Macbeth

Macbeth

The play I chose is Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. The protagonist of the story is Macbeth. He starts out as a brave, noble warrior, but by the end he is a disgrace to his nation. In the beginning his guilt is almost too strong to bear, but by the end he only cares about being the king. Lady Macbeth is almost as important to the story as her husband. She seems heartless at first, but her guilt takes over in time. The main antagonist to Macbeth is probably Malcolm. Malcolm is the rightful heir to the throne and leads the army that takes Scotland back. Macduff plays a small role until the end, but he is important because he defeats Macbeth in battle.

The story is a tragedy of a Scottish nobleman and war hero named Macbeth. In the beginning, Scotland is at war with Norway, and the battle is won by Scotland against all odds because of the brave Macbeth. As Macbeth and his friend Banquo, another nobleman, ride from the battlefield, they encounter three witches. The witches claim that Macbeth, who is already the Thane of Glamis, will also become the Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, and Banquo will not be king but will father future generations of kings. The witches disappear just before two more noblemen arrive and inform Macbeth that he has become the Thane of Cawdor. At King Duncan's palace, Macbeth is informed that Malcolm, the son of Duncan, will be king when the time comes. At Macbeth's castle, his wife reads a letter from him telling about the witches' prophecies just before being informed that Duncan is coming to the castle that night. After Duncan has fallen asleep, Lady Macbeth drugs his guards and convinces her husband to kill him by calling him a coward. In the morning, Macduff, another nobleman, finds the king dead and the guards covered in blood. Macbeth immediately kills the guards and Duncan's two sons flee the country out of fear, which causes suspicion to first fall on them. With the king's sons gone, Macbeth becomes the king. Banquo is suspicious of Macbeth, but says nothing. Macbeth, feeling threaten by Banquo because of the witches' prophecy, hires three men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, but Fleance escapes. Macbeth invites other noblemen of Scotland to the palace for dinner, and while they are at the table he sees Banquo's ghost and has a fit. Lady Macbeth attempts to calm him, but his guilt is clearly beginning to show. Macbeth then visits the three witches again. He is told no man born of woman can harm him, and he will be invincible in battle until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. They also reaffirm that Banquo will father future generations of kings. The witches vanish and Macbeth is informed that Macduff has deserted him, so he decides to kill Macduff's family. In England, Macduff proclaims his loyalty to Malcolm and is then told about his family. Back in Scotland, Lady Macbeth has gone mad from the guilt of what she has done. While sleepwalking she speaks aloud of her crimes to a doctor. The next scenes alternate between the enemy forces advancing and Macbeth's preparations for battle. Malcolm's forces disguise themselves with branches and after Lady Macbeth dies, presumably by suicide, Macbeth is informed that Birnam Wood seems to be moving toward Dunsinane. Macbeth dismisses