Macbeth is a Scottish thane who is close kin to King Duncan of Scotland. Duncan has two sons: Malcolm and Donalbain. Macbeth is married, but his wife is always refered to as Lady Macbeth in the play. Macduff is Macbeth’s biggest rival, and he has a wife (Lady Macduff) and a son (no title given other than “Macduff’s son”). Banquo is one of Macbeth’s greatest friends. Banquo has a son named Fleance. Now that we have characters squared away, we can deal with the rest of the play.
Macbeth is riding through a wood with Banquo when he comes across three witches. The three witches tell him that he will become the king in place of Duncan, but also that Banquo’s son would be Macbeth’s successor to the throne. Macbeth hurries back home quickly after this, and tells only his wife, Lady Macbeth. Now, Lady Macbeth is an ambitious woman, but in a bad way. She will do nearly anything for power. She decides that Macbeth should become king now. Macbeth is more gentlemanly, and does not want to force the events that the witches predicted. Lady Macbeth is, however, able to convince Macbeth to attempt to steal the throne from King Duncan. King Duncan often visits the castle of Macbeth, for Macbeth is a trusted officer and general for the king. The next time Duncan comes to stay with the king, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth decide to strike. They wait for midnight, and get up to attempt the murder. Macbeth has changed his mind, and does not want to commit the murder that Lady Macbeth wants him to. He steals into the king’s chambers and looks at the king, and, after some hesitation, commits the awful deed. Guards sleep in the bed with the king to make sure that the king has defense, but Lady Macbeth has intoxicated the guards with wine, so they did not wake to stop Macbeth. The deed was done and Duncan was dead. Now all the people of Scotland were suspicious of Macbeth because he died in Macbeth’s castle. Donalbain fled to Ireland, Malcolm to the English court to raise an army. Because both of Macbeth’s sons were no longer in the country, Macbeth crowned himself King of Scotland, and Lady Macbeth his queen. Macbeth was worried about the prophecy that Banquo’s children would rule, so he murdered Banquo and attempted to murder Fleance, his son, as well. Ultimately, Banquo dies and Fleance escapes. A few times, Banquo’s ghost appears to Macbeth, showing him that Fleance would indeed take control over the throne of Scotland and have children, and his family would rule the kingdom for many centuries to come. Macbeth is miserable because he was afraid of the consequences of his actions, so he goes back to the witches that predicted that he would become king and that Fleance would be king after him. Three spirits appear to himself and the witches in different forms.
The first spirit appears as a severed and armed head (helmet or weapons or limbs I do not know which) and it speaks:
“Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife!”
The second spirit appears as a child covered in blood, and it says,
“Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn
The power of man, for none of woman born
Shall harm Macbeth.”
After this Macbeth scoffs a little and says he doesn’t need fear Macduff because Macduff was surely born of women. Little did he know, as a baby, Macduff had to be surgically removed from his dead or dying mother, so technically he had not been born, but extracted.
The third spirit appears as a crowned child holding a tree or branch in one hand. It speaks:
“Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.”
Macbeth sees these prophesies as predictions of long life, rather than soon death, and is somewhat secured. Macbeth keeps on with his life as king, until the army Malcolm has gathered arrives in Scotland. They have taken branches from trees to hold them over themselves to hide their number, so the third prophesy is fulfilled. Macduff is with the English army. Macbeth goes to fight with his forces, and ends up in a standoff with Macduff. Macbeth reveals the second prophecy to Macduff, and Macduff reveals the fact that he was not born. Macbeth is slain by Macduff and Malcolm becomes the new ruler of Scotland, fulfilling the first and final prophecy.
I think Macbeth made two really bad decisions during the play and one before the play. I’m going to go in chronological order:
- Macbeth should never have married Lady Macbeth. She is a foul, treacherous woman. Had Macbeth never married her, Macbeth would probably not have even thought of murdering his kind king.
- Macbeth should not have murdered the king. His wife would probably try to, but he could prevent her from doing it as well.
- Macbeth should have heeded the warning of the first spirit (the second time he met with the witches) when it said to beware of Macduff. The other two spirits deterred him from this. He should have hidden from Macduff and made sure he would never harm him.