Summary in short
Macbeth is Shakespeare's tragedy about a Scottish general who is told by three witches that he will become king. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne, then kills again to stay there, until guilt, madness and a rebel army destroy him.
Plot summary
After a battle in Scotland, the generals Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches on a heath. The witches greet Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and future king, and tell Banquo that his descendants will be kings. Soon after, King Duncan names Macbeth Thane of Cawdor, as the witches said. Macbeth begins to think about the crown.
Macbeth writes to his wife, Lady Macbeth, who pushes him to act. Duncan comes to stay at their castle, Inverness. Macbeth is full of doubts, but Lady Macbeth mocks his courage. That night she gets Duncan's guards drunk, and Macbeth stabs the king in his bed. Lady Macbeth smears the guards with blood to frame them. In the morning Duncan's body is discovered, Macbeth kills the guards in a show of rage, and Duncan's sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee, which makes them look guilty. Macbeth is crowned king.
Macbeth is afraid of the prophecy about Banquo and hires murderers to kill him and his son Fleance. Banquo dies, but Fleance escapes. At a feast Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost and behaves so wildly that Lady Macbeth sends the guests away. Macbeth visits the witches again. They show him three apparitions, which tell him to beware Macduff, that no man born of woman can harm him, and that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. He takes this to mean he is safe. When he hears that Macduff has fled to England, he has Macduff's wife and children killed.
In England, Macduff joins Malcolm, who is raising an army with the support of the English. Back in Scotland, Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands and revealing her part in the murders. Soon after, she dies, and Macbeth responds with the bleak speech that life is a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.
Malcolm's soldiers cut branches from Birnam Wood to hide their numbers as they advance on Dunsinane, so the wood appears to move. In the final fight Macbeth learns that Macduff was cut from his mother's womb before birth, so he was not born in the usual way. Macbeth fights anyway and is killed. Macduff carries his head onstage, and Malcolm is proclaimed king of Scotland.
Main characters
| Macbeth | A brave Scottish general who murders his way to the throne and is destroyed by guilt and fear. |
|---|---|
| Lady Macbeth | Macbeth's wife, who urges him to kill Duncan and later goes mad with guilt. |
| Banquo | Macbeth's fellow general, who is promised a line of kings and is murdered on Macbeth's orders. |
| Duncan | The kind and trusting king of Scotland, murdered by Macbeth. |
| Macduff | A Scottish nobleman who suspects Macbeth, joins Malcolm and finally kills him. |
| Malcolm | Duncan's elder son, who flees to England and returns to take the throne. |
| The three witches | Supernatural figures whose prophecies set Macbeth's rise and fall in motion. |
| Fleance | Banquo's son, who escapes the murderers and keeps the witches' prophecy alive. |
Themes
Ambition without limits
Macbeth is a loyal soldier until the prophecy and his wife make him want the crown. One murder leads to more, and he ends up isolated and hated, ruling a country that is frightened of him.
Guilt
After killing Duncan, Macbeth hears a voice that says he will sleep no more, and later he sees Banquo's ghost. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking, with her cry of out damned spot, shows that she cannot escape what she did.
Fate and free will
The witches predict Macbeth's rise, but they never tell him to murder anyone. Macbeth chooses to act, and he misreads the later prophecies in a way that leads to his death.
Gender and power
Lady Macbeth calls on spirits to unsex her and attacks Macbeth's manhood to push him to kill. Macbeth's cruelty to the Macduff family shows a toxic idea of strength that ends in disaster.
Act by act
Act I
The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be king. Lady Macbeth hears the news and convinces her husband to kill Duncan when he visits.
Act II
Macbeth murders Duncan and is horrified by what he has done. Duncan's sons flee, and Macbeth is made king.
Act III
Macbeth has Banquo killed, but Fleance escapes. At a banquet Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost.
Act IV
The witches give Macbeth misleading prophecies. Macbeth has Macduff's family murdered, and Macduff learns of it in England, where he joins Malcolm.
Act V
Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and dies. Malcolm's army marches on Dunsinane behind branches from Birnam Wood, and Macduff kills Macbeth.
What happens at the end of Macbeth?
Macduff kills Macbeth in battle at Dunsinane, and Malcolm is crowned king of Scotland. Lady Macbeth has already died, apparently by her own hand.
Why does Macbeth kill Duncan?
The witches' prophecy plants the idea, and Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth past his doubts by questioning his courage. Macbeth's own ambition does the rest.
Who killed Macbeth?
Macduff killed Macbeth. Macduff was cut from his mother's womb, so he was not born in the way the witches' prophecy meant.