http://www.sparknotes.com/ Ch1 Summary In this 12-line opening scene of the play all we see are three witches standing outdoors in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm. Speaking in rhymes that sound like magical incantations, they agree to meet again "when the battle's lost and won" (line 4). This may refer to the currently raging battle between Scotland and Norway, from which Macbeth is about to return victorious, but the meaning of "lost and won" is purposely ambiguous (see commentary below). One of the witches remarks that she is about to meet with Macbeth shortly, "upon the heath" (7), which is the only practical function of this very brief scene. Before exiting the stage, all three witches sing in unison the words "fair is foul and foul is fair" (11), another example of a cryptic incantation-like statement. It is important for several reasons, which will soon become clear. Note: "Hurly-burly" means a great commotion. "Graymalkin" and "Paddok" are names of demons. Commentary Opening scenes are always important in Shakespeare's plays because they determine the "dramatic flavor" of all to come. They also rarely get as obvious as this one in their message. The nighttime thunderstorm, the mention of the heath and most of all, the presence of witches muttering magical incantations, are all meant to convey the unmistakably dark and mysterious nature of the play before us. The scene also serves to foreshadow the foul events that soon follow it. This "flavor" should be borne in mind for the next five acts. The literal darkness of the stage is also something to watch out for in the rest of the play. Critics have noted that almost every scene that the Macbeth couple appears in takes place either in darkness or in unnatural lighting, such as a candle or torch. This is true, of course, also for the witches' scenes. The metaphor of darkness is obvious, as is the dramatic effects of constant on-stage darkness on an audience. Most important in this opening scene is the theme of "equivocation"--saying both something and its opposite. This theme will haunt us for the remainder of the play, in many different ways. Look out especially for antonyms used in the same sentence (such as lost and won; fair and foul) and for the word "double," which appears in more than ten different contexts throughout the play. The special significance of "fair is foul" is of course related to the larger symbolism of Macbeth's actions, through which he temporarily turns Scotland into a place where everything good is bad and vice-versa. Notice Macbeth's use of this phrase in the beginning of Scene iii. Macbeth - Act I, Scenes ii and iii Summary In scene ii we are taken from the heath to King Duncan's court, consisting of his two sons and various noblemen and attendants. Suddenly a bleeding officer returns from the war that is raging with Norway with news of victory, due principally to bravery that he attributes to Macbeth. No sooner is this officer escorted out for medical attention do two more messengers enter, also with news from the battlefield. They report that a high Scottish officer, the Thane of Cawdor, traitorously assisted the enemy, but that the victory was theirs despite Cawdor's betrayal. Immediately King Duncan pronounces a death sentence on the traitor and gives his title, Thane of Cawdor, to the valiant Macbeth, who has yet to return and hear of his reward. Scene iii takes us back to the three witches of scene i, who are again outdoors and are babbling and bickering with each other in their usual rhymed-incantational manner. Suddenly, Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter the witches on the road on their way home from the battlefield. Banquo comments on the witches' frightful appearance, and on his uncertainty of their gender, for they are women by they appear to have beards (I.iii.45)! Macbeth demands of the women to identify themselves, and instead, they barrage him with greetings of "All hail!," calling him by his present title, as well as "Thane of Cawdor," and as "King hereafter" (I.iii.48-50). Macbeth, not having identified himself to them, is obviously dumbfounded that they knew him. And, as he has not yet heard of his promotion to Thane of Cawdor, that appellation is even more bewildering. Lastly, hailing him as king enraptures Macbeth, who is lost in his thoughts as Banquo questions the witches about their predictions for him. To Banquo the witches respond, in their usual ambiguity and equivocation, that he will be "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater./Not so happy yet much happier./Though shalt get kings though thou be none" (I.iii.65). Macbeth then loudly demands of the witches an explanation for their prophecy, but the witches simply vanish, as suddenly as they appeared. The men then question their own sanity at having seen so strange an apparition, but it seems that while Banquo is willing to dismiss it as silliness, Macbeth is quite enthralled by his prospects. Quickly following this mysterious dervish, Macbeth and Banquo are greeted by the king's messengers, who deliver news of Macbeth's new title as Thane of Cawdor. Shocked, Macbeth says to Banquo that this is proof of the truth in the witches' prophecy. To this Banquo responds that sometimes the force of darkness deceive us with half-truths, hinting dismay at Macbeth's gullibility and ambition (I.iii.125). Nevertheless, Macbeth's daydream continues, and he wonders whether he will have to commit murder to attain his promised stature. The scene ends with Macbeth whispering to Banquo that at a better opportunity, they must discuss things freely with each other, to which Banquo agrees. Commentary These scenes jumpstart the plot of the play, first implanting ambition in Macbeth's head. Scene I.ii demonstrates Macbeth's excellent reputation in Duncan's court, where he is readily recognized as a courageous general and addressed as "cousin" by the trusting King. Pay attention to Duncan as Shakespeare's model of an ideal ruler. He dispenses justice fairly, promptly punishing the traitor and duly rewarding Macbeth. Also, he is surrounded by his sons at court, a sign of his fertility. The next scene serves to introduce the complexities of Macbeth's character. We can see that he is easily enthralled by the prospects of greatness, but we also cannot blame him -- knowing what he does not, namely the at least the partial truth of the witches' words. We, like Macbeth, do not know what the witches' sources are, or where their sudden interest in Macbeth comes from. Knowing their dark nature, we can only guess that they do not have good intentions, something that Banquo seems to realize while Macbeth does not. At this point Macbeth is not all bad; while murder does enter his mind, he immediately dismisses it as a necessary action. In any case, mere musings are not yet a sign of evil. But Macbeth's equivocation is apparent from the outset -- his very first words in the play are, "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" (I.ii.38). These words, of course, remind us of the witches, and they link Macbeth with forces of evil before he ever meets the witches. Later, Macbeth's hopping back and forth between fully believing the prophecy and thinking about its distance from real possibility, further demonstrate his equivocation. Finally, pay attention to the imagery of clothing pervading scene iii ("borrowed robes, line 108 and "strange garments" 144), each time a metaphoric representation for social status. These images will continue throughout the play, representing the frequently false relationship between appearance and reality. Also, the imagery of clothing may serve as Shakespeare's political commentary on the prevalent prescription that people of different social class dress differently, and on the falseness of such constructed differences. Summary Scene iv finds Macbeth and Banquo back at Duncan's castle, where they are welcomed heartily by the court. Duncan expresses his heartfelt gratitude to his two generals, who (particularly Macbeth) respond with high praise for the king. Duncan then announces a decision he has made: to name his eldest son Malcolm heir to the throne, or Prince of Cumberland. Outwardly Macbeth replies with joy, but to himself he notes that this is one more obstacle in the way of his goal. He is careful, however, not to let his inner thoughts show, noting "Stars, hide your fires,/Let not light see my black desire" (I.iv.51). (Notice the darkness imagery here again.) Macbeth invites King Duncan to a banquet at his home that evening, apparently to celebrate the victory and his new title. Duncan heartily accepts his invitation, and Macbeth goes off to inform his wife, Lady Macbeth, so that she may prepare for the king's arrival. Scene v opens with Lady Macbeth having just received Macbeth's letter, which she reads aloud. The letter retells, step by step, the occurrences of his victory, the encounter with the witches ("the weird sisters," line 8) in which they predicted that he would become king, and the subsequent discovery of his new title as Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth adds that he did not wish to delay his wife's happiness, "by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee" (I.v.14). Lady Macbeth is elated by the news, confirming that her husband shall become king as promised, but expressing some concern. In her appraisal, Macbeth lacks the wickedness necessary for greatness, uttering the famous line, "Yet do I fear thy nature,/It is too full of the milk of human kindness" (I.v.17). Interrupting Lady Macbeth's thoughts about her husbands propensity to inaction is a messenger, who informs her of the king's forthcoming visit that evening. The messenger gone, Lady Macbeth speaks one of her most famous soliloquies, where she addresses the "spirits" inviting them to "unsex" her, to turn her into a heartless man, so that she may carry her cruel plans (see commentary). Soon Macbeth arrives, and his wife reveals to him her plot--to murder the king as he sleeps in their house that evening. In Scene vi, King Duncan, along with his sons, Banquo and Macduff, a nobleman, arrive at the Macbeth castle, commenting on its pleasant and welcoming air. The king thanks Lady Macbeth for her hospitality, and she answers most graciously, that she and her husband are forever in the king's service. Commentary Scene iv serves to reinforce Duncan's goodwill and trust of Macbeth, with his recognition of all that his generals have done for him. The scene also develops Macbeth's realization that attaining the kingship is something that will actually require positive action of him, calling the naming of an heir-apparent a "step" that he has to "overleap" (I.iv.48). This is the first time that Macbeth uses language describing physical action. Also, by thinking that he must not outwardly reveal what he intends to accomplish, Macbeth here commits his first act of conscious deception. In scene v we are introduced to Lady Macbeth, in all her guile. She delights in the news of the weird sisters, and immediately realized that their prophecy will not come true without at least some measure of wicked action on the Macbeths' part--action she says she is gladly willing to take. Significantly, Lady Macbeth reveals to us that she believes her husband to be too weak to carry out the necessary deceit--he's "too full of the milk of human kindness" (I.v.16). The image of milk is an important one here, since the source of human milk is a specifically maternal, feminine, person. Here, Lady Macbeth begins a campaign of emasculating her husband, subtly accusing him of not being a "real" man, something she continues to do throughout the play, with increasing assertiveness. Conversely, Lady Macbeth wishes herself a man in line 41, addressing the "spirits" and calling them to "unsex" her--i.e. change her gender, so that she may become filled "Of direst cruelty". Lady Macbeth's addressing of "spirits," along with her gender-reversal, reminds us of the witches (recall Banquo's comment on their dual gender in I.iii.45). Together with the witches, Lady Macbeth's ambition becomes Macbeth's driving force. Lady Macbeth nips things in the bud, stating clearly what up to now have been her husband's ambiguous thoughts. Speaking of King Duncan, she states outright, "O, never/Shall sun that morrow see!" (I.v.60), unabashedly ordering Macbeth to murder him in their own house. The next scene, in which Duncan arrives and cordially comments on the excellent hospitality of his hosts, serves to contrast with the Macbeths' true nature as hosts. Critics have pointed to Macbeth as a play that is filled with breaches of hospitality, an important social practice in Shakespeare's England, which had elaborate rules and conventions. The Macbeths' egregious breach of hospitality--nothing less than murdering their guest--ranks among their most heinous moral crimes. Note the discussion of hospitality in Macbeth's important soliloquy in the following scene (lines I.vii.12-16). Macbeth - Act I, Scene vii Summary Macbeth opens this scene with a long monologue, stating a long list of reasons for not killing Duncan. He is his ruler and his kinsman. He is his guest. He is a virtuous king. This list of reasons slowly convince Macbeth, and he informs Lady Macbeth of his decision to "proceed no further in this business" (I.vii.32). Lady Macbeth promptly and very sharply chastises him, calling him a coward, not a man. She accuses him of going back on his sworn word to her, and with very violent language declares that she would dash out the brains of her own baby, had she promised to, as Macbeth has promised to kill Duncan. Slowly giving in to his wife, Macbeth asks of her as a last resort, "If we should fail?" (I.vii.58), to which Lady Macbeth responds reassuringly that failure is impossible if Macbeth demonstrates courage. She then outlines her plan of making the guards to Duncan's chamber drunk, and killing Duncan with their daggers. Placing the blame on them in the morning when the king is discovered murdered, she and Macbeth will act shocked and grieved. Macbeth ends the act with assent to this plan, stating gravely, "False face must hide what the false heart doth know" (I.vii.82). Commentary This scene demonstrates pointedly Macbeth's occasional pangs of conscience and Lady Macbeth's conniving rhetoric, which forces her husband to do as she wishes by humiliating him. While it is not clear whether Macbeth's sense of morality makes him want to go back on the plan or just cold feet, Lady Macbeth uses every possible rhetorical tactic to force him into a corner. Knowing his equivocal nature well, she uses it against him by first reminding him of the desire and ambition he held just moments ago. Then she calls him a coward, comparing him to a poor cat in a folk saying. She continues by attacking his masculinity, in a much more direct manner than the previous scene. She basically says that only if he dares "do it" will he be a man (I.vii.49), implying that currently he is not. This attack on masculinity continues when she contrasts him with herself, who in the most feminine of moments--a mother breastfeeding her newborn--would smash her baby's brains out if they had so agreed. Macbeth's resignation to his wife is important to note at the end of this act, as it functions as his final break with his previously still-innocent character into the murderous figure we will get to know well in the next acts. Summary Act II begins with Banquo and his young son Fleance entering the inner court of Macbeth's castle. Both comment that the castle is unusually dark that evening, with no moon in the sky and no candles burning to light the castle. Banquo wittily attributes the snuffed fires to Macbeth's thriftiness. Just as Banquo seems to begin unloading some "cursed thoughts" which are preventing him from sleeping, Macbeth enters and surprises them. He greets them in a friendly manner, and Banquo asks him rhetorically why he is still up at so late an hour. Banquo then recounts the king's unusual satisfaction and pleasure as he went to bed, congratulating Macbeth on the beautiful diamond the king gave Lady Macbeth as a gift. Banquo then suddenly changes the subject, telling Macbeth that he had dreamed the previous night of the weird sisters they had encountered the day before. Macbeth lies to Banquo, saying that he hasn't been thinking of them, but that he would still like to discuss the matter at an opportune time. Banquo responds that he would gladly discuss it, but warns quite directly that he will only listen so long as his conscience is free from guilt and his allegiance clear. He then bids Macbeth good-night and exits the stage. Alone, Macbeth delivers his famous "dagger" soliloquy: he sees a vision of a dagger, an illusion of bloody steel that seems to be leading him somewhere, inviting him. In this monologue, Macbeth mostly discusses the relationship of his senses, especially sight and touch, to the crime he is about to commit. Commenting that he must act soon, and stealthily, he hears a bell--the prearranged signal with his wife that the guards are drunk and Duncan's chamber vulnerable to attack. Macbeth exits advising Duncan not to hear the bell, "That summons thee to heaven or to hell" Commentary The theme of darkness develops further in this scene--it is of both a natural and unnatural kind. It is nighttime, a time when darkness is natural, yet the natural light of darkness, that of the moon, is absent. Furthermore, Banquo's comment that the absence of the customary night candles in the castle is a peculiar trait of Macbeth further reinforces his affiliation with "dark" forces. Banquo is clearly concerned in this scene, which is apparent by his comment that he has been unable to sleep and his revelation to Macbeth that he has been troubled by strange dreams. There is also strong evidence that he suspects Macbeth is thinking up some foul-play, as he says pointedly that he does not wish to involve himself with any wrongdoings--a statement that would be out of place had it not been clear to him that Macbeth himself would involve himself with crime to achieve his goals. While Macbeth disregards this comment of Banquo's, certainly he notes it. This scene may therefore be regarded as the seed of paranoia that overcomes Macbeth about Banquo's knowledge of his crimes, a paranoia that grows later in the play, and provides the impetus for much of the plot development. The dagger soliloquy has provoked much critical discussion of Macbeth's psychiatric state of health. While it is clear that he does not actually hold a dagger, he really does talk about it as if it were there. Is this, like the scene with the witches, an effect of the occult, or -- this scene makes us wonder -- has he just been seeing things all along, including the witches? In either event, this scene makes it clear that Macbeth's actions are beginning to take their psychological toll on him. Macbeth - Act II, Scene ii Summary Just as Macbeth resolutely marches off to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth enters, informing us that the guards have been very thoroughly intoxicated by the wine she provided them, so that they are almost dead themselves. She also reports that she prepared the daggers that Macbeth will be using, adding that she would have committed the murder herself had the sight of Duncan not strongly reminded her of her own father. Macbeth then enters, his hands bloody -- "I have done the deed," he informs his wife (II.ii.13). He seems very shaken, however, and reports having heard things as he left Duncan's chamber -- the sound of his sons uttering their nightly prayers. He tells Lady Macbeth that he tried very hard to silently respond with the word "Amen" to their prayers, but very disturbingly found that he could not utter the word, as if it were lodged in his throat. Macbeth also fearfully retells that he heard an ominous voice declaring that "Macbeth shall sleep no more" over and over as he was returning from Duncan's room. Lady Macbeth is dismissive of this story, as she is of the other noises Macbeth constantly reports hearing. She chastises him not to think back to what he has done, and not to let his conscience get the better of him, warning that if so, "it will make us mad" (II.ii.31), and calling him "infirm of purpose," likening him to a child (II.ii.50). Horrified to find that her husband, in his confusion, returned with the daggers, she orders him to return and deposit them with the sleeping guards at Duncan's door. Macbeth refuses to go back there out of fear, and Lady Macbeth, disgusted by the "whiteness" of his heart, takes the daggers in her own hands and returns them herself. Meanwhile, as the dawn breaks, there is a loud knocking at the castle's front door. Almost losing her own composure, Lady Macbeth orders her husband to wash his bloody hands, to which he responds that an entire ocean could not clean him. As the couple quickly gets into bed before the unknown visitor discovers them, Macbeth mutters wryly that the loud knocks would wake the dead Duncan -- which he wishes would happen if it could. Commentary In this crucial scene we see the dynamic between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in full form. Lady Macbeth is domineering and humiliating, matching her own description of the qualities befitting a "real man." But we also see the weaker side of her -- when she pities Duncan due to memories of her father. This very slight episode of weakness foreshadows her eventual plummeting into a deep abyss of guilty feelings that result in mental illness. This mad future is foreshadowed by Lady Macbeth's warning in line 31. Macbeth's own mental illness develops continuously, as his reports of hallucinations extend from sights to sounds. He fears that he shall never sleep again -- insomnia being the well-know disease of those with a guilty conscience. Note, however, that Macbeth expresses his fear not by saying simply that he worries for his sleep, but by attributing it rather to some occult curse or prophecy, claiming he heard a voice predicting his trouble sleeping. This is in line with the dimension of Macbeth's personality that does not take account for himself, but takes orders from those around him -- particularly when they come in the form of occult phenomena. This is why the witches' prediction so captivates Macbeth, and why he lets his wife order him around. Macbeth consistently fails to form a personal vision of his destiny. A final point worth noting is Macbeth's reported inability to answer "Amen" to a solemn prayer to God. Shakespeare's post-medieval world still strictly adhered to the binary opposition between the divine and the occult, or to put it in more ecclesiastic terms, between Christ and Satan. The belief went that Satanic forces would not, or could not pay homage to Christ. Thus, Macbeth's inability to answer "Amen" reflects his debasement, sinking to the ranks of the witches and joining his wife there (recall her prayer to "spirits" in I.v.40). Macbeth - Act II, Scenes iii and iv Summary As the knocking continues loudly, the castle Porter crankily makes his way towards the front door, delivering a diatribe about his sorry occupation. Obviously a sharp-tongued old man, he calls himself the porter of Hell's gate. In wondering who it could be knocking, he swears in the name of Beelzebub and other demons. He also comments at length on the pervasiveness of "equivocation." This almost nonsensical speech, while comic in delivery, actually touches on many of the play's grand themes (see commentary). The unexpected visitor is Macduff, a Scottish nobleman. Macduff asks the porter whether the king has gotten up yet, informing him that he has been charged to wake the king up early. Macbeth then enters to see what is happening, pretending to have been awakened by the noise. As Macduff enters the king's chambers, a comrade of his recounts to Macbeth the horrible weather of the previous evening, describing how their fires were blown out by the wind, which was also howling like "strange screams of death" (II.iii.56). Immediately Macduff returns, howling with shock, "horror, horror, horror!" (II.iii.63), announcing the discovered murdered king. Macduff is, with good reason, greatly alarmed, and orders the castle bell to be rung, to wake up the remainder of the sleepers. Lady Macbeth duly enters the stage, demanding to know what the ruckus is all about. Immediately following her enters Banquo, and following Banquo the king's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain. Informed of the tragic discovery, all express their horror in turn, with Lady Macbeth exclaiming simply, "Woe, alas/What, in our house?" (II.iii.88). As the now large crowd loudly discusses what has happened, someone suggests that the murderous culprits were the guards, whose bodies and weapons were found bloody. Conceding with this hypothesis, Macbeth announces that he has already carried out due punishment to those guards, having just killed them. Asked by Macduff why he reacted so rashly, Macbeth declares that his great love for Duncan got the best of him: "Who can be...temperate?...my violent love/Outrun the pauser (more patient) reason" (II.iii.110). Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth pretends to faint and is carried out, while the men decide to hold an emergency conference in the adjoining room. Everyone goes except for Malcolm and Donalbain, the king's sons. The royal brothers seem less moved than one might expect by their father's untimely demise, shrewdly expressing far greater concern for their own safety. Instead of joining the meeting, they flee -- Malcolm to England and Donalbain to Ireland. They realize the high degree of foul play involved in Duncan's murder -- and that they are next. They depart with the famous words, "There's daggers in men's smiles; the near in blood/The nearer bloody" (II.iii.140), meaning that the more closely related a man is (and thus closer in line to the throne), the more they must fear his brutality. In scene iv an anonymous Old Man offers evidence of the unnaturalness of the latest events, citing such signs as a falcon being killed by an owl and reports of horses eating each other. The scene ends with Macduff's report that Duncan has been carted off to be buried and Macbeth to be crowned king of Scotland. He adds that the flight of Duncan's sons (who would otherwise have been next to the throne) makes them suspicious of having been involved in their father's murder. Commentary The most important thing about these scenes is that the introduce Macduff to the play, who will from here on act as Macbeth's foil character (note the similarity in their names, see study questions). He is represented here as an intelligent, allegiant and wise nobleman, all qualities that differentiate him from Macbeth. Critics have paid much attention to the presence of the "truth-speaker," a stock-character found in one manifestation or another, in all of Shakespeare's tragedies. The truth speaker is usually a simple person of lower social status than the rest of the cast, and who is clearly experienced in life, his wisdom evident from his speech. He is the only character in the play to speak simple, unadulterated truth, not having any interest in the outcome. In Macbeth, the truth-speaker is the Porter. While quite comic and almost incoherent, the Porter speaks life's simple wisdoms: the pros and cons of drinking, the prevalence of equivocation in human discourse. Perhaps most important in the Porter's monologue is his frank remark that the Macbeth castle is like Hell, and his free reference to Satan and demons ("Beelzebub" is another name for the devil), quite in line with the associations of his masters. Knowing for whom he works, he speaks about these subjects freely. Note the notion of hospitality comes up again in Lady Macbeth's feigned shocked response, which focuses on the tragedy as peculiar particularly because it occurred in their house. In terms of thematic development, these themes contribute to the problem of the relationship between the natural and unnatural. Almost all of the images and concerns fall patently in the category of the unnatural, or of nature somehow disrupted and furious. Such is the nature of the mercilessly harsh weather, the death-cry of the wind, the animals attacking each other in the Old Man's chatter and of Malcolm and Donalbain's musings that the closer the relative is, the more he is to be feared. Macbeth - Act III, Scenes i, ii, iii, and iv Summary These may rightfully be termed the "Banquo scenes," indeed the entire act revolves around the role of Banquo in the beginning of Macbeth's downfall. The act opens with Banquo alone on stage, thinking aloud that indeed, the weird sisters' predictions regarding Macbeth have all come true. He is quick to add however, that he believes Macbeth "playest most foully for it" (III.i.3). Banquo, the only other person in the position to understand the significance of the episode with the witches (because he was there with Macbeth), is deeply suspicious of Macbeth, but of course does not say so to him when King Macbeth enters with Queen Macbeth to invite him to a gala banquet that evening. Banquo rather responds very graciously, and leaves with a promise to return later for the feast. Macbeth, however, senses that Banquo knows everything, and decides that he must be killed, along with his son Fleance. This is not only because he fears discovery, but because of the witches' other prophecy -- that it will be Banquo's children who will inherit the throne. Exclaiming that it was not for Fleance that Macbeth worked so hard to attain kingship (III.ii.69), he believes that he can change the truth of the witches' prophecy if Fleance is eliminated. For this purpose Macbeth hires a group of professional murderers (perhaps akin to what we would call "the Mafia") to follow Banquo and Fleance and murder them both. In scene ii Lady Macbeth and Macbeth convene to discuss matters. The lady finds Macbeth very lost in his thoughts, and very distraught. He describes his mental state with: "terrible dreams...shake us nightly" (III.ii.18), "torture of the mind" (III.ii.21) and finally, "O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!" (III.ii.36). While his main concern appears to be Banquo, clearly Macbeth is not in overall good shape. While Lady Macbeth tries hard to get her husband to calm down, she herself is somewhat shaken too. Not telling her that he has arranged for the murder of Banquo and Fleance, Macbeth simply states that soon "there shall be done a deed of dreadful note" (III.ii.43). The Macbeths then depart to the banquet with the words, "Good things of day begin to droop and drowse/While night's black agents to their preys do rouse" (III.ii.52) Scene iii consists of the murder of Banquo, who is ambushed by the murderers. Fleance, however, manages to escape. The murderers return in scene iv to inform Macbeth of these facts, momentarily pulling him away from the banquet he so far appears to be enjoying with Lady Macbeth and all his lords and noblemen. Distressed to hear that Fleance has escaped, Macbeth nevertheless rejoins the banquet, but fails to appear cheery. When asked to sit at table, he notices that there is someone in his seat -- the ghost of Banquo! While nobody else can see anything, Macbeth goes into something of a fit, demanding to know what is happening. None of the lords present understand what he is talking about, and one suggests that they depart for the evening, as his Highness is not well. Lady Macbeth quickly beseeches them to stay, claiming that seeing things is a mild disease that Macbeth has suffered from since his youth, and that it quickly passes. Taking her to a corner, Macbeth explains what he is seeing, and his wife chides him, calling him a child, and "unmanned" (III.iv.72). While the quests and Lady Macbeth attempt to carry on with the party as if nothing has happened, Macbeth simply does not allow them to, apparently arguing loudly with the ghost. Finally all despair, wishing his Majesty better health. Alone, Macbeth shares with his wife what has now learned--"blood will have blood" (III.iv.121, see commentary). They both also angrily notice that Macduff (in addition to Banquo) was absent from the banquet. Highly perturbed by the day's events, Macbeth decides that the next day he will pay a visit to the weird sisters and get them to speak more, closing the scene with the ominous words, "We are but young in deed" (III.iv.143). Commentary This act is the beginning of what may be termed the denouement, also termed the "falling action" by some Shakespearean scholars. The most important elements in the Macbeths' eventual downfall become crystal clear-- a willingness to stop at nothing. In terms of plot, it is very important to notice the status of the witches' prophecy changing in this act. While earlier Macbeth regarded the prophecy as something beyond his control (recall his statement about "chance" in I.iv.143), he now begins to treat them as something he is able to manipulate. This happens when he first realizes that all the murders are for the sake of Banquo's offspring -- if, that is, the witches' predictions are taken at face value. Macbeth can now be said to be eating his cake and having it too, since he uses the prophecy both as a justification for his actions, and as something he can work against. No doubt, it there is a question being posed here by Shakespeare: is there anything inherent to all prophecy that makes it "self-fulfilling"? Doesn't it all just have to do with the moral worth of the particular individual, and not the greater, universal scheme he claims to be fulfilling? By realigning his relationship to the prophecy, Macbeth here departs from someone else's scheme and takes fuller responsibility for the consequences of his actions. Along the same lines, Macbeth takes initiative by hiring Banquo's murderers without informing his wife of this decision. Indeed, while up until now it was Lady Macbeth who called the shots and Macbeth who performed them, this time Macbeth does not even tell Lady Macbeth what he has done, rather calling it a surprise that will make her proud of him. Indeed -- because Macbeth seems to be slowly conforming himself to his wife's definition of manhood, and therefore as she begins to recede into the background, he takes his place as the primary antagonist. But what backfires against Macbeth is his stubborn guilty conscience, which brings on the apparitions (earlier of the dagger and the voices, now of Banquo's ghost). The state of the Macbeth couple's mental health is quickly deteriorating. It is for this reason that Macbeth goes back on his apparent independence from the witches and their prophecy and decides to go and visit them again the next day. His simultaneous dependence and independence from supernatural powers is yet another example of double-talking equivocation--something we will see more of in act IV. Macbeth - Act III, Scenes v and vi Summary Scene v does not advance the plot in any significant way but instead gives us a close look into the weird sisters' everyday life. In fact, it is thought to be a false addition by some scholars. In it, Hecate, the displeased chief witch, chastises her fellow sisters for doing business with Macbeth to begin with. Macbeth does not deserve the goodwill of the witches, she tells them, for he "Hath been a wayward son...Loves for his own ends, not for you" (III.v.11). It is not too late, however, for the witches to turn their magic against him. Hecate takes it upon herself to reverse Macbeth's fortune, and "draw him on to his confusion" (III.v.28). Scene vi moves us back to the royal court, where two lords are reviewing the strange slew of events in recent days. They discuss Duncan's death and the apparent guilt of his sons, Banquo's death and the apparent guilt of his son Fleance (because he fled) and Macbeth's grief over these events. They also recount Macbeth's heavy displeasure at Macduff, who skipped out on the royal banquet without permission. Mysteriously, Macduff has gone to England -- says one of the lords, to seek the help of the English King Edward to straighten things out. This behavior, we are told, King Macbeth has regarded as brazen and impertinent, and he is prepared to go to war against England. With a tone of hopeful apprehension, the lords pray that their beloved Scotland may see the peace they once knew again. Commentary In their respectively very different ways, both these scenes serve as the turning point of the play, the result of the "falling action" of the murder of Banquo and its aftermath. The witches are tired of Macbeth's self-serving ways, and the lords of Scotland are realizing that the ever since Macbeth has become involved with the country's political life, there have been nothing but painful and horrible sagas. Both the supernatural and the everyday natural have given up what hope they put in Macbeth's kingdom. A matter of formal interest in scene v is that it is spoken entirely in rhymed couplets--one of the few places in all of Shakespeare where a soliloquy is delivered thus. No doubt this unusual meter is reserved for a very unusual character, here representing the queen of the supernatural underworld. Macduff's sojourn in England is of particular real-life political importance for during King James I's reign in England. As mentioned in the background section of these notes, James was in political competition with was perceived as unruly and uncivilized Scotland. The implication that Macduff went to appeal to the English King Edward for help is a device to contrast peace-loving England with the wild Scotland. Also, it benevolently identifies King James with the legendary King Edward, who was much loved and even considered holy by historic myth of England. Apparently public relations was something even medieval politicians had to worry about. Finally, in terms of the play's plot development, scene vi is important because for the first time it introduces Macduff as Macbeth's opponent, a role he will hold for the remainder of the play. Macbeth - Act IV, Scene i Summary As decided in the previous act, Macbeth goes to see the weird sisters, to ask their further predictions and advice. The scene opens in the witches' cave before Macbeth arrives, allowing us another glimpse into their everyday life. They are standing around a boiling pot, throwing in ingredients befitting great magicians, such as toe of frog, tongue of dog, liver of Jew and nose of Turk. They are also chanting their magical incantations, especially the today-famous "Double double toil and trouble/Fire burn and cauldron bubble" (lines 10 and 20, note the "double" theme again, see commentary). Macbeth arrives at their cave demanding more information, and the witches greet him warmly. Wasting no time, they provide him with the information he seeks, directly from their "masters," in the form of visual apparitions (IV.i.60). There are four apparitions in all, each of which is important to the development of the rest of the play. The first apparition is of an "armed head" (it's unclear exactly what this is), and it speaks to the point: "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff / Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough" (IV.i.71). While thanking the witches for their warning, Macbeth demands more. The second apparition, according to Shakespeare's stage directions, is of a bloody child. Reassuringly the child pronounces, "for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth" (IV.i.80). This of course seems to contradict the first apparition, and Macbeth comforts himself with the thought that Macduff cannot harm him. But to be "double sure" (IV.i.83), Macbeth decides that Macduff shall not live. Just then the third apparition appears, "a Child crowned, with a tree in his hand," announcing that "Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/Great Birnan wood to high Dunsinane hill/Shall come against him" (IV.i.93). Again reassured, Macbeth thinks aloud that since forests do not simply get up and move, he will never be defeated. But never satisfied, Macbeth demands the answer to one more question. Having in mind the original prophecy delivered on that fateful trip with Banquo, he asks whether Banquo's offspring shall ever be kings. As an answer to this he sees a fourth apparition, and it is a line of eight crowned kings, with Banquo last, holding a mirror in his hand. In disbelief, Macbeth asks, "What? is this so?" (IV.i.125). Answered by the witches that indeed, it is, the witches simply vanish. Confused by the conflicting predictions he has just received and troubled by the fact that Macduff is in England (with Malcolm) Macbeth decides to massacre Macduff's entire family. Commentary The most important and obvious function of this scene in terms of the play's plot progression is the heavy foreshadowing that the apparitions provide. Each of the four statements made by the apparitions eventually turns out to be true, as contradictory as they may seem to one another. It is indeed Macduff who defeats Macbeth; Macduff, as we shall see, is not technically "of woman born"; Birnan and Dunsinane are, in a sense, moved. Each of these statements is an "equivocation," since the relationship between their literal meaning and their truth-value is distorted. Of course, this "double-talk" is carrying through the play's obsession with the word double. Note also the formula "double double toil and trouble" in the witches' incantations (IV.i.10,20) and Macbeth's statement that to be "double sure," he will kill Macduff (IV.i.83). Finally, notice the natural versus unnatural theme in this scene. Apparitions, by their very nature, are unnatural. We may therefore be only mildly surprised by such images as a bloody child or a child-king holding a tree in his hand. However, pay special attention to the images these images produce: a man not of woman born, or a moving forest. Macbeth is reassured by the very unnaturalness -- and therefore, he surmises the unlikelihood -- of these predictions. But here nature plays a joke on Macbeth, since he doesn't realize that his entire status, along with his practice of taking supernatural predictions seriously -- is unnatural. This scene almost comically points Macbeth's own double-standard with nature. Macbeth - Act IV, Scenes ii and iii Summary From Macbeth's death-sentence on the Macduff family, we are immediately transported inside the Macduff castle. There we see Lady Macduff, who is mourning the absence of her husband, who had not informed her of his flight before leaving. She is confused -- not knowing whether to believe reports that her husband is a traitor, not understanding why he has gone to England without saying goodbye. Lady Macduff carries on a conversation with her son, where he demonstrates his very quick wit. Suddenly a group of hired murderers enter and murder her son. She runs out of the house screaming bloody murder, as she is pursued by the murderers, who apparently kill her too. Scene iii takes us to England, to Macduff himself who is talking with Malcolm, Duncan's eldest son. Macduff relates to Malcolm the latest horrors that their native Scotland has seen since Duncan's murder -- all at the hands of the wicked Macbeth, Macduff suggests. While we are not told how Macduff arrives at this (correct) conclusion, Malcolm is compelled by what Macduff says, although he feigns disinterest. After briefly testing Macduff's sincerity by rejecting his suggestion that Malcolm return to Scotland to claim the throne from Macbeth, Malcolm then accepts that it is the only way to end the wickedness that Scotland has been witnessing under the hands of Macbeth. Macduff informs Malcolm that he has been able to secure the military backup of the English King Edward, who is sympathetic to their cause and has loaned them 10,000 soldiers to fight with Macbeth. A messenger then arrives for Macduff from Scotland, informing him of the murder of his wife and children. First disbelieving such a tragedy, Macduff then accepts the challenge of dethroning Macbeth and bringing him to justice as not only a public service, but personal revenge. Act IV ends with both Malcolm and Macduff resolute in their decision to return to Scotland with King Edward's army at once and fight a war with Macbeth, restoring the country's rightful monarchy. Commentary In terms of plot progression, these scenes bridge what we earlier called the "falling action" with the beginning of the tragedy's conclusion, which always comes at act V in Shakespeare. Macbeth has been found out. With the triple alliance between England, Macduff and Malcolm, Macbeth's failure begins to become apparent, the question only being exactly how that failure will play itself out in light of all the witches' predictions. It is important to note the many colorful figures of speech and images that the various characters use in these scenes. These, while not introducing new thematic content, reinforce previous ideas and in their sum total account for much of the play's amazing rhetorical power. First is Lady Macduff's conversation with her son, particularly their musings about the nature of justice. Note the son's sarcastic and rather sly remarks that since evil is stronger than good, it should always win over it (IV.ii.54). In contrast, when informed of her fate of death, Lady Macduff at first thinks she has nothing to fear -- since she has done no wrong. But quickly realizing that in the world she lives in, this fact does not guarantee safety. She muses articulately: I have done no harm. But I remember now I am in this earthly world; where to do harm Is often laudable, to do good sometime Accounted dangerous folly: why then, alas, Do I put up that womanly defence, To say I have done no harm? (IV.ii.73-78) In this short moment Lady Macduff has actually learned one of the morals of this tragedy -- that ours is a topsy-turvy world, where evil often reigns over good, and injustice over justice. Notice this lesson in relation to moral chastisement in one of Lady Macduff's opening lines in this scene, "All is the fear and nothing is the love" (IV.ii.12). In scene iii we likewise find a repetition of the play's earlier theme of equivocation, only this time coming even from one of the protagonists. In his early suspicions of Macduff, Malcolm says to him, "Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace/Yet grace must still look so" (IV.iii.23). Commenting on the state of appearances in the present world, where everything -- be it foul or fair --i appears graceful, Malcolm is proclaiming that no appearances may be trusted at all. With these rather depressing moral meditations from Lady Macduff and Malcolm, we embark on the conclusive final act. Macbeth - Act V, Scenes i to ix Summary In an almost soap-operatic manner, this act is composed of nine very short scenes, each one like a quick shot, opening in Macbeth's castle and then bouncing back and forth between the two opposing parties outside on the battlefield. In the castle, while Macbeth has gone out to prepare for battle with the English, Lady Macbeth has been having strange fits of insanity. A doctor is called, and Lady Macbeth's servants report sleepwalking and sleeptalking, refusing to repeat what she has said in her sleep (doubtless confessions of guilt), for fear of being punished. Suddenly Lady Macbeth herself arrives on stage, and though she walks and talks, she is clearly not conscious. She talks to herself about her dark guilt, trying to comfort her conscience, but very obviously failing. In probably the most famous image from this play, Lady Macbeth is maniacally and obsessively attempting to wash her hands, loudly commanding an invisible blood-stain to disappear: "Out, damned spot! out, I say!" (V.i.35). The onlooking servants and doctor are in utter disbelief about what they are seeing, and the servants report that Lady Macbeth has even ordered a permanent light to be affixed by her bedside all night long. Scene i ends with Lady Macbeth walking offstage, uttering, "What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed" (V.i.69). It later becomes apparent that Lady Macbeth kills herself. The next eight scenes are of the battle between huge English army against Macbeth's scant forces. We see how Macbeth's highest ranked lords and general abandon him and defect to Malcolm and Macduff's side, citing justice and allegiance as their reason. As the English forces come closer, Macbeth gets more and more maniacal, both in his violent speech and actions. At each step of the way, Macbeth holds on to the witches' words that (a) he will not be defeated until Birnan Woods moves, and (b), he will not be defeated by a man who is "of woman born". While claiming confidence in these predictions, Macbeth is visibly flustered at the prospect of losing. This becomes increasingly so when Birnan Woods actually do move! In scene iv, the English forces, in order to camouflage their descent on Macbeth's castle, cut down those trees and carried them on their backs! When in a face-to-face combat with Macduff, Macbeth is much chagrined to find out that "Macduff was from his mother's womb/Untimely ripped" (V.viii.15), and thus technically not on woman "born", but from woman "ripped". Even after this, and after finding out of Lady Macbeth's untimely death, Macbeth still does not give up, but keeps fighting. His ending words here are of particular interest, for they contain something of moral despair: "I have almost forgot the taste of fears/...I have supped full with horrors;/Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts,/Cannot once start me" (V.v.8). Macbeth is killed by Macduff, who returns to his party proclaiming victory and hailing Malcolm as king. All present "hail King of Scotland" (V.ix.26), and the play ends with all joyously walking off to Malcolm's coronation ceremony. Commentary Although composed of many short scenes, this final act is actually very tightly constructed, conveying a simple escalation of causes that quickly bring forth Macbeth's downfall. That downfall is apparent before the act even begins, given the alliances against Macbeth, along with much of act IV's foreshadowing. Nevertheless, act V shows us what will become of the witches' prophecy, how will their contradictory double-talk play itself out? The other thing the act shows us is the extreme escalation of Macbeth's treachery and Lady Macbeth's insanity. What we remember to have begun as an almost-dismissed idea in the heart of a single man, has turned to this awful level of murder and mayhem. While it may not necessarily have appeared so as it unfolded, Macbeth's figurative slope was a slippery one indeed. Thus act V is one of reversals and extremes. Lady Macbeth's original hesitations have turned to a developed mental illness. The darkness that once served her well she now cannot bear, having a permanent "night-light" affixed to her bedside. Her feelings of guilt have taken her all the way to suicide. Likewise Macbeth -- the man who was once hesitating at every move declares absolute commitment to his cause. Him who had frequent pangs of conscience seems to have his conscience altogether. Indeed, it would not be an exaggeration to argue that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have reversed roles, or even collapsed into the same character, only purged of both their "weaknesses" by Lady Macbeth's death and Macbeth's ruthlessness. Finally, this scene follows the witches' prophecies through. Having functioned so prominently in Macbeth's motivations, we can finally see how apparitions represent meaning, by looking into how they were ultimately fulfilled. The most important thing to notice about these fulfillments is that they are ironically comic in their "technicality" of being true. True, Macduff was ripped from his mother's stomach, but only in a very limited sense can it be said that he is not a man of woman born. It is in this taking advantage of the "limited" sense of things that Macbeth's own philosophy comes back to bite him in the ass. He, after all, is he one to have interpreted the witches' initial prophecy strictly. In turn, therefore, they allow themselves the same privilege. This has the effect of poking fun at Macbeth's self-serving system of signification. This fun, however, is a profound question about the role of the supernatural in this play, calling us to question whether meaning in prophetic expression is ever inherent? On the other hand, is it always self-produced? CHARACTERS Macbeth - The play's main character and principal antagonist. A distant cousin of the reigning King Duncan, Macbeth eventually secretly murders him and others who are in line for his throne in order to attain the monarchy. Macbeth's personality can be characterized as severely lacking in conscience. He is a man whose ambition to power allows brutal acts of violence without any apparent remorse, even at his bitter end. He is both indecisive and rash, not knowing exactly what to do, but then suddenly taking action at the most awkward of times. Some interesting interpretations of Macbeth's character have argued that he is a man compelled to action by the pressure of other people, and that his "tragic flaw" consists of replacing his own ambition with that of others (such as his wife or the witches, see below), and then allowing their ambitious visions to blind him. Lady Macbeth - Wife to Macbeth and his primary motivator. A childless woman, from the start of the play she turns feverish at the prospect of becoming queen and declares that she would kill her own child--"dash his brains out"--if it helped her achieve this (I.vii.55). This connection between childlessness and power has led critics, prominently AC Knight in his famous essay How Many Children Had Lady Macbeth?, to remark that this is part of the play's greater symbolism, where evil is infertile and good is fertile. Note also the Macbeth couple's frequent mentioning of and appearances in "a heath" or "a wasteland," places where crops do not grow. Noteworthy is Lady Macbeth's development of conscience throughout the play. While in the first four acts there is none to speak of (she is even more ruthless than her husband), suddenly she begins to have pangs of guilt, such as in the famous scene where she attempts to wash her hands of blood (V.i.34). She begins to have frequent bouts of sleeptalking and sleepwalking, where the terror of her conscience expresses itself. Dying an apparent suicide, Lady Macbeth kills herself out of guilt. Finally, it is important to note the contrast between Lady Macbeth's flowing and articulate speeches convincing her husband to "do the deed" with her own inclination to inaction. In the only scene where she is even in a position to do anything of importance, she backs out because of the sentimental excuse that the victim's sleeping body reminded her of her father as he slept (II.ii.13). Then she makes her husband do it. Duncan - King of Scotland, and distant cousin to Macbeth. He initially rewards Macbeth for bravery in battle, and is later murdered by him. What little we know of Duncan demonstrates that his is a good and just king. Malcolm and Donalbain - Sons to Duncan. Right after Malcolm is named heir-apparent to the throne, their father dies and they are suspected of the murder. Malcolm flees to England and Donalbain to Ireland. In the final act Malcolm returns to reclaim his rightful throne. Banquo (and son, Fleance) - Scottish nobleman and general. Banquo is with Macbeth at the initial prophecy of the witches. He becomes Macbeth's nemesis and is eventually murdered by him. Macduff - Scottish nobleman and general. Macduff is Macbeth's foil character, and the man who ultimately finds his treachery out and kills him. He sacrifices everything, even the life of his family, for the purpose of good ad justice. Witches (Weird Sisters) - The witches are mystical figures who periodically appear to Macbeth to give him prophecy of his future. While early in the play the witches appear to be on Macbeth's side, they later turn against him and predict his downfall. Some critics have argues that the weird sisters are not actual characters on stage, but that they are figments of Macbeth's overactive imagination. While this is arguable, the witches do in fact suddenly enter and suddenly vanish both times they appear in the play. Lennox, Rosse, Menteth, Angus, Cathness - Various noblemen of Scotland, appearing as minor characters throughout theplay. Siward - General of the English forces that King Edward donates for the cause of defeating Macbeth. Appearing in act V, he is assisted by his son, Young Siward.