Scene Summaries
Act I Summaries
• Scene i – three witches decide to meet with
Macbeth after the battle
• Scene ii – Macbeth defeats traitor & King gives
Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor
• Banquo & Macbeth are good friends & fight
together in the war
• Dramatic Irony (add to www) – when the
audience knows something the characters do
not!
Act I Summaries
• Scene iii – witches make predictions: Macbeth
will be:
•
•
•
•
Thane of Glamis (already is!)
Thane of Cawdor (is but doesn’t know it yet!)
King
Banquo will be:
• Lesser than Macbeth but greater
• Not as lucky as Macbeth but luckier
• Not a king, but kids will be kings
Macbeth & Banquo find out that Macbeth is now the Thane
of Cawdor & Macbeth begins to dream of being king!
Act I Summaries
• Scene iv – Macbeth gets close to the king to gain
his trust & eventually be king himself, but King
Duncan proclaims his son Malcolm heir to the
throne. Macbeth admits that Malcolm is now a
problem!
• Scene v – at their castle, Lady Macbeth is reading
a letter from her husband describing the witches’
prophesies. She thinks her husband is too weak
to act & decides that when the king visits their
castle, they will kill the king!
Act I Summaries
• Scene vi – King Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s
castle & is welcomed by Lady Macbeth (who is
secretly plotting his murder!)
• Scene vii – Macbeth admits to self that his
ambition has led him to thoughts of murder.
Lady Macbeth taunts him to show his
manliness by killing Duncan!
Act II Summary
• Scene i – Mcb & Banquo decide to talk about
the witches’ predictions later. McB
hallucinates a bloody dagger.
• Scene ii – Mcb kills king; brings daggers back
to bedroom; Lady McB tells McB to take
daggers back, but he won’t; she does & covers
guards with blood & puts daggers beside them
Act II Summaries
• Scene iii – Macduff comes to Macbeth’s castle
& discovers the king is murdered; Mcbeth kills
the guards out of “loyalty & anger” (lie) really
McB wanted to cyb! Malcolm & Donalbain
(king’s sons) decide to run away/hide bc fear
for lives!
• Scene iv – Mcb becomes king; Macduff doubts
Mcb! Malcom & Donalbain run away & are
potential suspects of the murder!
Act III Summaries
• Scene i – Mcb hires murderers to kill Banquo &
Fleance
• Scene ii – Lady Mcb tells Mcb to quit being so
nervous & sad – Mcb hints something bad might
happen to Banq!
• Scene iii - The murderers kill Banquo, but Fleance
escapes.
• Scene iv – Banquet; murderers tell McB that
Banquo is dead/Fleance escaped; McB sees
Banquo’s ghost; Lady McB makes excuses that
McB is ill & tells everyone to leave.
Act III Summaries
• Scene v – Hecate (head witch) meets with 3
witches & decides to be involved in ruining
McB.
• Scene vi – Now Lennox suspects McB and asks
about Macduff; Macduff is in England raising
an army against McB…McB summoned
Macduff to come back, but Macduff refused.
Act IV
• Scene i – McB goes to see witches – wanting to
know future; they show him 3 images
– An armed head – beware Macduff
– A bloody child w/a crown on its head – no one born of
woman can hurt Macbeth
– Child wearing crown/holding tree – Macbeth won’t be
overhthrown until Birnam Wood moves up to the
palace
– 8 kings (including Banquo) w/a mirror – Banquo’s
children will be kings…
• McB plans to murder Macduff’s wife & son
Act IV
• Scene ii – Ross tells Lady Macduff that her
husband has gone to England; a messenger
warns her to leave; murderers arrive & kill
Lady Macduff & her son
• Scene iii – Macduff tries to get Malcom to help
fight McB; Malcom tests Macduff’s loyalty;
Malcom tells Macduff he has an army ready to
fight McB; Macduff learns his wife & son are
dead; Macduff prays to meet McB in battle!
Act V
• Scene i - Lady McB sleep-walking & rubbing
hands repeatedly to get rid of blood; her lady-inwaiting & doctor realize from her actions that the
McB’s killed Duncan.
• Scene ii – In Birnam Wood, Malcolm & Macduff
gather armies & discuss McB’s mental state!
• Scene iii – In the castle, McB feels confident (bc
the prophesies); learns of approaching army
Act V
• Scene iv – Malcolm orders soldiers to carry
branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage!
• Scene v – Lady McB is dead; a messenger tells
McB that Birnam Wood is approaching!
• Scene vi – near castle, Malcolm orders soldiers
to drop branches & attack!
• Scene vii – On the field, Macbeth kills Young
Siward. Macbeth exits with Macduff in hot
pursuit.
Act V
• Scene viii – Macduff confronts Macbeth, who at
first refuses to fight him, warning Macduff that
“none born of woman” can harm him. Macduff
explains that he was not born of woman, but was
“untimely ripped.” Macbeth again refuses to
fight, but Macduff goads him into fighting. Their
fight begins and continues offstage. Ross reports
to Siward that Young Siward has died bravely.
Macduff returns with the head of Macbeth, and
Malcolm becomes King of Scotland.