Macbeth

Synopsis

Read Shakespeare's plays in all their brilliance-and understand what every word means!
 
Don't be intimidated by Shakespeare! These popular guides make the Bard's plays accessible and enjoyable.

Each No Fear guide contains:

• The complete text of the original play
• A line-by-line translation that puts the words into everyday language
• A complete list of characters, with descriptions
• Plenty of helpful commentary

Summary

Chapter 1

* Three witches prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and Scotland.
* Macbeth's ambition is inflamed, and he plans to murder King Duncan.
* Example: "Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness."

Chapter 2

* Macbeth murders Duncan and becomes king.
* Lady Macbeth drives him to madness and sleeplessness.
* Example: "This is a sorry sight."

Chapter 3

* Macbeth orders the deaths of Banquo and Macduff.
* Banquo's ghost haunts Macbeth, driving him further into madness.
* Example: "Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?"

Chapter 4

* Macduff and Malcolm, Duncan's son, plan to overthrow Macbeth.
* Macbeth receives another prophecy from the witches: he cannot be harmed until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill.
* Example: "I have lived long enough: my way of life / Is fall'n into the sere, the yellow leaf."

Chapter 5

* Malcolm and Macduff's army approaches Dunsinane Hill.
* Macbeth fights valiantly but is defeated.
* Example: "I shall win; / I bear a charmed life which must not yield / To one of woman born."

Overall Summary

"Macbeth" is a tragedy by William Shakespeare that tells the story of a Scottish nobleman who murders his king and becomes a tyrant. The play explores themes of ambition, guilt, madness, and the supernatural. The protagonist, Macbeth, is a complex and tragic figure who succumbs to his own ambition and is ultimately destroyed by it.