her guilt. The doctor later tells Macbeth that he cannot cure an ‘infected mind’ and that Lady Macbeth has more need of a priest than a doctor.
This reinforces the play’s underlying theme of good versus evil. You can contrast this need for healing with the healing powers that are associated with the good King Edward who could heal his subjects with a touch of his hand.
- Turn to the description of the ‘miraculous’ healing powers of King Edward in Act IV Scene 3, lines 149-161. What powers are associated with the reign of a good and virtuous king? How does Shakespeare’s use of biblical imagery support the contrast he creates between Macbeth’s reign and that of King Edward’s?
- Using two columns, headed good and evil, list some of their individual characteristics.
- Lady Macbeth’s “Out, damned spot, out, I say!” speech employs a choppier form of language that we associate more with the witches rather than with her use of the complex rhythm of her earlier speeches.
What theme is Shakespeare accentuating through this use of language? What does this use of language suggest about Lady Macbeth’s status and her state of mind?
- Compare the Act V examples of her speech with the language she uses to greet Duncan in Act I. What do you notice about the length of the sentences and the kind of words she uses?
- Does Shakespeare use this language to foreshadow Lady Macbeth’s death?
- The way a person uses language indicates their status in Shakespeare’s plays. The nobility use a poetic language to indicate their rank. Read the Language features section for a more detailed understanding of the way Shakespeare uses language.
- Just as clearly as Lady Macbeth’s shriveling is made visible to the audience, Macbeth’s own demise appears to be written and foreshadowed in his use of language.
Compare the language used by both characters. What differences do you notice? Is Macbeth ever robbed of his status by the words he uses?
- Even in defeat, Macbeth’s refusal to yield to Malcolm is amplified by the fact that he chooses to hold on to the nobility that is expressed through his use of poetic language. Does this different use of language shift the guilt of the deed of murdering Duncan more towards Lady Macbeth? Explain your view, and show how the language used influences the themes already discussed.
- How does Macbeth’s use of language ‘mark’ him as the tragic hero in the play? Has Macbeth been too trusting in listening to the witches, and his wife?
- Reflect on Macbeth’s speech that life is a ‘tale told by a fool’ in Act V.
- How does this linking of ‘life’ with the lowest in rank, ‘the fool,’ reveal the moral of the play? What are the implications regarding connecting one’s fate too closely to the double-talk and predictions of others?
- What does this positioning of Shakespeare’s male and female characters reveal about the traditional roles that men and women are expected to play? How is a violent woman depicted in comparison to a violent man? How is masculinity related to violence?
- It is useful, in this last Act, to think of both the Macbeths as puppets of the devil, and it is interesting that Macbeth’s only remaining servant in Act V is Seyton. Given the double play that Shakespeare uses, who then is the real master and who is the real servant within the economy of this mirror play?
- The role of the mirror (in a dramatic sense) in this play, is one that is barely mentioned by most scholars, yet it joins together most of the themes used by the playwright.
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Macbeth summary by act analysis and study guide
SUMMARY- Macbeth
Act I
I.i: Three witches meet and decide when to meet again. "Fair is foul and foul is fair"
I.ii: A soldier reports to Duncan that Macbeth killed Macdonwald -- Macbeth and Banquo joined forces to defeat Thane of Cawdor and King of Norway -- Duncan decides to give the Thane of Cawdor's title to Macbeth
I.iii: Witches meet again -- Call Macbeth Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and king hereafter, foretelling his rise to power -- Macbeth learns that Duncan has given him the title of Thane of Cawdor -- Macbeth wonders if the witches' predictions of his becoming king will come true
I.iv: Malcolm describes Cawdor's death to Duncan -- Duncan promises Banquo rewards for his services -- Duncan proclaims Malcolm his successor -- Duncan announces his intentions to visit Macbeth at Inverness, Macbeth's castle
I.v: Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth describing the witches' prophecy -- A messenger tells her of Duncan's visit, and she decides she will have to help Macbeth kill Duncan that night I.vi: Lady Macbeth welcomes Duncan and his party cordially and makes the king feel comfortable I.vii: Macbeth tries to decide whether or not to kill Duncan -- Lady Macbeth enters and bullies him into deciding to kill Duncan
Act II
II.i: Banquo tells Fleance of his fears about the witches' predictions -- Macbeth enters and lies, saying he doesn't think about it -- Macbeth, alone, has a vision of a bloody dagger and again has second thought about killing Duncan
II.ii: Lady Macbeth does her part (drugs the king's guards) -- Macbeth kills Duncan but forgets to leave the daggers at the scene -- He won't go back, so Lady Macbeth takes the daggers back and fixes the scene of the crime to look like the guards killed the king
II.iii: Macduff and Lennox come to Inverness to wake the king -- The murder is discovered -- In his acted grief and rage, Macbeth kills the two guards, whom he had framed for the murder – Malcolm and Donalbain flee the country -- Banquo enters and says he suspects treason
II.iv: Macduff, Ross and an old man tell the theories of who murdered the king -- One theory is that the guards did it -- Another theory is that the king's sons are suspected, since they have fled – Ross doesn't believe this theory is possible -- Macduff tells that Macbeth's coronation is scheduled
Act III
III.i: Banquo suspects Macbeth had something to do with the king's murder -- Macbeth decides to get rid of Banquo and Fleance and gets two convicted murderers to do it for him 16
III.ii: Lady Macbeth tries to get Macbeth to act other than how he feels -- Macbeth hints to her of Banquo's death, but spares her actual knowledge
III.iii: The murderers kill Banquo, but Fleance escapes
III.iv: One murderer reports to Macbeth that Banquo is dead and Fleance escaped -- As Macbeth goes to sit at the banquet table, Banquo's ghost appears to him -- Macbeth loses control and almost tells that he is responsible for murder -- Lady Macbeth tries to cover for him and gets rid of the guests -- Macbeth reveals he will see the witches again, and he realizes that he can't turn back, he can only go forward
III.v: Hecate tells the witches what to do at their meeting with Macbeth
III.vi: We learn that Macduff has gone to England to help Malcolm
Act IV
IV.i: The witches, through visions, show Macbeth that he should beware of Macduff, that no one "born of woman" can harm him, that no one shall vanquish him "until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill," and finally, that Banquo's descendants will be kings -- Macbeth decides to kill Macduff's family and servants
IV.ii: Lady Macduff is upset at Macduff's leaving them so suddenly -- A messenger comes to warn her to leave her home, but he is too late -- The men Macbeth sent came and killed her, her son and the servants
IV.iii: Malcolm tests Macduff by telling him that he (Malcolm) would be an even more bloodthirsty tyrant than Macbeth -- Macduff is disheartened and begins to leave, thus passing Malcolm's test -- They decide to fight together against Macbeth -- Ross enters and tells Macduff his family has been killed
Act V
V.i: Lady Macbeth's servant shows the doctor Lady Macbeth sleepwalking -- In her sleep, she talks about Duncan's murder, Macduff's wife's murder and Banquo's burial -- The doctor tells the servant to watch Lady Macbeth, foreshadowing her suicide
V.ii: The armies gather near Dunsinane to group for their attack on Macbeth -- We learn that Macbeth's army and servants are no longer loyal
V.iii: Macbeth prepares for battle and sends Seyton to hang anyone in his army who appears not to be loyal -- The doctor tells Macbeth that his wife's troubles are psychological, not physical
V.iv: We see how soon "Birnam Wood will move to Dunsinane" as Malcolm has his soldiers use cut tree branches to hide
V.v: Macbeth gets two major pieces of bad news: Lady Macbeth is dead and Birnam Wood is moving towards Dunsinane
V.vi: Malcolm has his soldiers drop their cover, and he, Siward and Macduff get ready for their attack on Macbeth
V.vii: Macbeth kills Young Siward -- Malcolm and Siward say the castle will be easily taken since Macbeth's army is not particularly loyal
V.viii: Macbeth and Macduff meet -- Macbeth doesn't want to fight, but Macduff forces him to -- Macduff wins, beheading Macbeth -- Old Siward learns of his son's death, and, although sad, praises his son's courage -- Malcolm regains the throne
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Macbeth summary by act analysis and study guide
Summaries of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Summary: Act 1, scene 1
Thunder and lightning crash above a Scottish moor. Three haggard old women, the witches, appear out of the storm. In eerie, chanting tones, they make plans to meet again upon the heath, after the battle, to confront Macbeth. As quickly as they arrive, they disappear.
Summary: Act 1, scene 2
At a military camp near his palace at Forres, King Duncan of Scotland asks a wounded captain for news about the Scots’ battle with the Irish invaders, who are led by the rebel Macdonald. The captain, who was wounded helping Duncan’s son Malcolm escape capture by the Irish, replies that the Scottish generals Macbeth and Banquo fought with great courage and violence. The captain then describes for Duncan how Macbeth slew the traitorous Macdonald. As the captain is carried off to have his wounds attended to, the thane of Ross, a Scottish nobleman, enters and tells the king that the traitorous thane of Cawdor has been defeated and the army of Norway repelled. Duncan decrees that the thane of Cawdor be put to death and that Macbeth, the hero of the victorious army, be given Cawdor’s title. Ross leaves to deliver the news to Macbeth.
Summary: Act 1, scene 4
At the king’s palace, Duncan hears reports of Cawdor’s execution from his son Malcolm, who says that Cawdor died nobly, confessing freely and repenting of his crimes. Macbeth and Banquo enter with Ross and Angus. Duncan thanks the two generals profusely for their heroism in the battle, and they profess their loyalty and gratitude toward Duncan. Duncan announces his intention to name Malcolm the heir to his throne. Macbeth declares his joy but notes to himself that Malcolm now stands between him and the crown. Plans are made for Duncan to dine at Macbeth’s castle that evening, and Macbeth goes on ahead of the royal party to inform his wife of the king’s impending arrival.
Summary: Act 1, scene 6
Duncan, the Scottish lords, and their attendants arrive outside Macbeth’s castle. Duncan praises the castle’s pleasant environment, and he thanks Lady Macbeth, who has emerged to greet him, for her hospitality. She replies that it is her duty to be hospitable since she and her husband owe so much to their king. Duncan then asks to be taken inside to Macbeth, whom he professes to love dearly.
Summary: Act 2, scene 4
Ross, a thane, walks outside the castle with an old man. They discuss the strange and ominous happenings of the past few days: it is daytime, but dark outside; last Tuesday, an owl killed a falcon; and Duncan’s beautiful, well-trained horses behaved wildly and ate one another. Macduff emerges from the castle and tells Ross that Macbeth has been made king by the other lords, and that he now rides to Scone to be crowned. Macduff adds that the chamberlains seem the most likely murderers, and that they may have been paid off by someone to kill Duncan. Suspicion has now fallen on the two princes, Malcolm and Donalbain, because they have fled the scene. Macduff returns to his home at Fife, and Ross departs for Scone to see the new king’s coronation.
Summary: Act 3, scene 1
In the royal palace at Forres, Banquo paces and thinks about the coronation of Macbeth and the prophecies of the weird sisters. The witches foretold that Macbeth would be king and that Banquo’s line would eventually sit on the throne. If the first prophecy came true, Banquo thinks, feeling the stirring of ambition, why not the second? Macbeth enters, attired as king. He is followed by Lady Macbeth, now his queen, and the court. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth ask Banquo to attend the feast they will host that night. Banquo accepts their invitation and says that he plans to go for a ride on his horse for the afternoon. Macbeth mentions that they should discuss the problem of Malcolm and Donalbain. The brothers have fled from Scotland and may be plotting against his crown.
Banquo departs, and Macbeth dismisses his court. He is left alone in the hall with a single servant, to whom he speaks about some men who have come to see him. Macbeth asks if the men are still waiting and orders that they be fetched. Once the servant has gone, Macbeth begins a soliloquy. He muses on the subject of Banquo, reflecting that his old friend is the only man in Scotland whom he fears. He notes that if the witches’ prophecy is true, his will be a “fruitless crown,” by which he means that he will not have an heir (3.1.62). The murder of Duncan, which weighs so heavily on his conscience, may have simply cleared the way for Banquo’s sons to overthrow Macbeth’s own family.
The servant reenters with Macbeth’s two visitors. Macbeth reminds the two men, who are murderers he has hired, of a conversation he had with them the day before, in which he chronicled the wrongs Banquo had done them in the past. He asks if they are angry and manly enough to take revenge on Banquo. They reply that they are, and Macbeth accepts their promise that they will murder his former friend. Macbeth reminds the murderers that Fleance must be killed along with his father and tells them to wait within the castle for his command.
Summary: Act 3, scene 5
Upon the stormy heath, the witches meet with Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Hecate scolds them for meddling in the business of Macbeth without consulting her but declares that she will take over as supervisor of the mischief. She says that when Macbeth comes the next day, as they know he will, they must summon visions and spirits whose messages will fill him with a false sense of security and “draw him on to his confusion” (3.5.29). Hecate vanishes, and the witches go to prepare their charms.
Summary: Act 3, scene 6
That night, somewhere in Scotland, Lennox walks with another lord, discussing what has happened to the kingdom. Banquo’s murder has been officially blamed on Fleance, who has fled. Nevertheless, both men suspect Macbeth, whom they call a “tyrant,” in the murders of Duncan and Banquo. The lord tells Lennox that Macduff has gone to England, where he will join Malcolm in pleading with England’s King Edward for aid. News of these plots has prompted Macbeth to prepare for war. Lennox and the lord express their hope that Malcolm and Macduff will be successful and that their actions can save Scotland from Macbeth.
Summary: Act 4, scene 2
At Macduff’s castle, Lady Macduff accosts Ross, demanding to know why her husband has fled. She feels betrayed. Ross insists that she trust her husband’s judgment and then regretfully departs. Once he is gone, Lady Macduff tells her son that his father is dead, but the little boy perceptively argues that he is not. Suddenly, a messenger hurries in, warning Lady Macduff that she is in danger and urging her to flee. Lady Macduff protests, arguing that she has done no wrong. A group of murderers then enters. When one of them denounces Macduff, Macduff’s son calls the murderer a liar, and the murderer stabs him. Lady Macduff turns and runs, and the pack of killers chases after her.
Summary: Act 4, scene 3
Outside King Edward’s palace, Malcolm speaks with Macduff, telling him that he does not trust him since he has left his family in Scotland and may be secretly working for Macbeth. To determine whether Macduff is trustworthy, Malcolm rambles on about his own vices. He admits that he wonders whether he is fit to be king, since he claims to be lustful, greedy, and violent. At first, Macduff politely disagrees with his future king, but eventually Macduff cannot keep himself from crying out, “O Scotland, Scotland!” (4.3.101). Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland leads him to agree that Malcolm is not fit to govern Scotland and perhaps not even to live. In giving voice to his disparagement, Macduff has passed Malcolm’s test of loyalty. Malcolm then retracts the lies he has put forth about his supposed shortcomings and embraces Macduff as an ally. A doctor appears briefly and mentions that a “crew of wretched souls” waits for King Edward so they may be cured (4.3.142). When the doctor leaves, Malcolm explains to Macduff that King Edward has a miraculous power to cure disease.
Ross enters. He has just arrived from Scotland, and tells Macduff that his wife and children are well. He urges Malcolm to return to his country, listing the woes that have befallen Scotland since Macbeth took the crown. Malcolm says that he will return with ten thousand soldiers lent him by the English king. Then, breaking down, Ross confesses to Macduff that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children. Macduff is crushed with grief. Malcolm urges him to turn his grief to anger, and Macduff assures him that he will inflict revenge upon Macbeth.
Summary: Act 5, scene 2
Outside the castle, a group of Scottish lords discusses the military situation: the English army approaches, led by Malcolm, and the Scottish army will meet them near Birnam Wood, apparently to join forces with them. The “tyrant,” as Lennox and the other lords call Macbeth, has fortified Dunsinane Castle and is making his military preparations in a mad rage.
Summary: Act 5, scene 3
Macbeth strides into the hall of Dunsinane with the doctor and his attendants, boasting proudly that he has nothing to fear from the English army or from Malcolm, since “none of woman born” can harm him (4.1.96) and since he will rule securely “[t]ill Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane” (5.3.2). He calls his servant Seyton, who confirms that an army of ten thousand Englishmen approaches the castle. Macbeth insists upon wearing his armor, though the battle is still some time off. The doctor tells the king that Lady Macbeth is kept from rest by “thick-coming fancies,” and Macbeth orders him to cure her of her delusions (5.3.40).
Summary: Act 5, scene 4
In the country near Birnam Wood, Malcolm talks with the English lord Siward and his officers about Macbeth’s plan to defend the fortified castle. They decide that each soldier should cut down a bough of the forest and carry it in front of him as they march to the castle, thereby disguising their numbers.
Summary: Act 5, scene 6
Outside the castle, the battle commences. Malcolm orders the English soldiers to throw down their boughs and draw their swords.
Summary: Act 5, scene 7
On the battlefield, Macbeth strikes those around him vigorously, insolent because no man born of woman can harm him. He slays Lord Siward’s son and disappears in the fray.
Summary: Act 5, scene 8
Macduff emerges and searches the chaos frantically for Macbeth, whom he longs to cut down personally. He dives again into the battle.
Summary: Act 5, scene 9
Malcolm and Siward emerge and enter the castle.
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