We at flagrant have decided
to arm you with the tools that will not only allow you to have a great
understanding of
Shakespeare's work but also so that you don't look like a philistine the next time
you are at a stuffy social function.
Hopefully by the time we're through, you'll sound like a Rhodes
scholar and your intelligence will make almost anyone envious.
MACBETH
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THE MAIN CHARACTERS |
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DUNCAN, King of Scotland
Duncan is a good king who his people like. By no fault of his own he is unable to discern those who
threaten his reign.
MACBETH, Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, a general in the King's army
Macbeth is a basically good man who is troubled by his conscience and loyalty though at the same time
ambitious and murderous. He is led to evil initially by the witches' predictions and
then by his wife's goading, which he succumbs to because he loves her so. His obsession over
the kingship shows a certain kind of egotism.
LADY MACBETH, a good wife who loves her husband
She is also ambitious but lacks the morals of her husband. To achieve her ambition, she rids of
herself of any kindness that might stand in the way. However, she runs out of energy to suppress
her conscience and kills herself.
BANQUO, Thane of Lochaber, a general in the King's army
Banquo serves as a foil to Macbeth, showing an alternate react to prophecy. Banquo retains his morals and allegiances, but ends up dying. He is brave and ambitious, but this is tempered by intelligence.
MACDUFF, Thane of Fife, a nobleman of Scotland
Macduff shows early on a distrust of Macbeth. He also represents fate as when knocking on the door. He thinks he can avoid having his family looking guilty and getting killed by fleeing, but he overestimates Macbeth. Macduff then plays the avenger.
MALCOLM, elder son of Duncan
Malcolm, as a good king, is everything that Macbeth is not. He uses deception only to insure his personal safety.
DONALBAIN, younger son of Duncan
Donalbain is Duncan's youngest son and flees to Ireland when his father is murdered.
LENNOX, nobleman of Scotland
Lennox is one of Duncan's nobles and he is largely an observer in the play. He grows suspicious of what he sees in Macbeth, and grows increasingly sarcastic and is fearful for the fate of Scotland.
ROSS, nobleman of Scotland
Ross is Macduff's cousin. He acts as a messenger in the play, bringing good news of Macbeth's military victory and bad news about Macduff's family.
SIWARD, Earl of Northumberland, general of the English forces
Old Siward is the Earl of Northumberland and an ally of Malcom and Macduff.
YOUNG SIWARD, his son
Young Siward is Siward's son. He is slain by Macbeth in hand-to-hand combat.
SEYTON, attendant to Macbeth
Seyton is Macbeth's lieutenant.
HECATE, Queen of the Witches
Hecate is sometimes referred to as the queen of the witches. It is she who directs supernatural happenings and appearances of the mystical apparitions.
The Three Witches
The three witches add an element of supernatural and prophecy to the play. They each have a familiar, such as Graymalkin and Paddock, and are commanded by Hecate, a Greek goddess of the moon and later witchcraft. The witches are based on a variety of ideas about witches at the time. They can use sieves as boats, and they can assume the shape of an animal, but with a defect, as with the tailless rat. The witches were also thought to be able to control the winds. They are described as having beards but looking human.
The Porter
The Porter is the keeper of Macbeth's castle who imagines that he is the keeper of Hell's Gate.
LADY MACDUFF
Lady Macduff represents all the good people slaughtered by Macbeth. She loves her family, and is distressed at her husband's departure. She doesn't really believe her husband is a traitor and is concerned only that he is safe when the murderers arrive.
FLEANCE, Banquo's son
Fleance plays no large role, and the only question is how his line ends up becoming king after Malcolm.
MENTEITH, ANGUS, and CAITHNESS
noblemen of Scotland
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The Big Picture
The witches plan their meeting with Macbeth.
A sergeant tells of the heroic deeds of Macbeth. . . . King Duncan announces that Macbeth will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor.
The witches prophesy that Macbeth shall be king and Banquo shall be father of kings. . . . Ross and Angus tell Macbeth he has been given the title of Thane of Cawdor. . . . Macbeth muses on the possibility of killing the King in order to be king.
King Duncan is told of the execution of the rebel Thane of Cawdor. . . . King Duncan thanks Macbeth for his heroic service, then announces that Malcolm is heir to the throne.
Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth's letter about what the weird sisters said, and works herself up to work him up to murder. . . . When Macbeth arrives, Lady Macbeth tells him to look innocent and follow her lead.
King Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and is greeted by Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth almost talks himself out of killing the King. . . . Lady Macbeth gives her husband a tongue-lashing that makes him commit to their plan to murder the King.
Past midnight, Macbeth tells Banquo that they'll speak of the witches another time, and bids him goodnight. . . . Macbeth sees "a dagger of the mind," hears his wife's bell, and goes to kill King Duncan.
Lady Macbeth waits for Macbeth to come with the news that he has killed the King. . . . Macbeth is so shaken by the murder that he brings the bloody daggers with him, and Lady Macbeth takes them from him, to place them with the sleeping grooms. . . . A knocking at the castle gate frightens Macbeth, and his wife comes to lead him away, so that they can wash the blood from their hands.
The Porter pretends that he is hell's gatekeeper, then lets in Macduff and Lennox. . . . Macduff discovers King Duncan's body. . . . Macbeth, in pretended fury, kills the King's grooms. . . . Malcolm and Donalbain, fearing that they will be murdered next, flee.
Ross and an Old Man discuss what an unnatural night it has been. . . . Ross and Macduff doubtfully discuss the news that Malcolm and Donalbain are responsible for their father's murder. . . . Ross heads for Scone, to see Macbeth crowned King of Scotland, but Macduff is going to stay home.
Banquo expresses his suspicion of Macbeth, and wonders if the witches' predictions will come true for himself, as they have for Macbeth. . . . Macbeth questions Banquo about the ride he's taking and insists he return in time for a banquet that night. . . . Macbeth persuades two Murderers that Banquo is their enemy, then sends them out to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance.
Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both envy the peaceful dead, who sleep in peace, while they, who have everything, live in constant fear of losing everything. . . . Macbeth reassures Lady Macbeth that their problems will be solved by a terrible deed to be done in the night.
A third Murderer joins the first two. . . . Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth welcome the guests to their banquet. . . . Macbeth hears from First Murderer that Banquo is dead, but Fleance has escaped. . . . The bloody Ghost of Banquo -- which only Macbeth can see -- appears among the guests. . . . When his guests are gone, Macbeth tells his wife he's going to find out why Macduff didn't attend their banquet. Then he hints that he may have to shed more blood, and decides he will speak to the witches again.
The three Witches appear with Hecate, who scolds them for having dealings with Macbeth without including her. Hecate tells them that Macbeth is coming to see them the next morning, and then they will show him some magic that will mislead him to his own destruction.
Lennox and another Lord have a conversation which shows that they have seen through Macbeth's lies and know that he is responsible for the murder of Banquo and King Duncan. They also wish Macduff well, because he has gone to England for help in freeing Scotland from the tyrant Macbeth.
Chanting "Double, double, toil and trouble," the three Witches stir the cauldron. . . . The witches call up apparitions which give Macbeth warnings, promises, and prophecies: beware Macduff, fear "none of woman born," fear nothing until Birnam wood come to Dunsinane, Banquo's issue shall be kings. . . . The Witches vanish and Macbeth calls in Lennox, who tells him that Macduff has fled to England, whereupon Macbeth orders the murder of Macduff's wife and children.
Ross brings Lady Macduff the news that her husband has fled Scotland. . . . Lady Macduff and her son joke about Macduff being a traitor. . . . A messenger rushes in to tell Lady Macduff to run for her life, but right after him come the murderers who kill the boy and his mother.
Macduff seeks Malcolm's support for a war against Macbeth, and Malcolm tests Macduff's intentions. . . . A doctor tells of the English King's miraculous ability to heal the sick. . . . Speaking to Malcolm and Macduff, Ross tells of Scotland's suffering under Macbeth and of the slaughter of Macduff's wife and children. Everyone is now ready to make war against Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth's waiting-gentlewoman tells a doctor of the Lady's sleep-walking. . . . Lady Macbeth walks and talks in her sleep, revealing guilty secrets.
The Scottish forces arrayed against Macbeth are on the march. The Scottish leaders comment on Macbeth's desperate rage.
Macbeth hears that his thanes are abandoning him, that the English army is approaching, and that his wife is soul-sick, but he tries to convince himself that he has nothing to fear, and prepares to fight.
The forces opposed to Macbeth enter Birnam wood, and Malcolm gives the order for every soldier to cut a tree branch and hold it before him.
Macbeth expresses his defiance of the forces marching against him, then hears a cry of women and receives the news of his wife's death. . . . A messenger reports that Birnam woods is coming to Dunsinane; Macbeth goes out to meet his fate.
The English and Scottish forces, led by Malcolm, begin their attack upon Dunsinane.
Macbeth fights Young Siward and kills him. . . . Macduff seeks Macbeth. . . . Malcolm and Siward take possession of Dunsinane.
Macduff and Macbeth do battle. Macbeth boasts that he cannot be harmed by "one of woman born," but Macduff replies that he was "from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd." They fight on and Macduff kills Macbeth. . . . Malcolm, Siward and the rest enter. Siward receives the news of his son's heroic death. . . . Macduff enters with the head of Macbeth. Malcolm is hailed king of Scotland, whereupon he rewards his followers and invites all to see him crowned.
Macbeth's head ends up on a stick.
Main Themes
The overriding theme in the play is the idea of "Fair is foul, foul is fair." Meaning
that appearances can be deceiving. What appears to be good can be bad.
Manhood In different ways, the play repeatedly asks what it means to be a man.
Fair and foul. To the Weird Sisters what is ugly is beautiful, and what is beautiful is ugly:
"Fair is foul and foul is fair." Throughout the play, fair appearances hide foul realities.
Nature and the Unnatural.In Macbeth the word "nature" usually refers to human nature, and one might say that the whole play is about Macbeth's unnaturalness. He kills his king, his friend, and a woman and her children. In the end he is destroyed when nature itself appears to become unnatural: trees walk and Macbeth has to fight a man not of woman born.
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LINES WORTH KNOWING |
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Macbeth's low key and bitter reaction to receiving the news about his wife's death is
perhaps one of the greatest speeches in all of Shakespeare.
He accepts the news with a horrifying calm
She should have died hereafter.
There would have been a time for such a word.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle.
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Act 5, Scene 5 Lines 16-27
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