Sylvia Song
AP English 4
Ms. Corlies
Title: Macbeth
Author: William Shakespeare
Setting: (Time) The Middle Ages (11th century)
(Place) Scotland, briefly in England
Characters:
Macbeth – Scottish general and thane who is led to do wicked deeds because of the
prophecies of the three witches. He is brave and powerful but not very honorable and wise.
He is easily misled and tempted. To fulfill his own selfish ambitions and desires, he
constantly murders others.
Lady Macbeth – Macbeth’s wife is a very ambitious woman who loves power, position, and
wealth. In the beginning of the play, she is stronger and crueler. She is the reason why
Macbeth goes on a killing spree. She feels guilty and eventually kills herself.
The Three Witches – Plot mischief against Macbeth using spells and prophecies. Their
predictions drive Macbeth to commit atrocities.
Hecate – The goddess of witchcraft who helps the three witches in their scheme.
Banquo – Noble and valiant general. Banquo has ambitious thoughts however he does not
put them in motion. His ghost haunts Macbeth.
Fleance – Banquo’s son who escapes Macbeth’s attempt to kill him.
King Duncan – The good and benevolent king of Scotland who is murdered.
Macduff – Scottish nobleman who dislikes Macbeth’s take to the throne. Eventually, he fights
to overthrow Macbeth. He also wants vengeance for the death of his family.
Lady Macduff – Macduff’s wife. Her and her children are killed by murderers sent by
Macbeth.
Malcolm – King Duncan’s son who restores order to Scotland. He transforms from a weak
and indecisive man to a competitor against Macbeth for the throne.
Lennox/Ross – Scottish nobleman.
The Murders – Macbeth orders these groups of people to murder Banquo and Macduff’s wife
and children.
Porter – The doorman of Macbeth’s castle who is always drunk.
Donalbain – King Duncan’s son and Malcolm’s brother.
Summary:
The three witches appear in the beginning of the play. At the military camp, King
Duncan hears great news about his two generals Macbeth and Banquo. They have defeated
separate invading armies in Ireland and Norway. After their battles with the enemies,
Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches who prophesize that Banquo will produce a line
of Scottish kings, however will never be king himself. They also prophesize that Macbeth
will become the thane of Cawdor and eventually the King of Scotland. The witches disappear
and Macbeth and Banquo think nothing more of the prophecies until some of Duncan’s men
come to thank the generals and tell Macbeth that he has been named thane of Cawdor since
the previous thane betrayed Scotland. The possibility that Macbeth could potentially be the
next king lingers in his mind but he is uncertain of what to do. King Duncan is to dine with
Macbeth at his castle that night. Macbeth writes to his wife ahead of time and tells her
everything that has happened.
Lady Macbeth desires the kingship, power, and wealth. She is willing to kill her
beloved King in order to obtain the position. She overrides all of her husband’s objections
and persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan that night. They plan to get the two chamberlains
drunk enough to pass out so the men will be blamed for the murder the next morning. Despite
Macbeth’s doubts and hallucinations of a bloody dagger, he continues with the plan and stabs
Duncan when he is sound asleep. When Duncan’s death is discovered, Macbeth, “out of rage”,
kills the chamberlains and crowns himself the king of Scotland. Malcolm and Donalbain,
Duncan’s two sons, flee to England and Ireland fearing for their life.
Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance because he is worried
that the witches’ prophecy about Banquo’s heirs seizing the crown will come true. The
murderers attack Banquo but fail to kill Fleance who escapes. Macbeth is enraged, fearing
that his power will remain insecure as long as Fleance is alive. That night, at the feast,
Banquo’s ghost visits and frightens Macbeth. Macbeth and rants crazily to himself. He
startles his guests who are of high Scottish nobility. Lady Macbeth tries to cover up for her
husband’s bizarre behavior but the damage is already done. There is increasing and frequent
resistance from the nobles and subjects. Macbeth goes to visit the witches again in their
cavern. There, he sees sprits and spells who present him with even more prophecies saying
that he must beware of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who has opposed Macbeth’s accession
to the throne since the beginning; he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of
woman; and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth feels
relieved because all men are born of women and forests cannot move.
When Macbeth discovers that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth
orders the murderers to seize Macduff’s castle and brutally murder Lady Macduff and her
children. Macduff is stricken with sorrow and vows for revenge when he discovers the
execution of his family. Prince Malcolm who has succeeded in raising an army in England
joins Macduff and rides back to Scotland to overthrow Macbeth. Many people support the
prince because they are horrified and frightened by Macbeth’s tyrannical manner. In the
meantime, Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk around the castle trying to wash away the
“bloodstains” on her hands. She kills herself and Macbeth sinks into depression and despair.
However, he waits for the English. When he learns that the English army is advancing on
Dunsinane shielded with branches from Birnam Wood, which fulfills the witches’ prophecy,
Macbeth is struck with dread.
The English forces progressively overcome Macbeth’s army and castle. On the
battlefield, Macbeth encounters Macduff who proclaims that he was not born of woman but
was ultimately ripped from his mother’s womb. Although Macbeth knows that he is finished,
he continues to fight till the end. Macduff beheads him and Malcolm becomes the King of
Scotland.
Motifs/Symbols:
Motif  The Supernatural  The Ghost of Banquo
Motif  Hallucinations  Supernatural signs of the Macbeth’s guilt.
Motif  Violence  Macbeth’s response to every problem and crisis is violence and murder.
He keeps murdering others to keep his seat on the throne. Macbeth starts to kill with
increasing ease.
Motif  Prophecy  The witches’ prophecy set the play in motion.
Motif  Ambition  Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s ambition and greed for power and status
get the better of them at the end of the play.
Motif  Guilt  Lady Macbeth kills herself at the end because she could not handle the
psychological consequences of her actions. Macbeth too feels guilty for his murders.
Symbolism  Blood  Murder and guilt. Lady Macbeth becomes a victim to guilt. She tries
to wash away the bloodstains of all the people she and her husband have killed to get to the
throne but they will not wash away.
Symbolism  Water  Purification of a guilty conscience. After killing Duncan, Lady
Macbeth tells her husband that water clears them of their deed. Also she tries to purify and
wash away the bloodstains or guilt on her hands.
Symbolism  Contrast of light and dark = good and evil  When Macbeth says, “stars, hide
your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. (I. iv. 50-51)” it shows that he will do
evil things. Also many of the corrupt and atrocities are done in darkness. For example the
murders, appearance of the witches, and sleepwalking occur at night. Lady Macbeth who
once had evil thoughts towards the end of the play carries a candle with her everywhere.
Symbolism  The Weather  When the witches appear, there is thunder and lightening and
terrible storms rant on the night Kind Duncan is killed. The infringements of natural order
mirror corruption in the moral and political orders.
Symbolism  Death of Duncan  symbolizes the destruction of order and peace in Scotland
that can be reinstated when his bloodline takes up the throne.
Foreshadowing  All of the witches’ prophecies foreshadow later events in the play.
Themes:
 A man’s sense of right and wrong can be clouded by ambition and greed. Lady
Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambitions/greed get in the way of their conscience.
 A good ruler is someone who has the nation’s best interest at heart. King Duncan
was a good king who made Scotland prosperous and wealthy. However when
Macbeth takes over, he brings Scotland to chaos because he does not do what’s best
for the nation. He does things to benefit himself.
 When accomplishing one’s dreams, gender can get in the way. Lady Macbeth feels
oppressed by society and feels like she lives under the wings of her husband Macbeth
because of the gender inequality.
Literary Devices:
 Visual Imagery – There is a lot of imagery made in the play. For example, when
Lady Macbeth describes the black bird of ill omen, the audience feels the raspy cry
of it that rings in their ears.
 Blank Verse – Many of Shakespeare’s plays are written in unrhymed lines of iambic
pentameter.
 Symbolism – Water, bloodstains, and Death are just many of the symbols present in
this play. They are used numerously throughout the play to illustrate the overall
meaning of the play.