Macbeth Plot

MACBETH PLOT
Witches bury hand- set scene for scary plot

War- Macbeth has killed many people. Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis (received the title when his father died)

Macbeth and Banquo meet up with witches.

Macbeth is told by witches “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! /All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter”

Banquo is told by witches: “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater./Not so happy, yet much happier. /Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none”

Kings son Edward is name Prince of Cumberland (next in line to be King). Macbeth
gets angry.

Macbeth writes a letter to Lady Macbeth (his wife) telling her of the three prophecies. Lady Macbeth states that she knows Macbeth wants to be king but he is too soft “...yet I do feel thy nature; /It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way”

Macbeth comes home and tells Lady Macbeth that the King is coming for a sleepover. So Lady Macbeth plots a plan to kill the King by manipulating Macbeth to murder him and telling him that she will so all of the work: “To alter favour ever is to fear: Leave all the rest to me”

Macbeth soliloquy- he decides he doesn’t want to kill the King “We will proceed no further in this business:/ He hath honoured me of late; and I have bought/ Golden
opinions from all sorts of people”.

Lady Macbeth guilts Macbeth into killing the King by making him feel inferior to her and that she is more of a man than him. “What beast was it then/ That made you break this enterprise to me?/ When you durst do it, then you were a man;” and “I have given suck, and know/ How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me:/ I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, / And dashed the brains out, had I sworn/ As you have done to this.”

Lady Macbeth poisons the drink of the king’s guards so they fall asleep- the King is
unguarded.

Macbeth follows a floating dagger into the King’s chambers “Is this a dagger I see before me”

Macbeth stabs the King

Macbeth carries the daggers back outside, Lady Macbeth tells him off and takes the daggers back to plant them on the guards in order to frame them.

Macbeth kills the guards.

King’s sons- Malcolm (Prince of Cumberland) and Donalbain flee to Ireland and Scotland as they are suspected murderers of the King.

Macbeth is named King

Macbeth asks Banquo and his son Fleance to join him at the royal supper. Banquo tells Macbeth that they are going into the bush/ forest for a horse ride but they will be there for supper.

Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance.

Banquo is killed, Fleance escapes.

Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the supper. Noone else can. Lady Macbeth asks the guests to leave. They all suspect he is going mad out of grief for the dead King.
Macbeth visits the witches where they dispel three apparitions : “...beware Macduff;/Beware the thane of Fife” “Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn/ The power of man, for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth” “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until/ Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill/ Shall come against him.”

Lady Macbeth has gone mad and is seeing blood on her hands- people believe she is going mad because Macbeth is grieving.

Macbeth orders for the Macduff family to be killed.

Ross tells Macduff that his family has been killed. Ross tells Malcolm that under
King Macbeth the country has gone to disorder. He is encouraging him to come back and fight for the country.

Lady Macbeth constantly washing her hands “Oh damned spot! Out, I say”- she confesses to her and/ or Macbeth’s part in the murders of the King “Yet who would’ve thought the old man to have so much blood in him”, the murder of Macduff’s family “The thane of fife had a wife, where is she now?” and Banquo “Banquo’s buried; he cannot come out on’s grave”

Doctor tells Macbeth that Lady Macbeth is ill- he doesn’t care just tells him to fix her: “cure her of that”

Reports come to Macbeth that armies are plotting against him. He feels he is invincible because of the witches prophecies and ignores all warnings.

Lady Macbeth commits suicide. Macbeth says “She should have died hereafter;/ There would have been a time for such a word.”

Army carry Birnam Wood to Dunsinane castle

Macduff tells Macbeth that “Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb/ Untimely ripp’d” Translation: he was born via c-section.

Macduff kills Macbeth.

Malcolm crowned King.