Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Summary)

 

Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

(Summary)

  

The play begins with an appearance of three witches and then moves to a military camp, where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news, that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo have defeated two different invading armies, one from Ireland, led by the rebel MacDonald, and one from Norway. After their battle with these enemy forces, Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches, crossing a swamp. The witches have predicted that Macbeth will be made thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also predict, that Banquo will beget a line of Scottish kings, although Banquo himself will never be a king. The witches disappear, and Macbeth and Banquo behave skeptically of their predictions until Duncan's men arrive to thank the two generals for their victory in the battle, and to tell Macbeth, that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor. The previous thane betrayed Scotland and Duncan has condemned him to death. Macbeth thinks, that the remainder of the witches’ prophecy—that he will be crowned king—might be true, but he is uncertain what to expect. He and King Duncan plan to dine together that night at the palace of Macbeth. Macbeth writes to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her all that has happened.

Lady Macbeth does not suffer from her husband's uncertainty. She desires the kingship for him and wants him to murder Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she overcomes all of her husband's objections and persuades him to kill the king that night. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan's two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite his suspicions and several supernatural scenes, including the sight of a bloody dagger. When Duncan's death is revealed, the next morning, Macbeth kills the Chamberlains - out of rage at their crime—and easily assumes the kingship. Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed Duncan desires their deaths as well.

Fearful of the witches’ prediction that Banquo’s heirs would seize the throne, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They ambush Banquo on his way to a royal feast, but they fail to kill Fleance, who escapes in the night. Macbeth becomes furious: As long as Fleance is alive, he fears, his power is insecure. That night, at the feast, Banquo’s ghost visits Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth is horrified, startling his guests, who include most of the great Scottish nobility. Lady Macbeth tries to neutralize the damage, but Macbeth’s kingship incites increasing resistance from his nobles and subjects. Horrified, Macbeth goes to meet the witches in his cave. There, they show him a sequence of demons and spirits, presenting him with further predictions: he must beware of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who resisted Macbeth's accession to the throne; He is incapable of being harmed by any man born of a woman; And he will be safe until Birnam Wood arrives at Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth is relieved and feels safe, as he knows that all men are born of women and that forests cannot move. When he learns that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth orders Macduff's castle to be seized and that Lady Macduff and her children be murdered.

When the news of his family's execution reached Macduff, in England, he was saddened and vows revenge. Duncan's son, Prince Malcolm, manages to raise an army in England, and Macduff joins them as he heads to Scotland to challenge Macbeth's forces. The invasion is backed by Scottish nobles, who are frightened by Macbeth's tyrannical and murderous behavior. Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, suffers from sleepwalking, she believes, that she has blood marks on her hands. Before Macbeth's opponents arrive, Macbeth receives the news, that she has killed herself, causing him to sink into a deep and pessimistic despair. Nevertheless, he awaits the English and fortifies Dunsinane, to which he seems to have withdrawn in order to defend himself, certain that the witches’ prophecies guarantee his invincibility. He is struck numb with fear, however, when he learns that the English army is advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches’ prophecy.

In the battle, Macbeth violently attacks, but the English army slowly overpowers his army and castle. On the battlefield, Macbeth confronts the vengeful Macduff, who declares, that he was not “of woman born” but was instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb. Although he realizes that he is doomed, Macbeth keeps fighting until Macduff kills him. Malcolm, now King of Scotland, declares his benevolent intentions for the country and invites everyone to see him crown in Scone.