...Macbeth Summary Act 1 The play takes place in Scotland. Duncan, the king of Scotland, is at war with the king of Norway. As the play opens, he learns of Macbeth's bravery in a victorious battle against Macdonald—a Scot who sided with the Norwegians. At the same time, news arrives concerning the arrest of the treacherous Thane of Cawdor. Duncan decides to give the title of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth. As Macbeth and Banquo return home from battle, they meet three witches. The witches predict that Macbeth will be thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland, and that Banquo will be the father of kings. After the witches disappear, Macbeth and Banquo meet two noblemenRoss and Angus, who announce Macbeth's new title as thane of Cawdor. Upon hearing this, Macbeth begins to contemplate the murder of Duncan in order to realize the witches' second prophecy. Macbeth and Banquo meet with Duncan, who announces that he is going to pay Macbeth a visit at his castle. Macbeth rides ahead to prepare his household. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth informing her of the witches' prophesy and its subsequent realization. A servant appears to inform her of Duncan's approach. Energized by the news, Lady Macbeth invokes supernatural powers to strip her of feminine softness and thus prepare her for the murder of Duncan. When Macbeth arrives, Lady Macbeth tells him that she will plot Duncan's murder. When Duncan arrives at the castle, Lady Macbeth greets him alone. When Macbeth fails...
Words: 1025 - Pages: 5
...In the play “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth was faced with Misplaced Ambition. Shakespeare's character Macbeth was a brave and faithful soldier. King Duncan was very fond of Macbeth who admire his bravery and consider Macbeth and outstanding general. The prediction that was preordained by witches was that one day Macbeth would be King and the mistake of confiding to Lady Macbeth about his destiny drove her to become power hungry. This mistake lead to Macbeth killing his cousin and close friend King Duncan. Macbeth’s decision to kill the king drives him mad and eventually leads to his timely demise. William Shakespeare uses Irony and Satire to show how Misplaced Ambition can lead to the rise and fall of...
Words: 958 - Pages: 4
...What part does the supernatural play in Macbeth? The word supernatural is defined as ‘Not being able to be explained by the laws of nature’. The majority of us would link the word supernatural to ghosts and paranormal activities, which these days can be proved by using complex technology. However if we look back at Shakespeare’s era in around 1606 the majority of the people there completely believed in the supernatural. Their main belief was that witches existed and had great power to change what ever they wanted. It was believed so much in this time that even King James believed that these supernatural beings existed. Although nowadays it is completely the opposite, most of us believe that these supernatural beings are just mythological. The play Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare during the time that probably he himself and the rest of the population believed in the supernatural, it includes several supernatural events and the general atmosphere is a sinister one. The very first part of the play Macbeth includes three witches other wise described by Shakespeare as the weird sisters. These three witches plan to meet Macbeth upon a heath in the storm which is surrounding them. The effect of this automatically gives the reader the feeling that the play is a sinister one. The witches communicate to each other by speaking in riddles, such as “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. We learn two things from this first part of speech from the witches, firstly we can see that...
Words: 1804 - Pages: 8
...An Ill-fated time has befallen upon Scotland with the murder of our beloved King Duncan last night in Cawdor castle, home of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. All evidence as to who murdered the king leads to his groomsmen. They were found covered in blood and hiding their bloodstained daggers. Not only has our dear king passed on, but his sons have fled, leaving no descendant of the kings to be crowned, so the noble Macbeth has now been chosen to take the throne. King Duncan’s lifeless body was discovered by MacDuff in the early hours of yesterday morning. He had been stabbed repeatedly in his sleep. This gory scene caused Lady Macbeth to faint at the gruesome sight when entering King Duncan's chambers. The king was due to leave the Macbeths’ castle in Inverness that...
Words: 473 - Pages: 2
...greatest works of dramatic irony is in the play Macbeth. Throughout Macbeth, the audience is given the advantage of knowing more than the characters due to Shakespeare’s technique of dramatic irony. Shakespeare has given the reader some key examples of dramatic irony throughout the first act. The most notable one is where the second witch says, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”(Macbeth, 1.3.50). This is ironic because Macbeth does not know that Duncan has named him Thane of Cawdor. The witches have given Macbeth his prophecy and he does not know whether he should listen to them, or to ignore them. Later in this act, he hears the news of becoming Thane of Cawdor and he slowly begins to trust the witches. This will lead Macbeth into doing villainous acts to make his prophecy come true. Most importantly, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony helps show the beginning of Macbeth’s downfall as he does whatever it takes to become king....
Words: 531 - Pages: 3
...confront Macbeth. We hear about Macbeth before we meet him. It is reported that he kills the traitorous Macdonwald by cutting him open from his belly button to his throat, because he betrayed Scotland. The king hears of Macbeth’s victory and decides to give him the title of thane of Cawdor. - Scene 3 + 4 The witches meet Macbeth and Banquo on a heath and give them a prediction of the future. They predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Glamis (his current title at the time of meeting with the witches), Thane of Cawdor, and eventually King. For Banquo, the witches say he will be lesser and greater than Macbeth, not as fortunate, but happier, and his sons will be king. Macbeth inquires more, but the witches dismiss him. Macbeth can’t believe that it comes true when he becomes Thane of Cawdor, and wants to become King but Malcolm, the prince of Cumberland, stands in his way. - Scene 5, 6 + 7 Macbeth sends a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, and after she reads it, she fears that his nature “is too full of the milk of human kindness.” She believes that Macbeth will not take the actions necessary to become King without her help. She plans on killing Duncan that very night and tells Macbeth to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it”. When Macbeth becomes reluctant, Lady Macbeth persuades him by questioning his manhood, saying that she would go to extents such as bashing her own child’s brains out if it meant Macbeth would become king. She tells Macbeth that he...
Words: 1226 - Pages: 5
...Shakespeare employs this theme during his widely recognised play, Macbeth. Shakespeare marks the regressive journey of a bold and courageous soldier, Macbeth, as he deteriorates enormously in his murder-filled quest of becoming the King of Scotland. Although Macbeth accomplishes his ambition, fate soon catches up with him in his death. It is apparent that the theme of appearance versus reality is prominent in the play Macbeth by means of the three Witches, Lady Macbeth,...
Words: 1434 - Pages: 6
...One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death ("foul"). Furthermore, Lady Macbeth's orchestration of the murder exemplifies the twisted atmosphere in Inverness. Both a woman and a host, she should be the model of grace and femininity. She is described, however, as a "fiendlike queen" (Act...
Words: 991 - Pages: 4
...which. Shakespeare didn’t write “heroes” and “villains.” He wrote real people with real flaws, who were all equally capable of committing good and evil. One of the most important themes in Macbeth involves the witches' statement in Act 1, Scene1 that "fair is foul and foul is fair." (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 10) This phrase aptly describes the macabre status quo within the character Macbeth and without. When Macbeth and Banquo first see the weird sisters, Banquo is horrified by their hideous appearances. Conversely, Macbeth immediately began to converse with these universally known evil creatures. After hearing their prophecies, one can say that Macbeth considered the witches to be "fair" when in reality their intentions were quite "foul." Macbeth's possession of the titles of Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland came by foul means. Macbeth became the Thane of Glamis by his father Sinel's death; he became Thane of Cawdor when the former namesake was executed for treason; and he was ordained King of Scotland after murdering the venerable Duncan. Thus, Macbeth has a rather ghastly way of advancing in life. This theme is further verified by King Duncan's statement "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face." (Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-12) Although Macbeth has the semblance of the amicable and dutiful host, ("fair") he is secretly plotting Duncan's death...
Words: 1701 - Pages: 7
...Mental Decaying of Macbeth Throughout the play it was clear that Macbeth was going insane. He went from a brave soldier to an insane king that couldn’t accept his faults. Macbeth was looked up to and he was proud of being Duncan’s kinsman. Macbeth then became sceptical about the witches prophecy about him becoming king. Macbeth was consumed by greed that subsequently. Macbeth’s deterioration throughout the play was prideful, curious, and greedy. “Brave Macbeth, laughing at Luck, chopped his way through to Macdonwald, who didn’t even have time to say good-bye or shake hands before Macbeth split him open from his navel to his jawbone and stuck his head on our castle walls.” (1:2 Lines 16-23) Everyone looked up to Macbeth, and saw him as the savior of Scotland. He showed no fear and weakness in the eyes of his enemies, he was therefore a powerful man. But, he wasn’t as pure as the men thought he was. “You should look like an innocent flower, but be like the snake that hides underneath the flower.” (1:5 Lines 56-58) His wife told him to be a man that look innocent, but be the most evil person underneath the sheep’s clothing, and that was foreshadowing Macbeth’s fate....
Words: 667 - Pages: 3
...The witches in Macbeth reveal human weakness, heighten the tension, and foreshadow things to come, but they do not control Macbeth or anyone else in the play. The only power they have is their ability to reinforce an idea and to cause temptation that was already in his head. Hectate suggests that they do not have the power to make him do the evil and mischief that they desire him to do, nor do they need that power. Macbeth is fully capable of doing all the mischief and evil on his own without the witches. The witches control Macbeth by physical and/or emotional force. Fear and threats, rewards and praise work to control others. These ideas work to different degrees on different people. So much of what is called control depends on the person that is being controlled. For example, Macbeth was easy to control because he thought that the witches had foretold the future but in reality, they brought an idea to the attention of Macbeth. The promise of a throne may send some people to their knees while others will take to their heels. When the witches hold out their promises to Macbeth the only reason they can manipulate him is because they have a knowledge of his ambition and his need for power. In the end this was all they needed to know and to be sure of. They may try to manipulate, but they do not need to control. The character flaws that Macbeth has, will be enough to fill their needs. It is interesting to note that the witches do not ask for anything in return for their prophecies...
Words: 805 - Pages: 4
...Shawn M. Henry Mrs. Berger The play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare takes place mainly in Scotland, this is the place in which the late King Duncan ruled and he was killed by his former general Macbeth, over power to rise as king of Scotland. Macbeth however was never intending to kill the king, it all started when Macbeth and his good friend Banquo meet three strange women who they later found out to be witches, they told Macbeth of a prophesy that he will be given the title of Thane of Cawdor and soon after be crowned king of Scotland, and as for Banquo his children will become kings. Even though the two wish to hear more the three witches disappear and as predicted King Duncan proclaimed Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth hears the news of her husband becoming the Thane of Cawdor, when Macbeth reaches home he tells his wife of the prophesy of the three witches and this enables the wife to produce a plan in order to kill the king in their own home and make it look as if they were the witnesses to the crime rather than the doers of the crime by framing the kings guards and claiming it on the fact that they had too much to drink making Macbeth the King of Scotland and making Lady Macbeth Queen of Scotland. This however introduces the themes of the play which is corrupting power and destiny/ prophesies. Lady Macbeth elaborates on corrupting power when she speaks to the doctor “I still have the smell of blood on my hand. All the perfumes of Arabia couldn’t make my little hand...
Words: 1441 - Pages: 6
...Macbeth Analytical written response ‘Macbeth achieves the power he has longed for, but it comes at a terrible price’ What does the play have to say about this? ------------------------------------- Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a character study of a man who, through his own relentless quest for power and the influence of others, loses everything he loves and eventually, his own life. After Macbeth’s success in battle against the King of Norway, glowing reports of his bravery are given to King Duncan, who prepares to promote ‘noble Macbeth’ to Thane of Cawdor. Before Macbeth hears of the king’s decision, he and his fellow general, Banquo, are told by a group of witches that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and “King thereafter”. They also predict that some of Banquo’s offspring will be kings. Both men wonder if they should take these “imperfect speakers” seriously, but their doubts are swept away when Macbeth is declared Thane of Cawdor. Remembering the second part of the prophecy, thoughts of murder enter Macbeth’s mind. There are two factors that cause Macbeth’s thoughts to develop into a plot. He reasons that if part of the witches’ prediction has come true, there is a chance that the rest of it will too. When he confides in his wife who is described as being “top-full of direst cruelty” Macbeth, who she likens to “an innocent flower”, falls under her evil influence and together they hatch...
Words: 673 - Pages: 3
...leads to a choice that is morally wrong, followed by betrayal of other people in order to advance their own greed or power. Throughout the play of Macbeth three themes are present. Ambition, betrayal, and retribution are evident in the play in numerous different scenarios. Ambition is the source of most, if not all of the problems in this play. It all started with the witches prophecies “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Glamis/All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee thane of Cawdor/” (at this point Macbeth does not know he is the Thane of Cawdor, so when it happens he believes firmly in the witches prophecies). “All hail Macbeth! Shalt be king hereafter (Act 1:3:49-53)”. Macbeth is fascinated to a point where becoming king becomes an obsession for him. Furthermore, this ambition leads him to not only think about being king, but how to eliminate Duncan in order for him to become king. “If it were done, when ‘tis...
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...Macbeth was another soldier who fought the enemy until the execution of the Thane of Cawdor. After being named the new Thane of Cawdor, he let Lady Macbeth know about King Duncan’s visit to their castle. From here and on, in the drama, The Tragedy of Macbeth, there are lots of deaths, prophecies told, secrets hidden, and decisions that are life-threatening that were caused by one person. Macbeth holds the most power in influencing the actions of others because he got to influence three murderers to kill Banquo. Macbeth influenced three murderers to assassinate Banquo and his children so his children wouldn’t become king. Macbeth tells the murderers,” That it was he, in the times past, which held you So under fortune, which you had thought had been Our innocent self… Who wrought with them, an all things else that might...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
