Act 1-3 Summary

By Megha Soni

Act 1 Scene 1

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZcFnZ2ZMR0

• The Story starts of with the three weird sister (witches) planning their meeting with Macbeth. They plan to meet upon the heath, after the battle is over. They disapear right before Macbeth, the thane of Glamis, and Banquo, the Scottish General in the king’s army, arrive.

Act 1 Scene 2

• Here, King Duncan hears of Macbeths great courage through out the battle against the Irish. He decides that the title of Thane of Cawdor will be given to Macbeth. The previous Thane had been a traitor and was put to death. This decision is made at a military camp away from Macbeth and Banquo and messengers are sent to notify them or this great news.

Act 1 Scene 3

• The Witches were awaiting Macbeth and Banquo and as they arrive the three witches great him with Than of Glamis, Cawdor and the King. He was surprised at this because he was only the Thane of Glamis and wonder why the witches had said that. Banquo also asks for his fate and is told that he will not be king but his sons will. Macbeths asks them to explain further but they disappear. Later messengers arrive telling Macbeth of him being the new Thane or Cawdor and wonder if the other prediction would come true as well.

Act 1 Scene 4

• Banquo and Macbeth arrive at the king’s castle and discuss the battle with the King. The king notifies him personally on his new title and Macbeth expresses gratitude. King Duncan makes plans to come to Macbeths home and Macbeth goes first to tell him wife of the king’s arrival.

Act 1 Scene 5

• Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth and hears of the encounter with the witches and his new titles. She realizes that it is necessary to kill the king for Macbeth to claim that title as well but knows he’s is too kind of a man. Once he arrives home Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill the king using her manipulative speech.

Act 1 Scene 6

• The king arrives and is kind to Lady Macbeth for her hospitality and she replies with it being her duty. He asks to go inside to meet Macbeth and enters.

Act 1 Scene 7

• Macbeth spends the evening sketching over what he was possibly about to do because he was more concerned about what other bad deed must follow. He is then pressured by his wife and told that after the murder they put the blood of the king on his servants and hold them guilty. He proceeds with the murder and hallucinates during it.

Act 1 Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC9G_CZVAL8

Act 2 Scene 1

AS Macbeth makes his way toward the king’s, he bumps Banquo with his son Fleance. Banquo couldnt sleep and explains to Macbeth that he has been dreaming of Witches they saw. They arranging to meet again in order to discuss the matter further. As he is about to enter the room, he sees a dagger indicating the way to the Duncan. Convinced that "there's no such thing," he climbs to the king's chamber.

Act 2 Scene 2

Lady Macbeth now meets her husband in the lower courtyard after drugging the servants. Macbeth's conscience is clearly disturbed by what he has done, and once more his wife criticizes his lack of firmness. Macbeth brought the daggers with him which could get them in trouble. Lady Macbeth returns to the murder site to place the daggers and to smear the king's sleeping servants with blood. The scene closes with a loud and persistent knocking at the door.

Act 2 Scene 3

The knocking continues, but the porter does not immediately open the door. He plays a game with himself in which he imagines himself as the porter of hell and jokes about the kind of sinners he might let in. Eventually, however, he opens the door to Lennox and Macduff, who have been commanded to call upon the king to arrange the royal departure. It is early morning, and most of those in the castle are still asleep. One who is not is Macbeth, and he directs Macduff to the king's chamber. The news breaks: King Duncan has been murdered. Macbeth acts very suspicious, and lady Macbeth faints. Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, thinking themselves open to the charge of murdering their father, plan to flee to England and Ireland.

Act 2 Scene 4

Thane of Ross encounters an Old Man while exiting the castle, who confirms the widespread reports of disruption in the natural world. Macduff appears with fresh news that Duncan is buried, that his sons have fled, and that the kingship has passed to Macbeth.

Act 2 Video

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQOyiHDptU&list=PL8C46E50305745D26

Act 3 Scene 1

Banquo is suspicious Macbeth but gains comfort from the second part of the Witches' prediction that his own children will be kings. Having announced his intention to go riding with Fleance, Banquo is persuaded by the Macbeths to return later that evening to their new palace at Forres for a special feast. However, Macbeth realizes that the Witches' prophecy regarding Banquo represents a threat to his own position. Unable to endure the thought of Banquo's descendants claiming his position, Macbeth summons two hired murderers and confirms with them prior arrangements for the killing of Banquo and Fleance.

Act 3 Scene 2As the hired killers make their way toward Banquo, Macbeth and his wife meet secretly. His wife attempts to soothe his troubled mind but ironically feels the same doubts herself. Killing the king has provided them with many more difficulties than they first envisioned. To the astonishment of his wife, Macbeth reveals his plan to murder Banquo.

Act 3 Scene 3

Hired murderers meet as arranged. On hearing approaching horses, a signal is given, and Banquo and his son Fleance are attacked. The murderers' lantern is accidentally extinguished, and the job is left half-done: Although Banquo is killed, Fleance escapes.

Act 3 Scene 4Macbeth and his wife host the thanes of Scotland to the banquet. Immediately prior to the feast, one of the murderers appears at a side door and reveals to Macbeth the truth about the mission: their success in the killing of Banquo and their failure to murder Fleance. Macbeth recomposes himself and returns to the table. As he raises a toast to his absent friend, he imagines he sees the ghost of Banquo. As with the ethereal dagger, the ghost of Banquo appears to come and go, propelling Macbeth into alternating fits of courage and despair. Lady Macbeth invites the thanes to depart and, once alone, tries one last time to soothe her husband. But Macbeth's paranoid mind is already on to the next murder, that of Macduff. He decides to visit the Weird Sisters once more to gain more knowledge.

Act 3 Scene 5

Hecate, the classical goddess of the lower world who represents the spirit of ancient witchcraft, calls the weird sisters to her to complain that her own part in Macbeth's downfall has been overlooked and that she now wishes personally to make his downfall complete

Act 3 Scene 6Lennox argument is that those who might be immediately suspected of murdering their kinsmen are less likely to have done so than Macbeth, who had killed the guards of Duncan's chamber so hastily. Although Lennox is prepared to accept Macbeth's actions, he cannot help feeling deeply suspicious of him. The other lord reveals to Lennox that Macduff has fled from Scotland to join forces with Malcolm in England. Moreover, they have requested help from England's King Edward the Confessor. Both Lennox and the other lord pray that God's vengeance may swiftly fall on the tyrannical Macbeth and that Scotland may return to peace once more.

Act 3 Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8riYRDFp7A&list=PL8C46E50305745D26

Bibliography

"BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales - Macbeth - Part 1." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 31 July 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=LC9G_CZVAL8>.

"BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales - Macbeth - Part 3." YouTube. YouTube, 04 May 2008. Web. 31 July 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8riYRDFp7A>.

"BBC Shakespeare Animated Tales - Macbeth - Part 2." YouTube. YouTube, 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 31 July 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZQOyiHDptU>.