Page 110 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes and eventually King of Scotland. Thus prophecy sets Macbeth’s plot in motion—namely, the witches’
prophecy that Macbeth will become first thane of Cawdor and then king. The weird sisters make a
number of other prophecies: they tell us that Banquo’s heirs will be kings, that Macbeth should
beware Macduff, that Macbeth is safe till Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane, and that no man born
of woman can harm Macbeth. Save for the prophecy about Banquo’s heirs, all of these predictions
are fulfilled within the course of the play.
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. The main theme
of Macbeth—the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints—finds
its most powerful expression in the play’s two main characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish
general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and
advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia.
Toward the end of the play he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful madness. Visions and
hallucinations recur throughout the play and serve as reminders of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s
joint culpability for the growing body count. Macbeth is a famously violent play. Interestingly, most
of the killings take place offstage, but throughout the play the characters provide the audience with
gory descriptions of the carnage, from the opening scene where the captain describes Macbeth and
Banquo wading in blood on the battlefield, to the endless references to the bloodstained hands of
Macbeth and his wife.
Here in this unit details of plot construction and the themes explored in the play have been described.

8.1 Plot Construction
The first act of the play opens amidst thunder and lightning with the Three Witches deciding that
their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. In the following scene, a wounded sergeant reports to
King Duncan of Scotland that his generals—Macbeth, who is the Thane of Glamis, and Banquo —
have just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland, who were led by the traitor Macdonwald.
Macbeth, the King’s kinsman, is praised for his bravery and fighting prowess.
The scene changes. Macbeth and Banquo enter, discussing the weather and their victory. As they
wander onto a heath, the Three Witches enter, who have waited to greet them with prophecies. Even
though Banquo challenges them first, they address Macbeth. The first witch hails Macbeth as “Thane
of Glamis,” the second as “Thane of Cawdor,” and the third proclaims that he shall “be King hereafter.”
Macbeth appears to be stunned to silence, so again Banquo challenges them. The witches inform
Banquo that he will father a line of kings, though he himself will not be one. While the two men
wonder at these pronouncements, the witches vanish, and another thane, Ross, a messenger from the
King, arrives and informs Macbeth of his newly bestowed title: Thane of Cawdor. The first prophecy
is thus fulfilled. Immediately, Macbeth begins to harbour ambitions of becoming king.

Macbeth writes to his wife about the witches’ prophecies. When Duncan decides to
stay at the Macbeths’ castle at Inverness, Lady Macbeth hatches a plan to murder him and
secure the throne for her husband. Although Macbeth raises concerns about the regicide,
Lady Macbeth eventually persuades him, by challenging his manhood, to follow her plan.

On the night of the king’s visit, Macbeth hallucinates before entering Duncan’s quarters, believing
he sees a bloody dagger. Macbeth later reunites with his wife, having done the deed. He is so shaken
that Lady Macbeth has to take charge. In accordance with her plan, she frames Duncan’s sleeping
servants for the murder by placing bloody daggers on them. Early the next morning, Lennox, a
Scottish nobleman, and Macduff, the loyal Thane of Fife, arrive. A porter opens the gate and Macbeth
leads them to the king’s chamber, where Macduff discovers Duncan’s corpse. In a feigned fit of

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