Macbeth Notes

Act One:

• 3 creepy witches, they plan to meet up with Macbeth

*The witches= foreshadowing

• Character and personality is given through others’ opinions.  Macbeth is courageous and isn’t afraid to kill someone very gruesomely

•Macbeth and Banquo have an encounter with the witches. They tell him that he will be king. (they don’t believe them)

•Ross and Angus and tell Macbeth that king has made him thane of Cawdor, as the former thane is to be executed for treason

•Conflicts arise, Duncan wants his son Malcolm to be the heir to the throne, but Macbeth stands in between Malcolm and the crown

•Duncan arrives to Macbeth’s castle (Lady Macbeth is being fake)

•Macbeth has a moment to himself and questions himself on the murder of Duncan

·         He is somewhat reasonable because he knows there will be consequences

• Lady Macbeth’s crazy side shows. After Macbeth decides not to kill Duncan,

·         She is sly and convinces him to murder Duncan. (She’s the master mind with the idea)

Act Two:

• Macbeth’s mind is going crazy. Has weird hallucinations and continues worrying about his soon to come bloody work

·         (He ends up killing Duncan)

•Lady Macbeth calls Macbeth a coward and gets angry

•Macduff comes (still late in the night) to see the king

·         from there everyone sees what happened to the king

·         Lady Macbeth- was scandalous in order to seem appalled by what happened under her roof

•Macduff tells Ross that Macbeth has been made king by the other lords

·         Then suspicions fall on Malcolm and Donalbain because they fled the scene (which was only for their own safety)

Act Three:

•Banquo ponders about the witches prophecies and questions if the second is going to come true. A lot of self-questioning is seen throughout the characters

• Macbeth begins a soliloquy(when everyone leaves). He also wonders if the prophecy of Banquo’s son will come true

*He hires murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance

• Plan failed because the murders let Fleance escape

*FORESHADOWING when Banquo tells his son to get revenge

   *Macbeth’s conscious causes him to see Banquo’s ghost and he goes crazy ruining the feast

•Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft who scolds the witches for meddling

•Lennox and Macduff suspect that Macbeth killed Banquo and Duncan

Act Four:

•Macbeth has a crazy encounter with the witches

·         This leads him to order Macduff’s capture and his family’s murder

•Wife and son are killed after being told that Macduff fled

• Malcolm question Macduff’s loyalty

• Ross tells Macduff the news of his children, after Malcolm makes Macduff change his sadness to anger. With an army

* plan to go to war with Macbeth and kill him

Act Five:

•Lady Macbeth’s madness is seen again with illusions

•Macbeth prepares for the battle

*while trying to have his wife cured of her madness.\

• Macbeth remembers the prophecy and realizes he will die fighting, after wife dies

•Techniques are being discussed and Macbeth murders Lord Siward’s son

•Macduff is crazy looking for Macbeth to seek revenge during battle

*The prophecy about Macduff was wrong so Macbeth freaks out

•Macduff is found holding Macbeth’s head by Malcolm and Siward

·         Who murdered Macbeth?