Macbeth : Summary
Macbeth is a notable literary work by William Shakespeare. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Macbeth.
Summary
Synopsis: Macbeth is a historical tragedy. The protagonist of the play, Macbeth, and his wife want to be king and queen of Scotland by killing present king Duncan in accordance with the prophecy of Weird Sisters or Three Witches.
After killing Duncan, Macbeth becomes the king of Scotland and Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain go to another country to survive.
In accordance with the prophecy, Macbeth wants to create autocracy in his kingdom by killing Banquo, a close friend of Macbeth, and his son, Fleance and Macduff as well. Banquo and Macduff’s family are killed by Macbeth’s hired murderer.
Again, the Three Witches say some prophecies, all of which come true. Lady Macbeth suffers from sleepwalking. And then she kills herself. Macduff, Malcolm, and the English Force attack Macbeth. Then in accordance with the prophecies, Macbeth is beheaded by Macduff. Malcolm becomes the new king of Scotland.
Details Summary
Act 1: At the outset of the play, the Three Witches are planning to meet Macbeth. King Duncan comes to know that Macbeth becomes the winner on the battlefield between Norway and Scotland. And he becomes happy about that. After the battle, Macbeth and Banquo are walking in the open field at that time, Three Witches greet them and predict Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland and Banquo’s heirs will be king. Then they meet Rose and Angus and come to know that Macbeth is going to be Thane of Cawdor. After that Macbeth wants to kill King Duncan to be the next king of Scotland in accordance with the third prophecy. Meanwhile, Macbeth comes to know that Duncan will be a guest of his castle. Macbeth sends a letter to his wife Lady Macbeth about the prophecies. Lady Macbeth mentions Macbeth’s nature as a good person. She thinks that she has to plan to murder to be queen. So, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth jointly plan to murder Duncan like a professional killer.
Act 2: Macbeth kills the king in accordance with the plan of Lady Macbeth. At first, Macbeth does not want to kill the king but under the mental pressure of his wife, he has killed the king. Macduff first discovers the dead body because he has come here in the morning to meet the king as his duty. After discovering the dead body, he cannot believe his own eyes. Then Macbeth killed two bodyguards of the king because of removing his sin. And then Macbeth and his wife represent them as innocent as babies. Then Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee because they think that they will be the next target of the killer. Malcolm goes to England and Donalbain goes to Ireland. Then as the nearest person to the King, Macbeth became the new king of Scotland.
Act 3: Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, because the Three Witches’ prophecy is that Banquo will be the father of kings. Another murderer has been sent there to kill them with two murderers. Banquo is killed and Fleance escapes. Meanwhile, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo, which is actually his inner conflict and a sense of sin. Then Macbeth decides to meet the Three Witches again to know his future. They again make some prophecies; no man can murder him who was born of a woman, he will be killed when Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane castle. Then Macbeth asks about Banquo’s heirs. They show him a procession of eight kings. These predictions make him happy. Meanwhile, Macduff meets Malcolm in England.
Act 4: Macduff’s wife and his boy are killed by Macbeth’s hired murderer. Malcolm examines Macduff’s loyalty toward his country. Then he agrees with Macduff to attack Macbeth with the English Force.
Act 5: Lady Macbeth suffers from sleepwalking as a patient. She speaks alone about her misdeed. Then Macbeth comes to know that the English Army has come with full force. At that time, Macbeth is informed about his wife’s death. Malcolm orders his forces to cut branches of trees and disguise themselves. Because he does not want to reveal the number of his fighters. So, the branches of the Birnam wood come to Dunsinane Castle.
The fight of Macbeth against the English Army starts, and Macbeth kills Young Siward, the son of an English General. Then Macduff kills Macbeth with the Truth that he was not born from a woman. He was not born through normal delivery. All the predictions of Three Witches’ come true. And Malcolm becomes the new King of Scotland.
Moral Lesson: There is nothing wrong with being highly ambitious but wrongdoing for ambition brings about havoc.