Shakespeare’s Macbeth - Macbeth - Shakespeare - KS3 English - �鶹�� Bitesize

Key points

Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare that tells the story of a Scottish nobleman called Macbeth.
The play follows the story of Macbeth, its , as he becomes increasingly powerful and turns to murder to get what he wants.
In the beginning, Macbeth is manipulated by his wife, Lady Macbeth, who encourages his ambition and violence.
Although Macbeth succeeds in becoming king, he quickly loses support and is killed by Macduff.

Did you know?

The character Macbeth is based on a real king from Scottish history, Mac Bethad mac Findláich.

Shakespeare made lots of changes to the facts to make the play more dramatic.

Images of a quill and ink pot, purple question mark and William Shakespeare above an open book.

How does Shakespeare’s play differ from history?

Plot summary

A timeline showing the key events of Macbeth. Each event is connected by a bloody line. The first event shows Macbeth and Banquo meeting the Witches, the second shows Lady Macbeth touching Macbeth's face, encouraging him to murder the king. Macbeth is thinking about being king; there is a crown in a thought bubble above his head. The next image shows Macbeth stabbing the king, and the image after that shows a dead Banquo lying on the ground covered in blood. The next event is Macbeth going back to the Witches for more predictions, followed by Macduff swearing revenge on Macbeth with an angry expression on his face. The next image shows Lady Macbeth with her head in her bloody hands as she feels guilty about the murder of the king. The final image shows Macduff cutting Macbeth's head off with a sword.

Macbeth’s key moments

Click through the slideshow to see Macbeth’s key moments

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Image caption,
Macbeth and Banquo meet the Witches
Three witches predict great things for Macbeth.
Image caption,
Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth about the Witches’ prophecies
Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan to take the throne.
Image caption,
Macbeth kills King Duncan
Macbeth kills King Duncan and becomes King of Scotland.
Image caption,
Macbeth has Banquo murdered
Macbeth remembers what the Witches said about Banquo’s sons becoming kings of Scotland. Macbeth sends assassins to murder Banquo and his son, but his son, Fleance, escapes. Later that evening, Macbeth is haunted by the ghost of Banquo.
Image caption,
Macbeth starts to believe he is invincible
Macbeth goes to see the Witches again. They tell him that no one “of woman born” can harm him and he thinks that he is invincible.
Image caption,
The death of Macbeth
Macbeth puts on his armour, thinking that he is invincible. But Macduff, who was born by caesarean section, is able to kill Macbeth and chops his head off. The Witches have tricked him.

Macbeth’s personality

Macbeth is a complicated character, who shows a range of personalities at different points in the play.

Ambitious
Macbeth is determined to become king, and Lady Macbeth uses this to control him. Macbeth becomes increasingly violent to try and fulfil his ambition.

Superstitious
Macbeth believes the Witches when he first meets them and returns to meet them for more predictions later in the play.

Guilty
Following the murder of Duncan, Macbeth is consumed with guilt and is surrounded by death and violence.

Violent
Macbeth is a violent character who becomes trapped in a cycle of bloodshed and conflict.

Brave
At the start of the play Shakespeare shows Macbeth as a brave and loyal soldier. He is rewarded for his bravery with the title ‘Thane of Cawdor’ At the end of the play, Macbeth decides to fight even though he knows that he will likely die.

Changes in character

A cartoon showing Macbeth's character development over the play. Three images show him as a brave warrior, being too ambitious, then finally a hated tyrant..

Which of these statements is true?

Macbeth is controlled and manipulated by Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth has to persuade Lady Macbeth to murder King Duncan.
Macbeth shows no guilt immediately after murdering King Duncan.

Relationships

Lady Macbeth
At the start of the play, Macbeth trusts his wife and they have a close relationship. Lady Macbeth controls and dominates Macbeth. However, Macbeth then goes on to commit more violence without his wife’s influence. Becoming king and queen does not bring them happiness and they are eventually driven apart.

A timeline of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship:

A timeline of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth's relationship. Each event is connected by a bloody line. The first image shows the letter Macbeth wrote to Lady Macbeth telling her of the Witches' predictions. The second images shows Lady Macbeth persuading her husband to kill Duncan. Macbeth has a crown in a thought bubble above his head. The third image shows Lady Macbeth planting daggers on the sleeping guards to frame them for Duncan's murder. The fourth image shows Lady Macbeth trying to calm her angry husband down when he can see Banquo's ghost. The fifth image shows Lady Macbeth and Macbeth with arrows behind them pointing in the opposite direction - this shows that they don't appear onstage together after Act 3. The final image shows Lady Macbeth's grave after she has killed herself.

Banquo
The play begins with Macbeth and Banquo as friends. However, as the play develops, Banquo starts to suspect that Macbeth has killed King Duncan. Macbeth believes that Banquo’s son, Fleance, threatens his position as king. Macbeth has Banquo murdered and tries to murder Fleance, who escapes.

Macduff
Macduff is loyal to King Duncan and he follows Malcolm to England to support his fight against Macbeth. When he learns of the murders of his wife and family, Macduff feels guilty about leaving them and driven by a need for revenge. At the end of the play he kills Macbeth and Malcolm is declared the new King of Scotland.

The Witches
Initially the Witches appear to help Macbeth, however, they actually contribute to his downfall. They trick Macbeth and encourage his violent actions.

A photograph of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth sat down. Macbeth’s arm is around Lady Macbeth and she is wearing his crown. — Image caption,
Lady Macbeth wearing her husband’s crown

This image is taken from a 2016 production of Macbeth starring Tara Fitzgerald as Lady Macbeth and Ray Fearon as Macbeth. What does it show the audience about the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

Activity - Order it

What do these key quotations mean?

For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name …

Soldier
Act 1, scene 2

Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?

Macbeth
Act 2, scene 3

O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!

Macbeth
Act 3, scene 2

Dead butcher

Malcolm
Act 5, scene 7

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