MACBETH: AN ACT BY ACT & SCENE BY SCENE SUMMARY

Act 1:

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown as a courageous and brave soldier whose valiant deeds proves him as a leader among men. He is a strong contrast from king Duncan who doesn’t seem to have those natural qualities of leadership.  Due to Macbeth’s awareness that he can achieve a position as King, his desire becomes uncontrollable and we see how he battles with the good and evil that acts inside him.  This act deals with Macbeth’s fears, ambition and moral struggle as he faces the idea of committing this horrible deed. Macbeth is encouraged to carry out this sinful deed by the witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth, but he is also discouraged to do this by his gracious king Duncan and friend, Banquo. Because his wife and the witches form a stronger side(and that he himself wishes to kill the king) he finally decides to carry out his desire to do so.

 

Scene 1:

This is an important part of the play because it sets the atmosphere of the play, at first we meet the witches, and this creates a sense of confusion, and being unsure as to what is real and what isn’t. Also, because these witches speak in riddles, one feels a looming sense of chaos which is personified in “fair is foul, foul is fair” and warns us of the danger Macbeth is about to experience.

The witches(who speak in ambiguous terms) are the symbol of evil, and it is especially poignant that we hear about Macbeth from them before we are introduced to him-it shows that he is a vulnerable target.

 

An important theme of this play is Appearance vs. Reality, what appears foul is actually fair and vice versa. We will also see that what the witches are vague about, Lady Macbeth is very detailed about.

 

Scene 2:

As an opposite to the evil that we encounter in scene 1, we now meet Macbeth who is a noble and valiant soldier. A sergeant enters with a report to Duncan about Macbeth’s heroic deeds on the battlefield. Duncan is told how Macbeth defeated Macdonwald(a Scottish traitor) and then defeated the Norwegians in battle. Ross then enters with the news that Macbeth has now defeated the Thane of Cawdor.

The main theme explored here is Betrayal. At first Macbeth proves himself as a loyal and trustworthy soldier for having won so many battles for his King Duncan but this is deeply ironic because Macbeth is thinking about being just as much of a traitor as Macdonwald was(and much more evil).

 

Scene 3:

Once again we enter the world of the witches where they plan of killing swine (purely for pleasure)and talk about a sailor and his wife. Macbeth meets the sitches and they prophesy that he will be King and Banquo will give rise to a line of kings. Macbeth the receives news that he has been given the title as Thane of Cawdor and altough the title seems fair it is actually foul, just as Macbeth now is(he sees this title as part of his destiny not just a coincidence). Meanwhile Banquo merely sees these witches as strange and weird and thus doesn’t take their prophesies to heart, like Macbeth does(Banquo is able to distance himself from these strange creatures which Macbeth cannot do). At the end of this scene, we see how strong his desire for kingship is and that he is poised between good and evil.

 

Scene 4:

This scene begins with a conversation between Duncan and his son, Malcolm. They are discussing the treachery of the former Thane of Cawdor and how they

wrongfully trusted him(this is ironic because Macbeth is even more untrustworthy). Macbeth arrives and the King greets him graciously while Macbeth behaves in an erratic manner. They both engage in meaningless formality and due to this Duncan overlooks Macbeth’s reserve and Macbeth overlooks the fact that the traits of a  true King is to be gracious and honourable. Here Banquo proves to be the opposite to Macbeth once again. As he is also treated warmly, he returns that graciousness-he does indeed have the marks of Kingship. Duncan then announces that Malcolm is to be heir to the throne, and Macbeth once again contemplates murder after hearing this news. Duncan then decides to stay at Macbeth’s castle(Inverness) to symbolise his bond of loyalty towards Macbeth but we see that he is in fact, putting himself at Macbeth’s mercy. He is in fact inviting himself to his doom. Macbeth takes leave to Inverness to prepare Lady Macbeth of the king’s arrival.

 

Scene 5:

Here we meet Lady Macbeth(who has received a letter from Macbeth) and has no qualms as to what is to be done. Compared to Macbeth himself, Lady Macbeth (sometimes regarded as a fourth witch) is much more evil and ambitious, she lacks compassion and because she has such a deep love for Macbeth, she is willing to sacrifice anything for him to be King. She then receives news that the King is coming and she is shocked and excited because it is almost as if her wishes are coming true. Here she says an evil prayer that she may be turned into a sexless monster that is ready to kill. Macbeth then arrives and she shares her ideas as to how he can become King(although Macbeth is a little uneasy by her desires).

 

Scene 6:

The King arrives, and Lady Macbeth is also uneasily formal with him(just as Macbeth was). The theme of “foul is fair, fair is foul” plays up again, as Duncan is unaware that his warm welcome is marred by his oncoming death.

 

Scene 7:

A banquet is taking place at the castle in the King’s honour. Macbeth leaves this banquet for a moment to reconsider his reasons for killing Duncan. His reasons to NOT kill the king is:

1.                  He wants to be loyal to the King and doesn’t want to break his bond with              him.

2.                  Duncan has been gracious to him and doers not deserve to be killed

3.                  Macbeth does not want to damn his soul by committing this murder(it goes               against the commandments “Thou shalt not kill”)

4.                  As Duncan’s host, it is Macbeth’s duty to protect the King.

 

Macbeth realises that he desperately wants the crown, but he cannot carry out the dirty deed himself. Lady Macbeth sees this and tells him that if he is a man then he will commit the murder, otherwise he is a coward. She criticizes him for being “the milk of human kindness”(which is regarded as a weakness) and eventually Macbeth decides that he WILL kill the King.

 

After this decision is made we sense that the Macbeth’s are about to destroy their lives. It is important to notice the mental agony that Macbeth experiences and how much influence his wife has on him.

Act 2:

This act deals with the actual murder and its consequences. Once the crime takes place, the chaos and evil has been unleashed-owls attack falcons, Duncan’s horses become wild and eat each other and an earthquake occurs. Nothing is as it once was and the entire universe has slipped out of order.

 

Scene 1:

Banquo and his son, Fleance are about to go to bed as Macbeth is getting ready to commit the murder. Banquo is disturbed by the witches and queries about them. Macbeth is however confused and even imagines a dagger in the air in front of him leading him to the King. To boost his courage when facing the King, Macbeth recites a soliloquy and calls on witchcraft to help him perform the killing.

 

Scene 2:

Here Lady Macbeth is imagining the killing in her head-she explains that she cannot do the killing herself because Duncan reminds her of her father(we see a little humanness inside of her).  Macbeth kills the king and is completely horrified with what he has done, he feels that he has fallen from grace and cannot go back and Lady Macbeth takes on the task of completing the job and forming an alibi(we sense that she has not yet grasped the true concept of what has happened, she is merely tackling the job at present). The theme of Appearance vs. Reality comes in, she is trying to cover up and look innocent when she is truly evil.

 

Scene 3:

A porter is pretending to let people into hell-this is ironic because after the murder, the world has now turned into a hell. Enter Macduff and Lennox(who notices the strange events that occurs around him and realises it is because of the death of their king). Macduff is horrified with the death of Duncan and calls it sacrilegious; it is a crime against God. Everyone assembles and it is here that Macbeth over -exaggerates his grief(grief that he does not feel) and in order to cover up for him, Lady Macbeth(after hearing of the death) says “What, in this house?” and faints. Duncan’s grieving sons, Malcolm and Donaldbain decide to flee for fear for their lives. Malcolm to England, Donaldbain to Ireland.

 

Scene 4:

Ross is talking to an old man about how everything has become reversed, even the sun has been eclipsed and worst of all Macbeth, the murderer, has been crowned king. Because the King’s sons(Malcolm and Donaldbain) have fled so quickly and quietly(they immediately become suspects)and they are accused of the murdering of their father

Act 3:

In a vicious circle, Macbeth’s initial crime leads to more and more crimes, each one committed to cover up for the last one. Following the witches prophecy, Macbeth contemplates killing Banquo(as he is to give rise to a line of Kings).  To defend his crown, Macbeth prepares war against anyone who opposes him, even his wife Lady Macbeth(he does not tell her of his intentions to kill Banquo and alienates himself from her). He loses all natural sense, and only relies on the witches’ prophesy.

 

Scene 1:

Banquo suspects Macbeth killed the king. Macbeth pretends to warmly greet  Banquo but this is all false because he is actually planning Banquo’s murder. He carefully asks questions as to where Banquo will be later so that the hired killers he sends out can find him. Privately, he calls on these killers and repeats his plans to them that Banquo must be killed-these men are eager and willing to do so for their King as they are desperate to get into society. Macbeth is restless and unsure of these men and requests that they come back to him when they have completed their task-this shows his mistrust for them(much like his mistrust for everything now that he is King).

 

Scene 2:

Lady Macbeth discusses the murder with her husband, however they have now grown apart.  She tells him to simply forget the whole situation and put it behind them and he pretends that his conscience has not affected him at all. We also see that Lady Macbeth has deteriorated badly, she no longer has that strength in frame of mind and thus Macbeth does not involve her in the planning of Banquo’s death.

 

Scene 3:

Banquo is murdered but Fleance(his son) is able to flee. Macbeth sends out a third murderer to join the initial two to ensure that the job is properly done, this indicates that Macbeth will take no risks and it is the third Murderer who notices that Fleance has escaped.

 

Scene 4:

This is the height of the play and the following occurs:

1.           Macbeth welcomes the guests to his banquet

2.                  Macbeth discovers that Banquo is dead but Fleance has fled

3.                  Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost twice at the banquet(revealing a very troubled conscience)

4.                  The banquet is disrupted and Macbeth decides to see the witches once more to find out his fate.

Scene 5:

Hecate, the head witch is reprimanding the other witches for dabbling in Macbeth’s life without her permission.

 

Scene 6:

Lennox is having a conversation with a lord and is criticizing Macbeth for turning the entire country into chaos-people are rebelling and no one trusts each other. The lord’s reply is direct, he says that Macbeth has become dogmatic(a tyrant) and that people are relying on Macduff and Malcolm to save them(Macduff has gone to plea for help from the English. We sense that all natural order of the country has been lost and that they are very much helpless.

 

At the end of this act, Macbeth (once a valiant soldier) is caught up in a cycle of endless killing and led to alienation, madness and despair. He overturned the order and stability of the natural world and cannot do anything to escape it.

 

Act 4:

Macbeth sinks deeper into solitude and eventually orders the death of Lady Macduff and her children. Because this is the most horrific murders of all, the forces of good rise up against him and take action against him.

 

Scene 1:

Macbeth, in his despair goes to visit the witches to find a way to stop his suffering.  The witches are once again ambiguous, and Macbeth translates their prophecies to what suits him(ie what his destiny should be). Warnings in the form of apparitions appear to Macbeth:

1.                  An armed head signifies an approaching war

2.                  A bloody child symbolises the coming of Macduff.

3.                  A line of kings which indicates Malcolm being restored as the proper king.

 

Macbeth then asks the witches if Banquo’s descendants will still be king and when he finds out that they will, he is plunged into greater suffering and as a sign of revenge (for his own useless marriage and Banquo’s fruitful one), Macbeth sends murderers to kill Macduff’s wife and children-which is the heinous of all crimes.

 

Scene 2:

Here Lady Macduff tells Ross how she disapproves of Macduff leaving them to go to England. Macduff’s son tries to cheer her up and a messenger appears with a warning of approaching danger. But they do not have enough time to escape and are killed.

 

Scene 3:

Macduff seeks help from Malcolm but Malcolm does not trust him, so Malcolm questions him as to where his loyalties lie. Malcolm tells Macduff that he suspects Macduff of being a friend of Macbeth as he felt it safe enough to leave his family on Scotland with Macbeth. Malcolm then tells him that if he were to be king, he would be even worse ruler than Macbeth and Macduff shows great despair proving to Malcolm that he is trustwothy.

 

Ross enters saying that the people of Scotland support Macbeth and soon Macduff learns from Ross that his family was slain. We feel Macduff’s suffering after hearing this news and his tears are a symbol of cleansing and peace (he is weeping for his country and that harmony must be brought back).