English revision

MACBETH REVISION 

Summary of play:

The play begins with the brief appearance of a trio of witches and then moves to a military camp, where the Scottish King Duncan hears the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated two separate invading armies—one from Ireland, led by the rebel Macdonwald, and one from Norway.

Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be made thane (a rank of Scottish nobility) of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. They also prophesy that  Banquo's son will be king , although Banquo will never be king himself. The witches vanish, and Macbeth and Banquo treat their prophecies sceptically until some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that the remainder of the witches’ prophecy—that he will be crowned king—might be true, but he is uncertain what to expect. He visits with King Duncan, and they plan to dine together at Inverness, Macbeth’s castle, that night. Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth, telling her all that has happened.

Lady Macbeth suffers none of her husband’s uncertainty. She desires the kingship for him and wants him to murder Duncan in order to obtain it. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, she overrides all of her husband’s objections and persuades him to kill the king that very night. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the guards, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him. When Duncan’s death is discovered the next morning, Macbeth kills the guards. Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed Duncan wants them dead too.

Fearful of the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s heirs will seize the throne and that Banquo is suspicious, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. 

 At the feast that night, Banquo’s ghost visits Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth rants fearfully, startling his guests. 

 Frightened, Macbeth goes to visit the witches in their cavern. There, they show him a sequence of demons and spirits who present him with further prophecies: he must beware of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeth’s accession to the throne; he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman; and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. When he learns that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduff’s castle be seized and, most cruelly, that Lady Macduff and her children be murdered.

When news of his family’s execution reaches Macduff in England, he is stricken with grief and vows revenge. Prince Malcolm, Duncan’s son, is raising an army in England, and Macduff joins him as he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeth.

The invasion has the support of the Scottish lords, who are appalled and frightened by Macbeth’s tyrannical and murderous behaviour.

Lady Macbeth is being affected by her guilt at their murderous actions and becomes plagued with fits of sleepwalking and sees bloodstains on her hands. She kills herself, causing Macbeth to sink into a deep and pessimistic despair.

He arrogantly prepares to meet the English, certain that the witches’ prophecies guarantee his invincibility. He is fearful when he learns that the English army is advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches’ prophecy.

In the battle, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff, who declares that he was not “of woman born” but was instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (what we now call birth by cesarean section). Though he realizes that he is doomed, Macbeth continues to fight until Macduff kills and beheads him.

Malcolm, now the King of Scotland, declares his benevolent intentions for the country and invites all to see him crowned at Scone.

Characters:

Macbeth - a brave , heroic soldier. Loyal to the king and well respected. Tempted by the witches predictions, and manipulated by his wife, he kills Duncan. His guilt at first affects him - making his sleep affected, causing him to look pale and sweat. However he becomes more tyrannical and brutal.  By the end, his arrogance and his bloody rule has lead to the uprising and his ultimate fall from grace.

Lady Macbeth - Her character progresses in the opposite way to Macbeth, with her starting the play harsh, ruthless and ambitious but eventually loses her power, and her mind. Eventually she kills herself after suffering from sleepwalking and hallucinations. Her persuasive language in Act 1 scene 5 and 7, as well as her insulting Macbeth's masculinity in Act 3 during the ghost at the banquet, shows she is clever and manipulative.

Themes:

• Guilt
• Ambition
• Order and right of kings
• Supernatural and evil
• Women and masculinity
• Appearances and deception
• Power
• Good vs Evil