Tag: Macbeth

by David Burgess on May 8, 2018 0

Shakespeare’s Macbeth – A Scene By Scene Synopsis (Act 5)

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 1

In troubled Scotland, at Dunsinane Castle, Lady Macbeth is on the brink of destruction. She has been left alone, Macbeth being out in the field preparing his army. Her lady-in-waiting is anxious. Lady Macbeth has been walking and, worse, talking in her sleep. The loyal gentlewoman calls in the doctor to diagnose her illness, but she refuses to tell him what Lady Macbeth revealed. The doctor learns soon enough. Lady Macbeth passes them in a blind trance, rubbing her hands frantically as if to wash them. In her anguished dream there, is a spot that will not come out, no matter how hard she scrubs. She speaks brokenly, veering from one memory to another. The chain of bloody events is mixed up, she tries to was her hands of Duncan’s blood, and then scolds Macbeth for hesitating to kill him, she asks where Lady Macduff is, warns Macbeth to control himself at the haunted banquet, tells him to wash his hands and put on his nightgown, and begs him to forget his fears of Banquo’s ghost. At last she hears knocking – the knocking at the porter’s gate before the dead king is discovered – ad she takes the imaginary hand of Macbeth, to lead him to bed, to sleep and oblivion. The doctor, having learned the cause of Lady Macbeth’s secret agony, is horrified, and not a little afraid. It is dangerous to have such knowledge. He cannot treat her: she needs a doctor of the soul, not of the body.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 2

In the country outside the castle, armies are mobilizing for war. The thanes Angus and Lenox, together with other Scottish nobles, have switched sides, and are about to march with their soldiers to join their English allies near Birnam Wood. The entire country is rising against Macbeth. The king has withdrawn to Dunsinane Castle, which he is fortifying against siege

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 3

Inside the castle, Macbeth forbids any more reports of the armies massing against him. He still believes in his charmed life. A servant, pale with fear, braves Macbeth’s anger to tell him of the ten thousand strong English force. The news makes Macbeth uneasy. As he turns the threat over in his mind, he becomes more of the poetic, reflective man of old, rather than the brutal, emotionless tyrant of late. Sad, he muses that he has lived long enough. He would have to endure the winter of old age without the things that would make it less harsh: honour, love, obedience and friends. He has sacrificed all that, Macbeth pulls himself together, and calls his loyal armour bearer, Seyton. He seeks relief in action, giving orders, donning his armour. He is ready to be the warrior again. He spares a moment to ask the doctor about his wife. Told that her sickness lies only in her soul, Macbeth asks the doctor if he cannot cure her of her sorrows. The doctor replies that the patient must minister to ‘himself’ Macbeth turns to more pressing problems. He strides off, defiant, sure that he will be safe till Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 4

Meanwhile, at Birnam Wood, the English and Scottish armies have met. Malcolm orders the soldiers to camouflage themselves with boughs cut from the trees. The commanders, Malcolm, Macduff and Siward prepare for the advance on Dunsinane Castle.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 5

Back at Dunsinane, Macbeth believes that his position is impregnable: the castle is strong enough to withstand a siege. Suddenly, women are heard crying in the heart of the castle. While Seyton investigates, Macbeth reflects on how he has lost the capacity to feel fear. But these cries are not of fear, they are of grief.

Seyton returns. Lady Macbeth has killed herself. Her death highlights Macbeth’s growing feeling that the world is meaningless: lif is just a guttering candle, a fleeting shadow, an empty tale. A messenger brings a shattering report – gazing toward Birnam, he thought he saw the wood begin to move, It is now less than three miles away. Disbelief, anger and then doubt wage war within Macbeth. He begins to suspect that he has been tricked by the double speaking oracle. If he has been, he may as well die like a warrior in open fight as hole himself up in the castle: he believes that the outcome will be the same. Reclessly brave, he summons the remnants of his army, before surging onto the plain.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 6

Below the battlements, Malcolm’s moving forest throws away its disguise. He directs old Siward and his son to lead the first wave of attack: Malcom and Macduff will do whatever else is needed.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 7

The plain resounds with the cries and clashing of battle. Macbeth, hemmed in by the sheer weight of numbers cannot fly. But his desperation lightens as he remembers that he need only fear a man not born of woman – he forgets that one prophecy has already played him false. Young Siward confronts Macbeth, the seasoned warrior, and Macbeth kills him.

Siward was born of woman: Macbeth can still laugh at weapons branded by normal men. He makes his way to another part of the battle. Macduff enters, seeking Macbeth. He is bent on vengeance, and continues his pursuit. Old siward tells Malcolm, who doesn’t seem to be fighting, that the castle has surrendered and the battle is almost over.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 8

Macbeth, his castle lost and his men either deserting or surrendering, resolves to fight to the finish.
Macduff comes upon Macbeth and challenges him. Macbeth is reluctant. He tells Macduff that he has killed enough of his family already. Macduff has no time for Macbeth’s belated pangs of conscience, and forces Macbeth to defend himself. Macbeth urges his enemy to give it up, since he can be harmed by no man of woman born.
Now the last terrible blow – Macduff was not born in natural labour, but by caesarean birth. The revelation is Macduff’s strongest weapon. It immediately cuts through Macbeth’s guard. Macbeth, his last hope stripped from him and the whole world hostile, refuses to fight, to surrender the trap that seems to have been laid for him. But Macduff gives him no choice, reminding him that surrender will only lead to humiliation. Macbeth’s confidence has gone, but his courage has not. Though Birnam has come to Dunsinane, and there exists a man strangely born, Macbeth will challenge fate and fight on.
In his last desperate struggle, he fights not only Macduff but the whole uncertain universe. Macbeth dies defiantly.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 5 Scene 9

Malcolm and old Siward consider the day’s victory. They’re still missing Macduff and youn Siward. Ross describes Siward’s heroic death to his father, who is relieved to hear that the untried youth died well: courage is the measure of the man.
Macduff joins them, bearing Macbeths head on a pole. Macduff pronounces tyranny dead, and the time free,
Malcolm is hailed as king. In the shadow of Macbeth’s severed head, Duncan’s son promises a just and peaceful reign.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth – A Scene By Scene Synopsis (Act 3)

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 3 Scene 1

At the palace in Forres, Banquo reflects on the newly crowned king’s rise to power. He suspects Macbeth of foul play but has not challenged him.
Banquo cannot forget the witch’s prophecy that he will father a line of kings. In some ways their fates are meshed.

Macbeth interrupts Banquo’s thoughts, commanding him to be at the evening banquet. Banquo is to be chief guest. Macbeth draws information from Banquo about his movements for the rest of the day, discovering that he plans to ride a fair distance with his son Fleance, returning at nightfall. Banquo sets off and Macbeth dismisses Lady Macbeth and the rest of the court.

Alone, the mask falls. Macbeth feels unsafe on the throne. He believes that the chief threat lies in Banquo. Macbeth doubts his loyalty, and fears that he may simply be biding his time before making a move. Moreover, Macbeth is anguished by the prophecy that it will be Banquo who founds a royal dynasty, and not himself, Macbeth is ready to challenge fate itself by killing Banquo and his son.

Two desperado’s, down on their luck, are persuaded by Macbeth that their ill-fortune is due to Banquo, and they agree to murder Banquo and Fleance that evening.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 3 Scene 2

Lady Macbeth sends a servant to her husband, requesting a private audience. While she waits, she lapses into sorrow. She has found no joy as Queen. But when Macbeth joins her, she hides her despair. Instead she chides him for brooding alone, and coaxes him to forget the past. Macbeth reminds his wife that they are still in danger, and tells her to flatter Banquo, their chief enemy. Lady Macbeth is disturbed by Macbeth’s obsession with Banquo. Although he hints at the dark deed planned, Macbeth does not confide in her. This time Macbeth is able to act without her support.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 3 Scene 3

The two assassins, together with a third sent by Macbeth, ambush Banquo and Fleance as they approach the palace at dusk. In the confusion Fleance escapes, but Banquo is brutally stabbed to death.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 3 Scene 4

Inside the palace, the nobility of Scotland assembles in the banqueting hall for the great feast. Macbeth bids them to be seated according to their rank, and the royal hosts are lavish in their welcome. As Macbeth mingles with the guests, he catches sight of one of the assassins lingering on the fringe. Slipping away to join him, Macbeth is relieved to hear that Banquo is dead, but enraged at Fleance’s escape. However, that threat lies in the future, and Macbeth puts it aside. Macbeth enjoys a fleeting moment of security as he toasts the company, and remarks on the absence of the chief guest, Banquo. Ross urges him to join the table, but Macbeth doesn’t see a spare seat. Lenox motions him to an empty chair. Macbeth is aghast. Banquo has kept his promise to attend the feast: his ghost sits in Macbeth’s seat. Macbeth speaks wildly to the ghost.

The thanes are alarmed at the sight of their king addressing an empty chair. No one, except perhaps Lady Macbeth, has any inkling of Banquo’s fate. Lady Macbeth desperately tries to deflect attention from the king: it is just a passing fit, best ignored. Whispering urgently to Macbeth, she tries to shame him into self-control. But Macbeth is hysterical with fear, and Lady Macbeth’s efforts are futile.

When the ghost disappears, Macbeth recovers and sits. He again toasts the company, and the absent Banquo. On cue, the ghost re-appears. Macbeth is convulsed with terror and rage. He has lost all instinct for concealment. Lady Macbeth is on a knife-edge of terror in case he exposes them both as murderers. The queen tries to cling to some shreds of royal dignity, but Macbeth’s ravings cannot be ignored. She dismisses the bewildered guests, and the company breaks up in disorder.
Left alone, Lady Macbeth is too exhausted even to reproach her husband for putting them both in such peril. But Macbeth, with Banquo’s ghost gone, immediately turns to new problems – Macduff who has flouted the royal summons, and his own uncertainty about the future. He decides to visit the witches again, and force more information from them. Macbeth is determined to be utterly ruthless in cementing his power. Already he has thrown an intelligence network over the kingdom: in every noble household there is a spy in the kings pay. Macbeth resolves to stop at nothing to make his power absolute. He will wade even further in blood. Macbeth puts his earlier terror at Banquo’s haunting down to inexperience in dark deeds – he will be tougher in future.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 3 Scene 5

Although Macbeth does not yet know it, his future dealings with the witches will involve a stronger power. The witches are subservient to the dark goddess Hecat, who now scolds them for daring to speak to Macbeth without her guidance. Macbeth, she tells them, acts for his own ends, and not for love of the witches or what they represent. From now on, she will take charge of the oracle-making. The witches are commanded to meet Hecat at the pit of Acheron – the gates of hell – the next morning. They will cast the spells. But it is Hecat who will determine what Macbeth sees: she will make him feel secure through the power of illusion.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 3 Scene 6

Meanwhile, discontent is growing in Scotland. There is gossip about the deaths of Duncan and Banquo. But some are wary about declaring Macbeth a murderer. Lenox uses double-speak in conversation with another lord: on the face of it, he sounds loyal, but there is deep sarcasm underneath. The other lord is less cautious; he calls Macbeth a tyrant outright and reveals that Macduff has fled to the English court, there to help gather an army to restore Duncan’s line. Lenox, now more sure of the other lord’s sympathies, declares himself for the Scottish exiles in England.
Macbeth Synopsis – The Other Acts

Shakespeare’s Macbeth – A Scene By Scene Synopsis (Act 4)

acbeth – Synopsis (Act 4 Scene 1)

On the heath, the witches mix their horrible brew, chanting and dancing around the cauldron. Hecat appears briefly to check their sinister work before Macbeth arrives.
Macbeth demands that the witches answer whatever he may ask, despite the consequences.
The first witch asks if he would rather hear the higher powers of darkness, and, throwing caution to the wind, Macbeth agrees.

The first apparition, an armed head, warns Macbeth to beware Macduff. The second apparition, a bloody child, tells Macbeth to be ruthless and fearless, for no man born of woman shall ever harm him. The third apparition, a crowned child carrying a tree, tells Macbeth that he shall never be vanquished until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill.

Macbeth accepts the visions without question: the witches’ earlier prophecies were truthful enough, so why doubt these oracles? Macbeth feels secure with all theses supernatural assurances about his own invincibility, but he still burns to know whether Banquo’s line will inherit the throne.
The witches are reluctant, but Macbeth insists, and they call forth a line of kings, the last with a mirror to reflect Banquo’s dynasty down the ages. Macbeth is beside himself with rage.
The witches vanish and Lenox, who hasn’t yet joined the exiles, brings Macbeth news of Macduff’s flight to England.
Macbeth has just been warned to beware Macduff, but he is now beyond his reach. Furious, Macbeth resolves to slaughter all Macduff’s kin. And in future he will act more swiftly, in case other traitors escape. The iron fist of tyrrany is closing on the land.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 4 Scene 2

In Macduff’s castle, his wife, left alone with her children, is bewildered at her husband’s unexplained flight. She feels he has abandoned his family out of fear – a treacherous act. Her relative, Ross, tries to soothe her. After he has left, Lady Macduff laments her son’s fatherless state. A messenger bursts in and begs her to flee the castle with her children. Confused, she hesitates, and the murderers enter. Lady Macduff’s small son stands up to the villains, and as he is stabbed to death he cries to his mother to flee. There is no escape, her family and entire household are butchered.

Macbeth Synopsis – Act 4 Scene 3

Macduff, unaware of the tragedy, meets Duncan’s son Malcolm at the English court. Macduff urges him to challenge Macbeth, for the sake of Scotland, groaning under his rule. But Malcolm has learnt from his father’s to ready trust in men, and he suspects Macduff of being Macbeth’s spy. To test Macduff, Malcolm pretends that he has Macbeth’s vices, and more. At first Macduff argues that any king is better than Macbeth, but as the list of unkingly vices grows, Macduff is horrified. The man is not fit to live, let alone rule! All hope for Scotland is dead, he prepares to leave. A spy of Macbeths would have pretended to stick by Malcolm whatever his vices, but Macduff’s genuine concern for Scotland is now beyond doubt. Malcolm throws off his evil disguise, and shares his battle plans with Macduff: his uncle Siward, Earl of Northumberland, is to join him with ten thousand men.
Macduff is digesting this sudden change in Malcolm’s character when Ross enters unexpectedly. He brings the latest news of Scotlands woes, but hedges when Macduff asks after his family. At last he blurts out the terrible news. Macduff is beside himself with grief, remorse and a burning desire for vengeance.