Shakespeare’s Macbeth plot summary

• Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare that tells the story of a Scottish nobleman called Macbeth. Macbeth, with his wife Lady Macbeth, plots to become king.

• The plot of Macbeth contains disturbing and unusual events, including the murder of a king, witchcraft and ghosts.

• Macbeth is a tragedy, a type of play that contains lots of suffering and an unhappy ending for the main character.

Watch the following video to learn about the plot of Macbeth:

Some people believe that it is bad luck to say the word ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre. It’s often called ‘The Scottish play’ instead.

Legend has it that when Macbeth was first performed in 1606, two actors died. Since then other performances have had similar bad luck, including actors falling off stage during the play.

Three witches appear on a heath in Scotland. They make a plan to meet with a nobleman called Macbeth.

Macbeth and his friend Banquo are riding home after winning an important battle. Macbeth has fought bravely on behalf of the King of Scotland.

The three Witches appear and share three prophecies with Macbeth and Banquo:

• They tell Macbeth he will become the Thane of Cawdor
• They predict Macbeth will become King of Scotland
• They tell Banquo his sons will become kings of Scotland

After the Witches disappear, Macbeth and Banquo discuss this strange experience. A man called Ross arrives and informs Macbeth that the king has given him the title of Thane of Cawdor.

Lady Macbeth reads a letter from her husband Macbeth. The letter contains details about the Witches’ predictions.

Lady Macbeth wants her husband to become king and thinks that he should kill King Duncan. She knows that Macbeth is ambitious, but she’s concerned that he is too kind to carry out the murder.

When Macbeth arrives home, Lady Macbeth shares her plan to kill King Duncan. She persuades and manipulates Macbeth until he agrees with her plan.

King Duncan comes to stay the night at Macbeth’s castle. Lady Macbeth shares her plan to kill King Duncan that night. She will drug the guards outside the king’s room and when they are asleep Macbeth can kill the king.

Although Macbeth has doubts about committing murder and feels guilty about killing a good man, he still has a strong desire to be king. As he makes his way to the king’s bedroom, a vision of a ghostly dagger appears to him, dripping in blood, which seems to guide him onwards to Duncan’s bedroom. He stabs Duncan to death.

Macbeth returns, covered in blood and still holding the murder weapons. Lady Macbeth is angry that the daggers were not left at the scene of the crime. Macbeth is too shocked and upset to return the weapons. She takes the daggers herself and return to King Duncan’s bedroom. She plants the daggers on the sleeping guards and wipes them with blood.

Macduff, the Thane of Fife, discovers King Duncan dead in his room. Duncan’s sons believe they may be killed next, so they run away and leave Scotland. Macbeth is made King of Scotland.

Given that the Witches have predicted that Banquo’s sons will become kings, Macbeth starts to worry that they will try and take the throne away from him. Meanwhile, Banquo has become suspicious of Macbeth.

Even though Banquo is his best friend, Macbeth pays assassins to murder him and his son. Macbeth does not share his plans with Lady Macbeth. The assassins brutally stab and kill Banquo, but his son, Fleance, runs away.

Later, at a banquet, Macbeth thinks he can see Banquo’s blood-covered ghost sitting in his place at the table. He shouts at the ghost, which is invisible to everyone else. Lady Macbeth tries to make excuses for Macbeth’s unusual behaviour, claiming he has a recurring illness that is causing him to act strangely. She leads the guests away.

Watch this video to learn more about how a director might stage the appearance of Banquo’s ghost.

Macbeth visits the Witches again. They show him three visions which each give Macbeth a warning:

• A helmet covered in blood tells him to beware of Macduff.
• A child carrying a branch of a tree tells him he will be safe until the woods climb the hill to the castle.
• A child covered in blood tells him that no one “of woman born” can harm him.

These strange predictions and warnings give Macbeth a false confidence. He thinks that he is invincible and that no one can stop him because he believes that it is impossible for woods to climb a hill and all men are born to a woman.

The Witches also show Macbeth a long line of kings. These kings are the son and future sons of Banquo’s family. This seems to show that Macbeth’s family will not continue as future kings.

Macbeth receives a message that Macduff has left for England. He realises that Macduff is suspicious and has gone to join Malcolm. Macbeth orders Macduff’s wife and children to be killed.

Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking and having bad dreams because she feels guilty about murdering King Duncan. In her sleep, she talks about what happened. She imagines she can see blood on her hands and desperately tries to wash it away. She later kills herself.

Meanwhile, the English army, which is led by King Duncan’s son Malcolm, is approaching to challenge Macbeth for the Scottish throne. When Macbeth hears that his wife is dead, he feels that life is pointless.

A messenger tells Macbeth that he’s just seen some the woods moving up the hill towards the castle. Macbeth starts to realise that he has been tricked by the Witches, whose prophecies are starting to come true. The English army, hiding behind branches, is marching up the hill towards him.

The words “blood”, “bloody” and “bloodier” appear 41 times in the play. One example is the following line, spoken by Lady Macbeth in Act 5, scene 1.

Out, damned spot! Out, I say!.. Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?

The English army, led by Malcolm, come to fight Macbeth. Macduff has also joined forces with the English to defeat Macbeth. Macduff has been told that Macbeth has had his family murdered, and wants revenge.

Because of the visions shown to him by the Witches, Macbeth thinks no man “of woman born” can harm him. He goes out into the castle grounds and starts fighting.

Macduff confronts Macbeth in the battle. Despite the Witches warning him to beware of Macduff, Macbeth brags about his charmed life and invincibility. Macduff reveals that he was delivered by caesarean section, which, according to an interpretation of the Witches’ prophecy, means he is not “of woman born”. When Macbeth hears this, he realises that the Witches have tricked him once again.

Macbeth decides to die fighting, rather than surrender. Macduff chops Macbeth’s head off. Duncan’s son, Malcolm, is made king.