Macbeth
Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, is one of King Duncan's greatest war
captains. Upon returning from a battle with the rebellious Thane of
Cawdor, Macbeth and Banquo encounter three witches. A
prophecy is given to them: Macbeth is hailed as Thane of Glamis,
Thane of Cawdor, and King; Banquo is hailed as the father of kings
to come. With that, the witches evaporate into the mists. Both men
nervously laugh off the prophecies until Duncan informs Macbeth
that he is to assume Cawdor's title as a reward for his service to
the king. When Lady Macbeth is informed of the events, she
determines to push her husband's resolve in the mattershe wants
him to take his fate into his own hands and make himself king. If
Duncan happens to be inconveniently in the way....
Macbeth at first is reluctant to do harm to Duncan. However, when
Duncan makes arrangements to visit the castle, the opportunity
presents itself too boldly to ignore. Pressed on by his wife, they
plot Duncan's death. Lady Macbeth gets Duncan's attendants drunk;
Macbeth will slip in with his dagger, kill the king, and plant the
dagger on the drunken guards. Macbeth, in a quiet moment alone,
imagines he sees a bloody dagger appear in the air; upon hearing
the tolling bells, he sets to work. Immediately Macbeth feels the
guilt and shame of his act, as does Lady Macbeth, who nonetheless
finds the inner strength to return to Duncan's chamber to plant the
dagger on the attendants when Macbeth refuses to go back in there.
When the body is discovered, Macbeth immediately slays the
attendantshe says out of rage and griefin order to silence them.
Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan's sons, both flee Scotland (fearful
for their own lives). To everyone else, it appears that the sons
have been the chief conspirators, and Macbeth is crowned King of
Scotland, thus fulfilling the witches' prophecy. Banquo, however,
has suspicions of his own based on their encounter with the
witches.
Macbeth knows of Banquo's suspicions and the reasons for them; he
is also wary of the second prophecy concerning Banquo's offspring.
As he prepares for a celebratory banquet on his coronation, Macbeth
hires assassins to get rid of Banquo and Fleance, his son. Banquo
is murdered that night, but Fleance escapes into the darkness. As
Macbeth sits down to the feast, the bloody ghost of Banquo silently
torments him, which causes him great despair. Meanwhile, Macduff
has fled to England because he too suspects Macbeth of foul play.
Macbeth, once a man of greatness, transforms into a man whose
conscience has fled him. Upon learning of Macduff's flight, Macbeth
exacts revenge by having Macduff's entire household butchered.
Macduff grieves, but joins up with Malcolm in England to raise an
army against Macbeth.
Macbeth is given another prophecy by the witches as he prepares for
Malcolm's assault. His throne is safe until Birnam Wood comes to
Dunsinane, and he will not die by the hand of any man born of a
woman. Macbeth feels confident in his chances for victory at this
pronouncement. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, has been slowly
driven mad by her dreams in the wake of killing Duncan. She
sleepwalks, wringing her hands together, and inadvertently reveals
her part in the murder. As the English armies approach, Macbeth
learns that many of his lords are deserting him, and that Lady
Macbeth has died. On top of this, a messenger brings news that
Malcolm's army is approaching under the cover of boughs, which they
have cut from the trees of Birnam Wood. Resigned now to his fate,
Macbeth grimly sets to battle.
None, however, can bring Macbeth down. Finally, Macduff meets him
on the field of battle. Macbeth laughs hollowly, telling him of the
witches' prophecy: no man born of a woman may slay him. As Macduff
retorts, he was "from my mother's womb untimely ripp'd," meaning he
was delivered by a Caesarian section (and hence, not technically
born of a woman). Grimly, Macbeth presses on. The play ends with
the death of Macbeth; Macduff greets the others bearing Macbeth's
head. Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland, restoring his father's
bloodline to the throne.
