Macbeth: plot

ACT 1

• Scene 1 = 3 witches plan on meeting Macbeth,

• Scene 2 = King Duncan and other Thanes found out that the Thane of Glamis killed Macdonwald, leader of rebel forces

• Scene 3 = Macbeth & Banquo were greeted by the witches – “Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, king hereafter” ; “descendants of Banquo will be kings” – soldiers told him that he’s now the king of Cawdor

• Scene 4 = King Duncan announces that Malcolm would inherit the throne

• Scene 5 = Lady Macbeth finds out the witches’ predictions through Macbeth’s letter to her; soliloquy revealing her ambitiousness; “…unsex me here…”; Macbeth tells her that King Duncan is visiting; Lady Macbeth manipulates him into killing King Duncan

• Scene 6 = Lady Macbeth hospitably welcomes King Duncan into their castle

• Scene 7 = Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeth’s ego to manipulate him into killing King Duncan; tells Macbeth to kill Duncan and blame it on the servants

ACT 2

• Scene 1 = Macbeth meets Banquo and Fleance on his way to killing Duncan; Banquo shows that he thinks Macbeth is quite suspicious; Banquo tells Macbeth that he wishes that the prophecies would come true but won’t do anything about it; sees an imaginary bloody dagger pointing to King Duncan’s chamber

• Scene 2 = Macbeth panics after killing King Duncan; Lady Macbeth smothers blood all over the drunk servants; Porter knocks on the gate

• Scene 3 = Macduff finds out the murder; Macbeth tells them that he killed the servants out of rage which looks suspicious; Lady Macbeth fakes faint to turn attention to away from him

• Scene 4 = news spreads; Malcolm & Donalbain were suspected as murderers because they fled to England & Ireland

ACT 3

• Scene 1 = Banquo suspects Macbeth of killing the King; Macbeth hires 2 murderers to kill Banquo

• Scene 2 = Lady Macbeth’s conscience kicks in but Macbeth is unstoppable

• Scene 3 = Banquo was killed but Fleance escaped

• Scene 4 = feast is occurring; Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost; he suspects Macduff of plotting against him

• Scene 5 = Hecate is mad at the witches because they “kept the fun for themselves”

• Scene 6 = Macduff plans to flee to England to plan the overthrow with Malcolm

ACT 4

• Scene 1 = Macbeth returns to the witches to demand visions of his future; 1st apparition – beware of Macduff, 2nd – won’t be killed by any woman-born, 3rd – won’t be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to him; 4th – eight kings

• Scene 2 = Macbeth find out that Macduff will flee to England so he hired assassins to kill him in his castle

• Scene 3 = Macduff wasn’t at the castle anymore but Lady Macduff and their son was there so they were killed instead

ACT 5

• Scene 1 = Lady Macbeth goes insane because of her intense guilt; turns to a doctor

• Scene 2 = Thanes of Scotland joins the overthrow plan

• Scene 3 = servants tell Macbeth that armies are approaching and that Lady Macbeth is ill

• Scene 4 = Malcolm commands the armies to conceal themselves behind the tree branches of Birnam Wood • Scene 5 = Macbeth faces his enemies; doctor tells him that Lady Macbeth killed herself; Macbeth sees the forest coming towards him; he accepts his fate

• Scene 6 = Witches watch the battle on their cauldron; Macbeth kills Young Siward

• Scene 7 = Siward tells Malcolm that Macbeth’s army surrendered and Macduff is approaching Macbeth

• Scene 8 = Macduff reveals that he was born through caesarean section; Macbeth and Macduff battles

• Scene 9 = Thanes found out that Young Siward died; Macbeth’s head is hanged; Malcolm is announced as the king

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