Macbeth Summary Essay, Research Paper
MACBETH
KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS
SETTING
Mainly set in Scotland in the 11th century, mostly in Macbeth’s castle and the king’s palace at Forres. Also in military camps and open fields near the battleground, and at King Edward’s palace in England.
CHARACTERS
Major Characters
Macbeth – the evil King of Scotland who stole the throne from Duncan by murdering him and who sinks into a state of chaos because of his greed and guilt; his evil acts lead to his ruin, and rebel forces lead an attack against him, and Macduff, in a personal battle, beheads him.
Lady Macbeth – the wife of Macbeth, who is even more driven by greed and power than her husband and who is the manipulative force behind the murder Duncan. Like her husband, fear and remorse cause her ruin; she goes mad and kills herself.
Malcolm – King Duncan’s oldest son, rightful heir to the throne of Scotland, who flees to England after his father’s murder and later returns to lead a successful attack against Macbeth.
Banquo – a general in Duncan’s army and a close friend of Macbeth prior to Macbeth’s seizing the throne. Macbeth begins to fear the good Banquo and has him murdered.
Macduff – a general in Duncan’s army who becomes suspicious of Macbeth’s part in the king’s murder. Macduff flees to England to encourage Malcolm to fight against Macbeth and seize his rightful crown. When Macbeth murders Macduff’s entire family, Macduff swears personal revenge against the tyrant and succeeds in beheading him during battle.
The Three Witches – the personification of evil who prophesy that Macbeth will become the King of Scotland, planting the seed of greed in his mind. They later predict his downfall.
Minor Characters
Donaldbain – Duncan’s youngest son who flees to Ireland after his father’s murder and does not return.
Lennox – one of Duncan’s nobles who accompanies Macbeth to Duncan’s chambers after his murder. Lennox is suspicious of Macbeth and fearful for Scotland.
Ross – a Scottish noble and cousin to Macduff. He brings the good news of Macbeth’s military victory and the bad news about Macduff’s murdered family.
Siward – Earl of Northumberland and veteran military officer; he becomes an ally of Malcolm and Macduff and leads the first attack against Macbeth’s forces.
Young Siward – the son of Siward who follows his father to fight against Macbeth in Scotland; he is killed in battle.
Seton – the only remaining officer in Macbeth’s army that remains loyal to him.
Hecate – the queen of the witches.
CONFLICT
Protagonist: Macbeth as the personification of greed and resulting evil. He kills the king to seize the throne for himself and continues to murder to protect himself from discovery.
Antagonist: His conscience and guilt, which are his undoing (and the forces of good at work)
Climax: At the banquet scene (at mid point in the play), Macbeth can no longer hide his torment and guilt and incriminates himself saying “Thou canst say I did it.” From this point forward in the play, there is no hope for Macbeth. His mind and his country sink into chaos. It is obvious that he is beyond the point of recovery, and his story will end tragically.
Outcome: The play ends in tragedy, for the main character loses his battle with himself. Since the main character is the personification of greed and evil, the theme of the play indicates that evil will not prevail.
(A more simplistic way to view the conflict is to name Macbeth as the protagonist and the good people of Scotland, specifically in the persons of Malcolm and Macduff, as the antagonist trying to overthrow an evil king. If viewed in this manner, the climax is then delayed until the point when Macduff actually murders Macbeth in the closing scene of the play.).
PLOT
Macbeth is a tragic play about a man who lusted after power, stole the throne of Scotland from the rightful Prince Malcolm, and threw the country into chaos through his evil reign. In the end, his own greed and guilt defeat him. Ironically, at the beginning of the play, Macbeth has everything going for him. He is an honored and valiant Scottish warrior who has just won his greatest battle and the title of Thane of Cawdor. Unfortunately, shortly after the battle, he meets three evil witches who sow the seed of greediness in his soul when they predict he will become the King of Scotland.
Macbeth, encouraged and manipulated by his even greedier wife, murders King Duncan in order to seize the throne for himself. But the stolen crown gives him no pleasure, for he is riddled with guilt over the murder and fearful of being discovered. In order to protect himself and his throne, he kills his good friend Banquo, whom he has begun to fear most of all. The two murders on his conscience are more than he can sanely bear, and at a banquet, attended by all the lords and ladies of the land, he thinks he sees the ghost of Banquo sitting in his chair. He claims to the assembled crowd that “Thou canst say I did it,” and clearly incriminates himself of murder. No longer a rational man, he rants and raves, hallucinates, kills the family of Macduff for no reason, and throws all of Scotland into fear and chaos. Tortured by himself to madness, the king returns to the three witches to find out his future. The evil ones warn him of Macduff (who later beheads the king in battle), tell him he will be harmed by no man born of woman (but Macduff was untimely ripped from the womb, not born), and promise he will not be vanquished until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane (which happens when the rebel soldiers camouflage themselves with the branches of Birnam as they march to attack the king). Macbeth, ironically, perceives
these prophesies as positive ones, but they are still no balm to his chaotic, tortured soul. In the most famous words of the play, offered by Macbeth after he finds out his wife has killed herself, the evil king reveals the total emptiness of life, which is “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
The noble Macduff, heartsick over the state of affairs in Scotland, goes to Malcolm, who has fled to England, and encourages him to fight Macbeth in order to gain the throne which is rightfully his. He learns that Malcolm has already assembled 10,000 English soldiers who are ready to fight Macbeth. The English forces, coupled with the Scottish rebels, attack the mad king and the pitiful forces that still support him. The Scottish loyalists are easily overcome, and Macduff personally beheads Macbeth in revenge for the murder of his family. The play ends with the promise that goodness will prevail in the person of Malcolm and that order and reason will replace the chaos found in Scotland under the reign of the greedy, evil Macbeth.
THEMES
Major Theme
Evil begets evil, but evil will not prevail. Macbeth’s own lust for power, fueled by his wife’s greed, brings about murder and mayhem; but in the end, the evil leads to Macbeth’s undoing and downfall so that Malcolm, the rightful leader, can return peace and order to the Kingdom.
Minor Theme
Be on guard against appearances; they sometimes seem as real as reality itself. Throughout the play, Macbeth has trouble distinguishing between truth and appearances, and this confusion contributes to his fear and ultimate downfall.
MOOD
Dark, brooding, and evil as developed by the four supernatural witch scenes, Macbeth’s sick mind, and the chaotic state of affairs in Scotland.
SCENE SUMMARIES
Act I, Scene 1 The witches plan to meet after the battle, which we find is a rebellion in Scotland. They are summoned by their familiars and end with the theme of the play.
Act I, Scene 2 The king and his thanes are at a camp and hear word of the battle from the bleeding sergeant. The sergeant had saved Malcolm earlier. He says that the battle was doubtful, with the rebel Macdonwald receiving reinforcements and luck. However, Macbeth man aged to fight well, and killed the slave Macdonwald. A second attack by the Norweyan lord angered Macbeth and he met their attacks so the Norwegians got their butts kicked. The sergeant goes to get some medical attention, and then Ross tells the rest of the story. Norway and the rebel Thane of Cawdor were met by Macbeth and were defeated. The Norwegian king Sweno was forced to pay ten thousand dollars. Macbeth is given the rebel Cawdor’s title.
Act I, Scene 3 The witches meet again, as planned. One has been killing pigs. Another witch is getting revenge on the captain of the Tiger, who’s wife has not given her a chestnut. Winds summoned by her will blow in every direction, making the sailor throw up and nev er sleep, though the ship will never be lost. The witch has the pilot’s thumb. Then Macbeth comes. The witches sing a little song. Macbeth comments on the good and bad day, then Banquo sees the witches. They look human in some ways, but don’t in others. The witches hail Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, his current title, as well as Cawdor, which he doesn’t know he is to receive, and King, which is a complete shock. Banquo is suprised that Macbeth isn’t ecstatic at the prophecy, and asks the witches why they have no prophecy for him. The witches make important predictions to Banquo, as lesser but greater, less happy but happier than Macbeth. They also say his children will become Kings. Macbeth wants to know more. The witches vanish, and the two puzzle over the disapperance. Ross and Angus come. Ross tells them the kind heard of his victory in battle. They tell him the King will honor him in person, but that he has also received the t itle of Cawdor. Macbeth asks why he is given someone else’s title and is told of the treason. Now Macbeth starts thinking the prophecy might come true. Banquo is still worried. Macbeth is scared as he considers killing the king to complete the prophecy. Banquo says he is getting used to his new title. Macbeth comes out of his thinking and thanks the men. He tells Banquo they will talk later.
Act I, Scene 4 The king asks if Cawdor is executed yet and if the people who did it are back yet. Malcolm says the aren’t back but someone who saw it said Cawdor confessed and apologized, at peace with himself so that death was not a problem, and the way he left was be tter than the way he lived. Duncan makes a comment important to theme, saying he trusted Cawdor, because he was deceptive in the way he acted. When Macbeth arrives, Duncan thanks him for what he did, saying he can never repay him. Macbeth says he was just doing his duty. Duncan says Macbeth will grow, and Banquo will be close to his heart. Banquo also expresses his loyalty, saying the benefit would be for Duncan. Duncan says he is happy despite troubles, and declares his son Malcolm his successor, making Malcolm a problem in Macbeth’s getting the throne. Duncan decides to go to Macbeth’s castle, and Macbeth goes to tell his wife. Macbeth talks of how he is having dark thoughts about trying to become king. Duncan comments on how great Banquo is and then follows him.
Act I, Scene 5 Lady Macbeth is reading a letter from Macbeth, which tells about the witches prophecy. Lady Macbeth says that her husband is too nice to get the greatness he is promised. She decides to help him gain the crown. A messenger tells her the King is coming. Lady Macbeth decides that Duncan will be killed while staying there. She tries to get rid of all kind thoughts so that she can do the deed. She tells her husband to appear normal, even while he plans to kill the King.
Act I, Scene 6 Duncan talks about how pleasant the castle is. Banquo notes how the birds are abundant, marking it for a nice place. Duncan greets Lady Macbeth, who returns the formality and assures her loyalty. She leads them into the castle.
Act I, Scene 7 Macbeth contemplates the crime and says he should do it soon if he does it. If this was all there was to it, and all he had to worry about was the afterlife, he would do it. But he is also judged here, and murdering may lead to his own death. He is supposed to be loyal to Duncan as a relative and subject and host. And Duncan is such a nice, great leader that whoever kills him will be damned. Everyone will be sad. There is nothing to make him do it except ambition, which is like a spur but also like a rider who jumps on a horse but falls off the other side. Lady Macbeth says Duncan almost finished dinner. Macbeth doesn’t want to kill someone who has done him so well. Lady Macbeth asks what happened to his hope that he had so much. She will not love him if he doesn’t do this, what he wants. Macbeth doesn’t want to do it, and Lady Macbeth asks what happened since he was so willing to do it before. She says that if she had sworn to, she would kill a baby suckling at her breast. Lady Macbeth says they won’t fail because they will get the King’s attendants drunk and make it look like they did it. Macbeth comments on his wife’s mannly mettle, and starts to believe his wife. She says it will look like the servants did it, so Macbeth agrees to do it, while hiding what he did from his face, a refernce to the theme.
Act II, Scene 1 Banquo and Fleance are walking around and wondering at the time. Baquo is worried about the dark thoughts in his head. Macbeth comes up and Banquo asks why he isn’t sleeping when Duncan went to bed happy and sent them gifts. Macbeth responds that he wasn’t as good a host because he was unprepared. Banquo dreamt of the witches and Macbeth says they should talk about that later. Banquo wants to maintain his loyalty to the king. Macbeth dismisses his servant and then imagines a dagger before him, but he isn’t sure if it is real. He says it encourages to do the deed, showing him how. In the night, he dreams of Hecate and the witches, of a wolf howling the time for murder, and compares his stealthy approach to that of Tarquin. In horror, he resolves to do the deed.
Act II, Scene 2 Lady Macbeth says that the alcohol that made the attendants drunk has given her courage. Omens of death wish the king good night, and Macbeth is going to kill him as the drunk attendants are unconscious. When Macbeth shows up she is afraid they woke up and it didn’t work. She would have done it if Duncan didn’t look like her fathe. But he did it, after some trouble. One attendant woke up and said “Murder” but then they went ack to sleep. Donalbain either said “God bless us” or “Amen” in response to Duncan saying it. Macbeth is troubled because he could not say “Amen”. Lady Macbeth says not to think that way. Macbeth says he heard a voice saying he murdered sleep, which is described as such a sweet and pleasant thing. She tells him not to think of such sickly things and to wash his hands. She then agrees to put the daggers back, because Macbeth doesn’t want to. She says only kids fear death and sleep. She will get some blood on the attendants to make them look guilty. Macbeth is troubled by knocking and says that nothing can wash his hands clean, and the blood will make the seas red. Lady Macbeth feels bad to have red hands but to be innocent of the crime itself. She tells him to wash his hands and retire and put on his nightgown so that they will not be suspicious to the watchers. Macbeth wishes he did not know what he had done.
Act II, Scene 3 The porter hears knocking and says that a porter at hell would have a busy job. He pretends to be the porter of hell, and imagines the sort of people who would come, such as a farmer who didn’t get the high prices wanted, a traitor, and a tailor who tried to overprice his garments. Finally he lets Macduff and Lennox in, and they have a discussion about drinking. The porter tells how drink causes red noses, sleep, and urine. He also says it causes lechery, though it takes away the performance. Macbeth comes and greets Lennox and Macduff. Macbeth leads Macduff to the king. Lennox comments on weird things that happened during the night. Macduff returns, having discovered the murder. He is in hysterics, telling them of the horror of horrors and calling for an alarm. He compares the events transpiring to Judgement Day, when the dead rise up to a trumpet. Lady Macbeth comes and asks what is going on. And Macduff tells Banquo when he enters. Macbeth reenters commenting on how awful life is with the death of his king. Malcolm and Donalbain are then informed what happened. Lennox says it looked like the chamber attendants had done it. Macbeth says that in his fury, he killed the attendants. Malcolm and Donalbain are afraid and agree to leave. Banquo says they should reassemble to investigate the matter. Malcolm, in a comment relevant to the theme, says it is easy to show a false sorrow. They both agree it is not safe there and depart.
Act II, Scene 4 The old man says this is the worst night he has ever seen. Ross speaks metaphorically of the battle between light and dark. The old man compares it to an owl killing a great falcon. Ross then talks of the mysterious event with the horses of Duncan getting loose and eating each other. Macduff says it is thought the attendants did the murder. He thinks they were paid by Malcolm and Donalbain. Macbeth is said to have gone to Scone to get the crown. Duncan’s body is said to be buried. Macduff and Ross bid each other farewell. The old man bids them farewell with a comment alluding again to the theme.
Act III, Scene 1 Banquo comments on how Macbeth has everything he was promised, but he thinks Macbeth gained it through evil. But Banquo hopes now that his prophecies will come true and his kids will be kings. Macbeth invites Banquo, his chief guest, to a feast. Banquo and Fleance are riding that afternoon, but can be back by supper. Macbeth says that Malcolm and Donalbain, their cousins whom guilt rests upon, are in England and Ireland but don’t admit to the crime. Macbeth bids them farewell then tells the servant to fetch the murderers. While waiting, he deliver a soliloquy about how it is insufficient to be king, unless he is secure. He fears Banquo, with his wisdom and temper, will try to unseat him, as the prophecies said his children would be kings. Macbeth fears he has given up his soul and committed an evil act, just to put Banquo’s descendants on the throne. He tells fate to fight him to the death. Macbeth has been convincing the murderers that Banquo is a bad person over the course of two earlier meetings. Macbeth tells the murderers they have a special role as men, and the murderers say they have had a rough life and would do anything. Macbeth tells them to kill Banquo, their mutual enemy. He compares is battle with Banquo to fencing, but says he can’t kill him himself. He tells them to do it carefully, and to kill Banquo’s son Fleance as well.