Very Short Summary
Medieval Scotland. Three witches prophesied that Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, would become King of Scotland. After a victorious battle, Macbeth and his friend Banquo encountered these witches, who also predicted that Banquo's descendants would be kings.
Spurred by ambition and his wife's urging, Macbeth murdered King Duncan while he stayed at their castle. Duncan's sons fled, and Macbeth became king.
To secure his throne, Macbeth arranged the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance, but Fleance escaped. At a royal banquet, Macbeth was haunted by Banquo's ghost. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth began to show signs of guilt and mental deterioration.
Out, damned spot! out, I say!... Here's the smell of the blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!
Macbeth consulted the witches again and was told to beware Macduff, but that no man born of woman could harm him, and he wouldn't be defeated until Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane. Feeling invincible, he ordered Macduff's family killed when he learned Macduff had fled to England.
Macduff and Malcolm, Duncan's son, raised an army in England. As they approached Dunsinane, soldiers carried branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage, fulfilling the first prophecy. Lady Macbeth died, presumably by suicide. In the final battle, Macduff, who was 'untimely ripped' from his mother's womb, killed Macbeth. Malcolm became the rightful king of Scotland.
Detailed Summary by Acts
Act titles and their division into scenes are editorial.
Act 1. Prophecy and Ambition
The Witches' Prophecy and Macbeth's New Honors
On a desolate heath in Scotland, three witches gathered amid thunder and lightning to plan their meeting with Macbeth. Their ominous words set the tone for the dark events to come.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair:
Hover through the fog and filthy air... So foul and fair a day I have not seen.
Meanwhile, King Duncan received news of a great victory against rebel forces and the Norwegian army. The brave general Macbeth had proven himself in battle, defeating the traitor Thane of Cawdor. In recognition of this service, Duncan ordered that the title of Thane of Cawdor be given to Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth's Ambition and Duncan's Arrival
Upon receiving news of his new title through a letter, Lady Macbeth immediately began plotting Duncan's murder. She feared her husband's nature was too full of human kindness to seize the crown through violence.
Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it.
When King Duncan announced his intention to stay at Macbeth's castle at Inverness, Lady Macbeth saw it as the perfect opportunity to carry out their deadly plan. She called upon dark spirits to fill her with cruelty and remove any feminine compassion from her heart. When Macbeth expressed doubts about killing his king, she questioned his manhood and convinced him to proceed with the murder.
I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
Act 2. Murder and Coronation
Duncan's Murder and Its Immediate Aftermath
Late at night, as Macbeth prepared to kill Duncan, he experienced a terrifying vision of a floating dagger pointing toward the king's chamber. Despite his momentary hesitation, he proceeded with the murder, encouraged by his wife who had drugged Duncan's guards.
Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight?
After the murder, Macbeth was distraught and unable to pray or say 'Amen.' Lady Macbeth took charge, planting the bloody daggers on the sleeping guards to frame them for the crime. When Duncan's body was discovered the next morning, Macbeth killed the guards in pretended rage, claiming they were the murderers. Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, fled the country fearing for their lives, making them appear suspicious.
Act 3. Tyranny and Supernatural Horror
Banquo's Murder and the Ghost at the Feast
Now crowned king, Macbeth became increasingly paranoid. He particularly feared Banquo, who had been present when the witches made their prophecy and whose descendants they had predicted would become kings.
To prevent this prophecy from coming true, Macbeth hired murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. While they succeeded in killing Banquo, Fleance escaped. During a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth was horrified to see Banquo's ghost appear at the feast, visible only to him. His strange behavior and outbursts concerned the gathered nobles, while Lady Macbeth attempted to smooth over the situation.
Act 4. Prophecies and Revenge
New Prophecies and the Murder of Macduff's Family
Seeking reassurance, Macbeth visited the witches again. They showed him three apparitions: an armed head warning him to beware Macduff; a bloody child declaring that no one born of woman could harm him; and a crowned child holding a tree, stating that Macbeth would not be defeated until Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane Hill. Finally, they showed him a line of eight kings descended from Banquo.
Learning that Macduff had fled to England, Macbeth ordered the murder of Macduff's wife and children. This brutal act was carried out while Macduff was away, seeking support from Malcolm to overthrow Macbeth. When Ross brought news of his family's slaughter to Macduff in England, Malcolm encouraged him to turn his grief into vengeful action.
Act 5. Justice and Retribution
Lady Macbeth's Madness and Death
As Malcolm and Macduff gathered their forces in England, Lady Macbeth began to show signs of madness. She walked in her sleep, trying to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands and talking of the murders she and her husband had committed. Her guilt-ridden ravings were witnessed by a doctor and a gentlewoman, who realized the true nature of the Macbeths' crimes.
The Final Battle and Macbeth's Fall
As the English forces approached Dunsinane, soldiers carried branches from Birnam Wood as camouflage, seemingly fulfilling the prophecy. Upon hearing of Lady Macbeth's death, Macbeth delivered a famous soliloquy on the meaninglessness of life.
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day...Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
In the final battle, Macbeth learned that Macduff was 'not of woman born' but rather delivered by caesarean section. Realizing that all the prophecies had turned against him, Macbeth nevertheless fought on. Macduff killed him in combat and cut off his head. Malcolm was crowned as the rightful king of Scotland, restoring order to the kingdom and ending Macbeth's reign of terror.
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage