MACBETH
Overview, Characters, and Plot
OVERVIEW
Author: William Shakespeare
Written: 1606 in England
Setting: Eleventh century Scotland and England
Tone: tragedy
Protagonist: Macbeth
Antagonist: Macduff, Macbeth’s conscience
Conflict: Macbeth struggling with his conscience before
and after he murders Duncan; evil, represented by Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth, against good, represented by Malcolm
and Macduff
CHARACTERS
Banquo: brave and noble general; the witches prophesy say
that his children will gain the Scottish throne; he is
ambitious, but his thoughts do not lead to inappropriate
actions; his character contrasts the path Macbeth takes;
after he is murdered at Macbeth’s order, Banquo’s ghost
haunts Macbeth
Donaldbain: Duncan’s son and Malcolm’s younger brother
King Duncan: good king of Scotland that Macbeth murders
in order to get the crown;
Fleance: Banquo’s son; survives Macbeth’s attack when his
father is murdered; at the end of the play no one knows
where he is; may one day sit on the throne if Scotland if the
witches prophesy is true
Hectate: goddess of witchcraft; she helps the three other
witches to trick Macbeth
Lennox: A Scottish nobleman
Macbeth: main character of the play; Scottish general,
Thane of Glamis, and named Thane of Cawdor for bravery
in battle; believes the prophecies of three witches, and turns
to evil to get what these prophecies offer; wants the throne,
and is tempted into murder to get the throne he wants; once
he kills, it becomes ever easier to continue, responding to
every problem with more killing; should have been content
to stay a soldier; he was good at being a soldier, but not at
being a king
Lady Macbeth: Macbeth’s wife; craves power and very
driven to get it; early in the play she is more ruthless than
her husband as she urges him into murder to get the crown;
after blood is spilled, the guilt drives her to madness;
commits suicide from guilt; appears that she and Macbeth
are deeply in love, and she holds power over him
Macduff: Scottish nobleman, deeply opposed to Macbeth
from the start; leader of those who plan to unseat Macbeth
as king; Macduff especially hates Macbeth for ordering the
murder of his wife and young son (and other children)
Lady Macduff: Macduff’s wife; a scene in her castle
homelife provides a contrast between the lives of the
Macbeths and the Macduffs; she and her son are murdered
by Macbeth’s soldiers (other children killed as well)
Malcolm: son of Duncan, rightful king to follow after his
father’s death; initially weak, afraid for his life; he and his
brother, Donaldbain, leave Scotland after their father’s
death; Malcolm becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth
when he gains the support of Macduff and England
The Murderers: a group of men ordered by Macbeth to kill
Banquo, Fleance (who they let get away) and Macduff’s
wife and children
The Porter: the drunken doorman at Macbeth’s castle;
comic relief to the otherwise serious play
Ross: a Scottish nobleman
The Three Witches: three dark hags who plot trouble for
Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies; their
predictions get Macbeth to murder Duncan, order the
deaths of Banquo and his son, and to believe that he is
unable to be killed; the three are servants of Hecate; they
enjoy using their abilities to toy with and destroy men
PLOT
The play starts with a short scene with three witches talking
about where they will meet again when a battle is finished.
The action then shifts to a military camp where the King of
Scotland, King Duncan, hears that his two generals,
Banquo and Macbeth, have defeated two invading armies.
One army, led by Macdonald, was from Ireland, and the
other army was from Norway. Right after leading their men
in battle, Macbeth and Banquo, come across the three
witches as they go across a moor. The witches look into the
future. They say that Macbeth will be made Thane of
Cawdor (rank of Scottish nobility) and eventually king of
all Scotland. They say that Banquo will father a line of
Scottish kings, although he will never be king himself. The
witches then vanish, and Macbeth and Banquo do not take
what has been said seriously. But, some of King Duncan’s
men come to thank the two generals for the great victory
they won for King Duncan. They tell Macbeth he is now
Thane of Cawdor. The previous thane had betrayed his king
by fighting with the Norwegians. King Duncan has
condemned him to death, and Macbeth is to be given his
title. Macbeth then begins to dwell on what else the witches
had said- that he will become King of Scotland. But, he is
confused, and does not know what to think. He visits with
King Duncan. They plan to eat together that night at
Inverness, Macbeth’s castle. Macbeth writes ahead to his
wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her all that has happened.
Lady Macbeth thinks she knows exactly what should be
done. She wants her husband to be king, and wants him to
murder King Duncan and gain the crown that very night.
When Macbeth arrives, she talks him into killing the king
that night. She tells him to “act like a man” and take the
crown that should be his. The two plan to get Duncan’s two
chamberlains (guards) drunk to the point they pass out. The
next morning when the king’s body is found, they will
blame the murder on the two chamberlains. They think the
plan perfect because the men would have been very drunk,
and they will remember nothing. Macbeth goes through
with the plan in spite of having serious doubts about what
he is doing, and a number of supernatural warning signs,
including a vision of a bloody dagger. The next morning
when Duncan’s body is discovered, Macbeth kills the
chamberlains, pretending to be outraged at the crime, and
assumes the kingship. Duncan’s sons, fearing that whoever
killed their father will kill them next, decide to flee.
Malcolm goes to England, and Donaldbain goes to Ireland.
Macbeth remembers that the witches said that Banquo’s
children will become Scotland’s kings. Macbeth decides
the way to keep this from happening is to kill his friend,
Banquo, and Banquo’s son, Fleance. He hires a group of
murderers who ambush Banquo and Fleance on their way
to a royal feast. They kill Banquo, but Fleance gets away.
Macbeth is very angry. As long as Fleance is alive, he
remains a threat to Macbeth’s power. At the feast that
night, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost. He begins to babble in
fear and his words frighten his guests; the guests were all
Scottish nobles and his subjects. Lady Macbeth tries to
soothe and cover up Macbeth’s actions, but the damage is
done. The nobles and subjects begin to resist Macbeth as
their king.
Badly frightened by what has happened, Macbeth decides
to go and visit the three witches in their cave. They show
Macbeth a series of demons and spirits that give Macbeth
three more prophecies: that he must beware of Macduff;
that no man born of a woman can harm him; and he is safe
until the woods of Birnam come to Dunsinane Castle.
Macbeth becomes overconfident. He feels that he is totally
safe because all men are born of women, and trees in
woods cannot move. He learns that Macduff has gone to
England to join Malcolm. Macbeth orders that Macduff’s
castle be taken, and that Lady Macduff and all her children
be murdered.
When the news of his wife and children’s deaths comes to
Macduff in England, he is stricken with grief and vows
revenge. Malcolm, Duncan’s son, has raised an army in
England and Macduff joins him to go back to Scotland to
fight Macbeth. The army has the support of the Scottish
nobles who became frightened and suspicious of Macbeth
at the banquet when Macbeth spoke gibberish when he saw
Banquo’s ghost. They are also frightened of Macbeth’s
behavior in ordering the killings of Macduff’s family.
During this same time frame, Lady Macbeth is having fits
of sleepwalking, where she cries out that there are
bloodstains on her hands.
Before Malcolm and Macduff reach him, Macbeth receives
word that his wife has committed suicide by throwing
herself off the castle wall. He sinks into a depressed state,
for he loved his wife. He stays in Dunsinane Castle, and
strengthens the walls as he waits on the attack by Macduff,
Malcolm and the English soldiers. He is certain that he will
win because he believes everything that the witches have
shown him in their prophecies. He is struck with terror
when he hears that the army is advancing down on his
castle using tree limbs cut from Birnam Wood as shielding
for the soldiers. A prophesy is coming true; Birnam Wood
is marching on Dunsinane.
In the battle between Macbeth and the English army led by
Malcolm and Macduff, Macbeth fights bravely, but the
English army gradually overtakes the castle and wins the
battle. On the battlefield, Macbeth meets up with Macduff.
Macbeth taunts Macduff, saying he cannot be killed by a
mortal man. Macduff replies that he was not born of a
woman, but “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb
(think caesarean section in today’s world). Macbeth
realizes he is doomed, but continues to fight bravely.
Macduff wins the fight, cutting off Macbeth’s head with his
sword. Malcolm, now the rightful King of Scotland, tells all
the people he will be a good and just king, and invites them
to all see him crowned at Scone. (site where all Kings of
Scotland are crowned)