Macbeth

Shakespeare's play "The tragedy of Macbeth" first performed in 1606 and is based around the information given in "Holinshed's Chronicles" (1587). As such the story is built around the characters of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, Thane of Fife and Duncan I, King of Scotland.

Plot

The play begins with the short appearance of three witches, who are talking about their next meeting. After defeating the enemies, the generals of King Duncan encounter the three witches as they cross a moor. The three prophesy Macbeth that he will be made Thane of Cawdor and that he will be the king of Scotland. Banquo, Macbeth’s companion, finds out that his descendants will be Kings in the future. After the witches disappear, Macbeth and Banquo have skeptical thoughts about the prophesies until some of King Duncan’s men come to thank the two generals for their victories in battle and to tell Macbeth that he has indeed been named Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is intrigued by the fact that he could be the next King of Scotland as it was predicted. He visits with King Duncan and they plan to dine together at Macbeth’s castle (Inverness). Lady Macbeth desires the Leadership for her husband and wants him to murder Duncan the night he arrives at their castle. He and Lady Macbeth plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless, as they will remember nothing. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him. When Duncan’s death is discovered the next morning, Macbeth kills the chamberlains—ostensibly out of rage at their crime—and easily assumes the kingship. Duncan’s sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing that whoever killed Duncan desires their demise as well.

In order not to lose his position, Macbeth hires a group of murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. They kill Banquo but fail to murder his son, who is able to escape. At the feast that night, Banquo’s ghost visits Macbeth. When he sees the ghost, Macbeth raves fearfully, startling his guests, who include most of the great Scottish nobility. Lady Macbeth tries to neutralize the damage, but Macbeth’s kingship incites increasing resistance from his nobles and subjects. Frightened, Macbeth goes to visit the witches in their cavern. There, they show him a sequence of demons and spirits who present him with further prophecies: he must beware of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman who opposed Macbeth’s accession to the throne; he is incapable of being harmed by any man born of woman; and he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Castle. Macbeth is relieved and feels secure, because he knows that all men are born of women and that forests cannot move. When he learns that Macduff has fled to England to join Malcolm, Macbeth orders that Macduff’s castle be seized and, most cruelly, that Lady Macduff and her children be murdered.

When news of his family’s execution reaches Macduff in England, he is stricken with revenge. Prince Malcolm, Duncan’s son, has succeeded in raising an army in England, and Macduff joins him as he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeth’s forces. The invasion has the support of the Scottish nobles, who are frightened by Macbeth’s tyrannical and murderous behavior. Lady Macbeth, meanwhile, becomes plagued with fits of sleepwalking in which she bemoans what she believes to be bloodstains on her hands. Before Macbeth’s opponents arrive, Macbeth receives news that she has killed herself, causing him to sink into a deep and pessimistic despair. Nevertheless, he awaits the English and fortifies Dunsinane, to which he seems to have withdrawn in order to defend himself, certain that the witches’ prophecies guarantee his invincibility. He is struck numb with fear, however, when he learns that the English army is advancing on Dunsinane shielded with boughs cut from Birnam Wood. Birnam Wood is indeed coming to Dunsinane, fulfilling half of the witches’ prophecy.

In the battle, Macbeth hews violently, but the English forces gradually overwhelm his army and castle. On the battlefield, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff, who declares that he was not “of woman born” but was instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (what we now call birth by cesarean section). Though he realizes that he is doomed, Macbeth continues to fight until Macduff kills and beheads him. Plot-Summary-Sparknotes

Themes

Tainted by Untamed Ambition

At the start of the play Macbeth is not really a bad character but later gets corrupted by the idea of becoming king and the power coming with it. This ambition is what makes him look past the misdeed of killing the current king, though his wife also plays a crucial part in making him kill Duncan as she encourages him. Yet after the death of Duncan it doesn't get better, but worse and after a period of time both become mentaly instable Macbeth becoming paranoid and his wife failing to cope with all the violence used, to stay in power. With this struggle Shakespeare conveys that once you give in to the ambition and in this case the power that comes with it it's almost impossible to stop.

What it means to be a Man

Both Macbeth and his wife use gender and thereby masculinity aswell as a pretext to commit cruel misdeeds or pressure someone to commit them for them. Lady Macbeth questions Macbeths masculinity to make him kill Duncan, and Macbeth does the same to the assassins he hires to kill Banquo. This perception of what it means to be a man clears the way for their cruel and bloody reign.

In the whole context of the play most of the violence is encouraged by women i.e. Lady Macbeth, the Weird Sisters and the godess of witchcraft Hecate. This is striking to the audience as it completely goes against the perception and or expectation of women in general, showing that women can be as determined and agressive as men.

In the end of the play a different masculinity than that of the Macbeths is offered by a conversation between Malcolm and Macduff. In which Macduff explains to Malcolm that masculinity does not need to involve violence. Later it's shown that Malcolm understood Macduff and thus conveys the message that the realm is heading for prosperity and peace after Malcolm succeds to the trone.

Origin

Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles First Edition (1577)

Shakespeare's inspiration for the play most likely comes from "Holinshed's Chronicles" which in some parts alligns very closely with Shakespeare's tragedy. This is shown by comparing several sections several sections of the play and the chronicle, as in both Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches which make the exact same prophesy in the chronicle and the play. Despite this there are some intellectuals who think the story is better described by the "Rerum Scoticarum Historia" by George Buchanan which was also available at the time.

Factually there is no written evidence frome the time of Macbeth's reign that support the existence of the Weird Sisters and Banquo. These characters and Lady Macbeth were only mentioned in 1527 some 500 years after the death of the real king Macbeth in the "Historia Gentis Scotorum" by Hector Boece. This mention even carries less weight as it was presumably a way to strengthen the claim of the House of Stewart to the Scottish throne by claiming its succession from Banquo. This combined with depicting Macbeth in a dark light by connecting him with the Weird Sisters and their supernatural fortune telling.