Macbeth Summary – William Shakespeare

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1606. This Macbeth Summary explores the story of a Scottish general whose ambition, driven by supernatural prophecies and his wife’s influence, leads him to murder, tyranny, and eventual destruction.

Macbeth Main Characters analysis

• Macbeth – A Scottish general and the central character of the tragedy. Initially praised for his bravery, he becomes obsessed with the witches’ prophecies and murders King Duncan to seize the throne. His ambition eventually turns him into a ruthless tyrant.

• Lady Macbeth – Macbeth’s wife, who encourages him to murder King Duncan and take the crown. Although initially determined and ruthless, she is later tormented by guilt and eventually dies by suicide.

• King Duncan – The King of Scotland, who rewards Macbeth for his bravery. He is murdered by Macbeth while staying at his castle in Inverness.

• Banquo – A Scottish general and Macbeth’s companion. The witches predict that his descendants will become kings. Macbeth eventually arranges his murder because he fears the prophecy.

• Macduff – The Thane of Fife, who suspects Macbeth of murdering Duncan and eventually leads the fight against him. He was delivered by a Caesarean birth, making him the exception to the witches’ prophecy about those born of women.

• Malcolm – Duncan’s eldest son, who flees to England after his father’s murder. He later returns with an army to overthrow Macbeth and becomes King of Scotland.

• Donalbain – Duncan’s younger son, who escapes to Ireland after his father’s murder.

• Fleance – Banquo’s younger son, who escapes when his father is attacked by Macbeth’s hired murderers.

• The Three Witches – Supernatural figures who predict Macbeth’s rise to power and the future of Banquo’s descendants. Their prophecies influence Macbeth’s decisions and contribute to his downfall.

• Ross – A Scottish nobleman who informs Macbeth that he has been given the title of Thane of Cawdor.

• Lennox – A Scottish nobleman who appears at the royal court and witnesses the political changes surrounding Macbeth’s rise to power.

• Siward – An English military commander who joins Malcolm and Macduff in the campaign against Macbeth.

Macbeth Summary

The tragedy opens with a dramatic scene of thunder and lightning. Three witches decide where they will meet Macbeth. In the following scene, a wounded soldier reports to King Duncan of Scotland that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated the combined Irish and Norwegian forces led by the rebel Macdonwald. Macbeth is praised for his courage and bravery.

Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches, who deliver their prophecies. The first hails Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, a noble title he has inherited. The second calls him Thane of Cawdor, and the third predicts that he will become king. The witches also make a prophecy about Banquo: although he will never be king himself, he will become the ancestor of a royal dynasty.

The witches mysteriously disappear, and Ross, a messenger from the king, arrives to announce that Macbeth has been given the title of Thane of Cawdor. The previous holder of the title has been sentenced to death for treason. The first prophecy has therefore come true.

Macbeth begins to believe that he may indeed become king. He writes to his wife about the witches’ predictions. When King Duncan arrives at their home in Inverness, Lady Macbeth decides that he must be murdered to secure the throne for her husband. Macbeth has doubts about the plan, but his wife manages to persuade him. She arranges the murder and places the bloodstained dagger beside the sleeping servants to make them appear responsible.

The following morning, Lennox and Macduff, the Thane of Fife, arrive at the castle. Macbeth leads them to the king, but Macduff discovers Duncan’s dead body. Pretending to be overcome with anger, Macbeth kills the servants before they have a chance to defend themselves. However, Macduff suspects Macbeth almost immediately, although he does not reveal his suspicions openly.

Fearing for their lives, Duncan’s sons flee the country. Malcolm escapes to England, while Donalbain goes to Ireland. Their sudden departure casts suspicion on them, allowing Macbeth to take the throne of Scotland.

Despite his success, Macbeth cannot stop thinking about the third prophecy concerning Banquo. He invites Banquo to a royal banquet, but learns that Banquo has already planned an evening horseback ride with his younger son, Fleance. Macbeth therefore hires murderers to kill them both. Banquo is murdered, but his son manages to escape.

During the banquet, the ghost of Banquo suddenly appears and takes a seat on the throne. Only Macbeth can see the ghost. The guests are horrified because they watch Macbeth shouting at an apparently empty chair. His strange behavior causes alarm, and he eventually decides to seek the witches’ advice again.

The witches summon three apparitions, each delivering a warning or prophecy:

• Macbeth must beware of Macduff.

• No man born of a woman will ever defeat Macbeth.

• Macbeth will remain safe until Birnam Wood marches against Dunsinane Hill.

Meanwhile, Macduff has gone into exile in England, where he plans to join forces with Malcolm and wage war against Macbeth. In response, Macbeth orders the murder of everyone in Macduff’s castle, including his wife and three sons.

Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, is tormented by guilt. She begins walking in her sleep, repeatedly trying to wash imaginary blood from her hands and speaking about horrifying events.

At the same time, Malcolm and Macduff assemble an army to invade Scotland and overthrow Macbeth, whom they regard as a tyrant. Many Scottish nobles, known as thanes, abandon Macbeth and join the opposition.

Malcolm, Macduff, and Siward lead their forces toward Dunsinane Castle. To conceal their numbers as they approach, the soldiers cut branches from the trees in Birnam Wood and carry them as camouflage. A servant reports to Macbeth that the forest appears to be moving toward the castle. The second prophecy has come true.

Macbeth delivers his famous soliloquy, “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,” after learning that his wife has died by suicide.

During the battle, Siward is captured, and Macduff finally confronts Macbeth. Macbeth declares that he has nothing to fear from Macduff because no man born of a woman can kill him. Macduff replies that he was cut from his mother’s womb before birth. Macbeth finally understands the meaning of the witches’ last prophecy, but it is too late.

The battle ends with Macduff beheading Macbeth.

In the final scene, Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland. The witches’ prophecy concerning Banquo is also considered fulfilled because the real King James I of England, who belonged to the Scottish House of Stuart, was supposedly a descendant of Banquo.

Shakespeare makes a direct reference to this idea when Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost accompanied by a procession of his royal descendants. The eighth king holds a mirror reflecting even more kings, described as rulers with three scepters and three kingdoms. This is an allusion to James I, the eighth Stuart king, under whose reign the Scottish monarchs also began ruling England and Ireland.

Macbeth Summary scene by scene

Macbeth Act I Summary

1. Amid lightning and thunder, three witches agree to meet again after the battle has ended. They plan to encounter Macbeth before the evening star appears.

2. A blood-covered sergeant arrives at the camp near Forres, the residence of Duncan, King of Scotland. He brings good news: the king’s cousin and one of his experienced commanders, the brave Macbeth, has defeated the enemy. He cut their leader, Macdonwald, in half and placed his head on a pole above the tower.

However, the joy over Macbeth’s brilliant victory does not last long. The King of Norway, formerly Duncan’s ally but now a treacherous enemy, seizes the opportunity and advances his numerous troops against the Scots.

Macbeth and another commander, Banquo, respond with a double attack and defeat the enemy.

The sergeant, exhausted from blood loss, is taken to a physician. A nobleman named Ross appears before the king and reports that the Norwegians have surrendered. King Sweno begs for a truce and offers ten thousand dollars. Impressed by Macbeth’s courage, Duncan rewards him with the title of Thane of Cawdor.

3. The three witches appear on a heath. Each boasts to the others about her various evil deeds. Hearing the sound of a drum, they circle three times and cast a spell upon Macbeth.

On their way to Forres, Banquo and Macbeth encounter these withered and wild-looking creatures. The witches greet the commanders and prophesy that Macbeth will one day be crowned king. Banquo also wants to know what the future holds for him. The witches answer that he will not be a king himself, but kings will be born from him. The friends are astonished by these predictions.

The royal messengers, Angus and Ross, ride toward the commanders to announce the king’s rewards for their victories. The witches’ prophecies begin to come true: Macbeth learns that he has been granted new titles. In his dreams, he already sees himself as king, but Banquo warns his friend against entertaining such thoughts.

4. At the palace in Forres, the king thanks Macbeth for his bravery. Macbeth modestly replies that he has merely fulfilled his duty as a subject.

Duncan announces to those present that he is making his son Malcolm Prince of Cumberland and officially appointing him as his successor. Macbeth realizes that Malcolm now stands in the way of his dream of gaining the throne.

5. At Inverness, in Macbeth’s castle, his wife receives a letter and learns about the witches’ predictions. Realizing that her husband could become king and she could become queen, Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to fill her with wickedness.

Macbeth arrives at the castle, and the king is expected to follow shortly afterward. The brave commander’s wife asks him to leave everything to her and advises him to appear innocent when speaking with Duncan.

6. Lady Macbeth warmly welcomes the King of Scotland and his entourage. Duncan asks to be taken to Macbeth as soon as possible.

7. Macbeth arranges a lavish banquet in his castle in honor of his important guests. His wife regrets that she cannot commit the crime and fulfill the prophecy with a single blow. She assures her husband that their plan will succeed. All they need to do is get Duncan and his attendants drunk and place all the blame on the servants.

Macbeth Act II Summary

1. After the banquet, Banquo and his son Fleance go to bed. When Banquo meets Macbeth in the castle corridor, he gives him a diamond, a gift from the king.

After Banquo and Fleance leave, a bloody dagger appears before Macbeth’s eyes like an apparition.

2. Having made all the guests drunk, Lady Macbeth waits outside the hall for her husband, who is supposed to commit the crime and murder Duncan. Soon Macbeth emerges, overwhelmed by what he has just done.

Lady Macbeth demands that her husband return to the hall immediately and place the bloodstained daggers beside the sleeping servants, but he refuses. The determined woman then takes the weapons of the crime herself, places them beside the innocent men, and smears them with blood.

A knock is heard at the south gate. The couple hurry to their bedroom to wash the blood from their hands and make themselves look as though they have only just awakened.

3. The gatekeeper admits the king’s noblemen, Lennox and Macduff, into the castle. Lennox tells the castle’s owner about the terrible storm that raged throughout the night. Meanwhile, Macduff goes to wake the king. Soon he rushes out with horrifying news: the king has been murdered!

Macbeth and his wife convincingly pretend to be astonished and horrified. Pretending to hate the king’s murderers, Macbeth kills the servants beside whom the bloody daggers were found. In reality, he is simply eliminating unnecessary witnesses.

Duncan’s sons, Donalbain and Malcolm, distrust everyone present. To protect themselves, the brothers decide to separate: Malcolm travels to England, while Donalbain flees to Ireland.

4. Ross discusses the events of the previous night with a seventy-year-old man. When he sees Macduff, he asks who murdered the king. Macduff replies that the crime was committed by the servants whom Macbeth killed. The servants were probably bribed by Malcolm and Donalbain, who quickly fled the castle.

No one doubts that Macbeth will now become king. He sets out for Scone to receive the crown.

Macbeth Act III Summary

1. Banquo suspects that Macbeth has become king through dishonest means. The only thing that reassures him is the witches’ prophecy that he himself will become the father of many kings.

Macbeth tells Banquo rumors about the bloody plots of the princes, who are stirring up the people. Macbeth feels a deep fear of Banquo, so he hires two murderers to eliminate his main rivals in the struggle for the throne: Banquo and his son Fleance.

2. Seeing her husband looking troubled, Lady Macbeth tries to cheer him up. After all, what is the point of victory if it brings no happiness? The commander hints that another crime will soon be committed.

3. A third criminal joins the two murderers who have been assigned to kill Banquo and his son. He admits that Macbeth has sent him as well. They succeed in killing Banquo, but he manages to warn Fleance of the danger in time, and the boy escapes from the assassins.

4. Lady Macbeth welcomes the guests at a banquet held in honor of the new king. Meanwhile, the murderers inform Macbeth that they have completed their task: Banquo is dead, but his son Fleance has managed to escape.

Suddenly, the bloody ghost of Banquo appears before Macbeth, and he begins speaking to it, frightening his guests. Lady Macbeth tries to explain her husband’s strange behavior by claiming that he has suffered from such attacks since childhood.

The ghost disappears and reappears, and Macbeth’s behavior ruins the banquet. The guests leave. Macbeth notices that Macduff was not among those attending the feast.

5. On the heath, Hecate, the ruler of the dark forces, scolds the three witches for daring to involve Macbeth secretly in the mysteries of death. The king commits evil for his own selfish interests and will not willingly become a servant of darkness. Hecate decides to correct her servants’ mistake and prepare a terrible fate for Macbeth.

6. A lord and Lennox have no doubt that Macbeth is responsible for the deaths of Duncan and Banquo. The lord explains that Malcolm has taken refuge at the court of King Edward of England. Soon, the loyal Macduff joins him there.

Macbeth Act IV Summary

1. A storm rages outside, and thunder can be heard. Inside a cave, the three witches prepare a potion in a cauldron, throwing various ingredients into it: the eye of a copperhead, the tail of a snake, a lizard’s fur, a dog’s tooth, and a frog’s foot. Hecate thanks the witches for their efforts and advises them to finish their preparations quickly: Macbeth is approaching the cave.

The king wants answers to his questions. The witches begin their sorcery, and soon an apparition wearing a helmet appears before Macbeth. It advises the king to beware of Macduff.

A second apparition, in the form of a bloody child, assures Macbeth that he can shed blood without fear and disregard all laws because he is invulnerable to anyone born of a woman.

The third apparition, a child wearing a crown and holding a branch, predicts great success for Macbeth, but only until Birnam Wood sends its trees marching toward Dunsinane Hill.

Macbeth asks the witches whether Banquo’s descendants will ever sit on the throne of Scotland. However, they give the king no definite answer.

2. At Macduff’s castle, the nobleman’s wife grieves over her husband’s absence. He has left her and their children behind. Macduff’s young son asks his mother whether his father was a traitor and what punishment a traitor to the king deserves.

Suddenly, a messenger appears at the castle and urges the lady and her children to flee immediately. Shortly afterward, murderers enter the hall. One of them stabs the boy. Lady Macduff tries to escape from her pursuers.

3. At the English king’s palace, Malcolm suggests that Macduff mourn his father, but Macduff wants only one thing: to draw his sword and defend his homeland.

However, a battle for the throne is not part of the rightful heir’s plans, because Malcolm considers himself unworthy of taking his father’s place.

Malcolm lists all his supposed shortcomings to Macduff, and the honest nobleman cannot accept them. Malcolm then admits that he deliberately portrayed himself in a bad light to test his servant’s loyalty. He is ready to return to Scotland and fight for the throne.

Ross arrives in England and tells them how the tyrant’s forces are gathering: Macbeth is preparing for war. He brings Macduff devastating news: his wife, children, and all his servants have been brutally murdered.

Macbeth Act V Summary

1. At Dunsinane, a gentlewoman tells the physician that Lady Macbeth has been suffering from sleepwalking. With her eyes open but unable to see, the woman repeatedly rubs her hands as though trying to wash something away.

Hearing Lady Macbeth muttering, the physician takes a pen to record everything she says. In this way, the physician and the gentlewoman discover Lady Macbeth’s terrible secret.

2. Scottish nobles discuss the approaching English army, led by Macduff, Malcolm, and Siward, as it advances toward Birnam Wood. Some of the nobles consider Macbeth insane, while others regard him as a brave man.

3. After learning that his soldiers are deserting, Macbeth becomes furious. However, this does not weaken his confidence in his own strength: the king still believes in the prophecy.

A frightened servant enters and reports that ten thousand armed English soldiers are stationed beneath Dunsinane. Macbeth realizes that the coming battle will either raise him up or destroy him. He orders the physician to cure his sick wife as quickly as possible, but the doctor assures him that medicine is powerless in her case.

4. The British army is near Birnam Wood. Malcolm orders the soldiers to cut branches and use them as camouflage to confuse the scouts and prevent them from discovering the army’s exact size.

5. Macbeth is not troubled by the siege of his castle. Hearing a woman’s cry, he orders someone to find out what has happened. A servant brings him the sad news: his wife is dead. Macbeth considers her death badly timed.

A messenger arrives before the king and reports that the forest is moving toward the castle.

6. In front of the castle, the English soldiers throw away their branches and advance into open battle against Macbeth’s army.

7. Macbeth compares himself to a bear tied to a stake but forced to fight. He battles the son of the commander Siward and kills him in the encounter. Meanwhile, Macduff searches for his terrible enemy Macbeth so that he can avenge the deaths of his family.

8. Seeing Macduff, Macbeth asks him to leave because he feels guilty for the deaths of his wife and children. Furious, Macduff attacks him, but the king only laughs and says that no man born of a woman can kill him.

Macduff then cruelly reveals that he was cut from his mother’s womb with a knife, and kills the king.

Macduff brings Macbeth’s head to Malcolm and praises the new king.