Macbeth
History
The play begins with two of the generals, Macbeth and Banquo,
returning victorious from a battle. They meet three witches who
prophesy that Macbeth will become the first Thane of Cawdor and then
the king, and that Banquo will be the father of a lineage of kings.
Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth decides to kill King Duncan when he
visits his castle.
After Duncan's murder in his sleep, the king's sons, Malcolm and
Donalbain, flee the country and Macbeth is made king. But afraid of the
witches' prophecy on banquo, he decides that banquo and his son are
killed on horseback. Banquo is killed, but his son escapes. Haunted by
Banquo's ghost, Macbeth consults the witches, who tell him to beware of
Macduff. So Macbeth orders his soldiers to attack Macduff's castle and
kill his wife and children. Meanwhile, plagued by the horror of what they
have done, Lady Macbeth goes mad and kills herself. Macduff and
Malcolm's army attack Macbeth's castle in Dunsinane. Macduff kills
Macbeth and Malcolm becomes king of Scotland.
Themes
Macbeth is considered a tragedy in which the hero's ambition is the
cause of his downfall. In reality, Macbeth is a play about the nature of
power and the idea of the fatality of history. The witches are the engine
of the entire plot, and Macbeth's response to their prophecies is
contradictory. although, he begins to "believe" what he predicts, he is
convinced that he is the one who writes his story of him and that some
prophecies can be avoided, but it is not. After the first murder, Macbeth
sees only enemies around him. The more he tries to secure his position by
eliminating those around him, the more fragile he becomes.
