![]() The King then proposes to make a brief visit that night to Macbeth's castle at Inverness. The promotion seems to support the prophecy. Soon afterwards, King Duncan names Macbeth Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his success in the recent battles. The generals want to hear more, but the "weird sisters" disappear. Banquo's descendants will be kings, but Banquo isn't promised any kingdom himself. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be promoted twice: to Thane of Cawdor (a rank of the aristocracy bestowed by grateful kings) and King of Scotland. On a bleak Scottish moorland, Macbeth and Banquo, two of King Duncan's generals, discover three strange women (witches). Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. TL DR (may contain spoilers): Macbeth hears that he is going to be king he and Lady Macbeth kill people so he can become king both of them die. Information to help you plan your visit to Shakespeare's family homes Prices, booking, opening times and more to help you get organisedĮnjoy seasonal activities and special events throughout the year Walk in Shakespeare's footsteps at Shakespeare's New Place Relive Shakespeare's love story at Anne Hathaway's Cottage ![]() His boldness and impression of personal invincibility mark him out for a tragic fall.Visit William Shakespeare's Birthplace and explore his childhood world, right where it all began. This feature of his personality is well presented in Act IV, Scene 1, when he revisits the Witches of his own accord. The appearance of Banquo's ghost, in particular, causes him to swing from one state of mind to another until he is no longer sure of what is and "what is not" (I:3,142).īut Macbeth's hubris or excessive pride is now his dominant character trait. Nevertheless, the new-found resolve, which causes Macbeth to "wade" onward into his self-created river of blood (Act III, Scene 4), is persistently alarmed by supernatural events. Each successive murder reduces his human characteristics still further, until he appears to be the more dominant partner in the marriage. His ambition now begins to spur him toward further terrible deeds, and he starts to disregard and even to challenge Fate and Fortune. However, by Act III, Scene 2, Macbeth has resolved himself into a far more stereotypical villain and asserts his manliness over that of his wife. Macbeth is at his most human and sympathetic when his manliness is mocked and demeaned by his wife (see in particular Act I, Scene 7). When he is about to commit the murder, he undergoes terrible pangs of conscience. ![]() When Duncan announces that he intends the kingdom to pass to his son Malcolm, Macbeth appears frustrated. Despite his fearless character in battle, Macbeth is concerned by the prophecies of the Witches, and his thoughts remain confused, both before, during, and after his murder of King Duncan. These often conflict with the opinion others have of him, which he describes as "golden" (I:7, 33). Essentially, though, he is a human being whose private ambitions are made clear to the audience through his asides and soliloquies (solo speeches). Macbeth is introduced in the play as a warrior hero, whose fame on the battlefield wins him great honor from the king.
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