![]() Hearing the bell rung by Lady Macbeth to signal completion of her preparations for Duncan’s death, Macbeth exits to kill the king. ![]() Left alone by Banquo, Macbeth sees a gory dagger leading him to Duncan’s room. Act 2, scene 1 Banquo, who has accompanied Duncan to Inverness, is uneasy because he too is tempted by the witches’ prophecies, although only in his dreams.Lady Macbeth mocks his fears and offers a plan for Duncan’s murder, which Macbeth accepts. Act 1, scene 7 Macbeth contemplates the reasons why it is a terrible thing to kill Duncan.Act 1, scene 6 Duncan and his attendants arrive at Inverness.Macbeth arrives, and Lady Macbeth tells him that she will take charge of the preparations for Duncan’s visit and for his murder. When she learns that Duncan is coming to visit, she calls upon supernatural agents to fill her with cruelty. She fears that Macbeth lacks the ruthlessness he needs to kill Duncan and fulfill the witches’ second prophecy. Act 1, scene 5 Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter about his meeting the witches.Now that Malcolm has been named Duncan’s successor, Macbeth is convinced that he can become king only by killing Duncan. Macbeth sets out ahead of him to prepare for the royal visit. He then announces his intention to have his son Malcolm succeed him as king and his plan to visit Macbeth at Inverness. When Macbeth, Banquo, Ross, and Angus join Duncan, he offers thanks to Macbeth and Banquo. Act 1, scene 4 Duncan demands and receives assurances that the former thane of Cawdor has been executed. ![]() Almost as soon as they are gone, Ross and Angus arrive with news that the king has named Macbeth “Thane of Cawdor.” Macbeth contemplates killing Duncan in order to become “king hereafter” as the witches have called him. Act 1, scene 3 The three witches greet Macbeth as “Thane of Glamis” (as he is), “Thane of Cawdor,” and “king hereafter.” They then promise Banquo that he will father kings, and they disappear.Duncan orders the execution of the rebel thane of Cawdor and sends messengers to announce to Macbeth that he has been given Cawdor’s title. Act 1, scene 2 Duncan, king of Scotland, hears an account of the success in battle of his noblemen Macbeth and Banquo.Act 1, scene 1 Three witches plan to meet Macbeth.Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes Scotland’s king. He learns that the promises are tricks, but continues to fight. Malcolm and Macduff lead an army against Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth goes mad and commits suicide.Macbeth confronts Malcolm’s army, trusting in the Weïrd Sisters’ comforting promises. Macbeth has Macduff’s wife and children murdered. They comfort him with ambiguous promises.Another nobleman, Macduff, rides to England to join Duncan’s older son, Malcolm. Macbeth determines to consult the Weïrd Sisters again. At a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost appear covered in blood. Fearing that Banquo’s descendants will, according to the Weïrd Sisters’ predictions, take over the kingdom, Macbeth has Banquo killed. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king.After Macbeth murders Duncan, the king’s two sons flee, and Macbeth is crowned. Three “Weïrd Sisters” appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and prophesy that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. Entire Play Macbeth, set primarily in Scotland, mixes witchcraft, prophecy, and murder.The line is blurred between Macbeth’s evil and his opponents’ good, and there are new attitudes toward both witchcraft and gender. Recently, it has been applied to nations that overreach themselves and to modern alienation. Its story was once seen as that of a hero who commits an evil act and pays an enormous price. Like other plays, Macbeth speaks to each generation. Is Macbeth tempted by fate, or by his or his wife’s ambition? Why does their success turn to ashes? In depicting a man who murders to become king, Macbeth teases us with huge questions. He found a spectacle of violence and stories of traitors advised by witches and wizards, echoing James’s belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. ![]() In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. Listen to this introduction: Read by Karen Peakes – a special recording for The Folger Shakespeare’s Macbeth by the Folger Theatre
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