Download Macbeth

Macbeth
By William Shakespeare
Act I
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Duncan—King of Scotland
Malcom—Son of Duncan; prince of Cumberland
Donalbain—Son of Duncan (quiet so far)
Banquo—Macbeth’s best friend/with him during
the prophecies.
• Thane of Cawdor—Dead (treason). Title given
to
• Macbeth—Thane of Glamis AND___Cawdor_
Predictions
1. Macbeth will be king
2. Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor
3. Banquo will father kings
4.Banquo will not be a king
5.Banquo will be not as great as Macbeth but
greater still; not as happy as Macbeth but
happier.
The plan…
• Lady Macbeth: She’s violent, fueling the fire,
pushing Macbeth forward, murderous,
psychopath, greedily ambitious, masculine.
• Macbeth: pensive, indecisive, guilt, courageous in
battle, power-hungry.
• What’s in the way? Duncan. Malcom. Macbeth.
*Frame the servants---get them drunk, kill the king,
place the daggers (bloodied) in their hands so when
they wake up everyone thinks it was them (even the
servants). Mac and Lady Mac plan to grieve so
loudly that it couldn’t POSSIBLY have been them.
Act II
• Macbeth kills Duncan. Lady Macbeth would
have, except he looked like her father.
• Daggers are planted on the servants.
• Macduff arrives, goes to wake Duncan.
• Macbeth and Lady Mac pretend as though
they just woke up—SHOCK, SURPRISE!!
Act II Continued
• Servants are suspected—Macbeth in his
“rage” kills servants.
• No one questions Macbeth’s story—even
though it is full of holes.
• Malcolm and Donalbain leave—Malcolm to
England, Donalbain goes to Ireland. This
makes it look like they paid the servants to kill
Duncan.
• Lady Macbeth—crying, fainting, ill.
Act III
• Banquo becomes suspicious of Macbeth’s
intentions—or at least how he got to where
he is.
• Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and
Fleance.
• Banquo is killed on his way to Macbeth’s party,
Fleance escapes.
• Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet
Act III cont’d
• Lady Macbeth says he has been having these
illusions since he was a child… “afflicted”
• Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth (again) to “be a
man.”
• Banquet comes to an abrupt end. Does Macbeth
just need some sleep? (Recall the night creatures
he referred to earlier).
• Witches get chewed out by their boss for
meddling in the affairs of mortals—especially one
so weakened by his own greed.
Act III Cont’d
• Lennox talks to a Lord: Speculating Macbeth
and Macduff—rumor has it that Macduff has
gone to raise an army against Macbeth.
(Dramatic irony).
• Assumed Fleance, Malcolm, Donalbain all had
a role in their fathers’ deaths.
Act IV
• Macbeth visits the witches.
• They conjure: 3 apparitions
– Fear Macduff
– No man born of woman will harm Macbeth
– Do not fear until Birnham wood comes to
Dunsinane castle.
Act IV cont’d
• Macduff goes to England—Meets up with
Malcolm
• Ross tries to convince Lady Macduff of her
husband’s nobility. She argues that he’s a traitor.
• Macduff’s wife and children are murdered
(Macbeth orders this to happen just to be on the
safe side.)
• Malcolm tests Macduff’s loyalty by telling him he
is a worse evil than Macbeth (greedy, lecherous,
cruel, unable to be satisfied.) Macduff says,
“Well, then, we have no hope.” Thus proving his
loyalty to Malcolm.
Act IV
• Malcolm is none of those things (saintly).
• “Mother, they’ve killed me.”