Category: Writing

Characters in order of appearance:

First Witch
Hecate

Time: Unknown

Summary:
The witches again meet at an open place, this time with Hecate, the goddess of witches, who sounds angry. Hecate lays into the weird sisters in a lengthy, rhyming soliloquy. She’s super irritated that they were meddling in the affairs of Macbeth without consulting her first, as she would’ve done a better job. She points out that Macbeth isn’t devoted to them but only to himself. But, fine, Hecate will clean up this mess. She tells them to all meet in the morning when Macbeth will come to know his destiny, whatever that means. Then there’s a  witch song and dance and they leave.

Characters in order of appearance:

Macbeth
Lords
Lady Macbeth
First Murderer
Lennox
Ross

Time: Night

Summary:
At the dinner party, the couple welcomes their guests. When the first murderer enters as everyone is being seated, Macbeth quickly goes to see him, and the murderer says he has killed Banquo but Fleance has escaped. Macbeth re-enters the room, then, Banquo’s ghost shows up but because the ghost is silent, he gets to creep around before anyone notices. While the guests are busy having a good time, Macbeth raises a toast and calls special attention to Banquo’s absence. He hopes Banquo is just running late or being rude and that nothing bad has happened to him, this is quite ironic as Banquo’s ghost is in the room. Again Macbeth is invited to sit on the spot where Banquo’s ghost is sitting. Macbeth goes into a hysterical fit, and the lords all take notice. Lady Macbeth excuses her husband for these “momentary” fits he has had since childhood. She urges them to keep eating, and then corners Macbeth, who is still hysterical. Lady Macbeth asks if Macbeth is a man because he’s not acting like one so much as he is acting like a sissy. She tells him to get it together—there’s nothing but a stool in front of him. This “ghost” business is all in his head. Meanwhile, Macbeth is discoursing with the ghost that only he sees, and then it disappears. He swears to Lady Macbeth that the ghost was there, and then laments that it used to be that when you dashed a man’s brains out he would die. Everything is just getting back to normal when the ghost reappears. Again Macbeth calls out a toast to the missing Banquo (he’s just asking for it now). When he sees that the ghost has returned, Macbeth screams at him for being so spooky. He says if Banquo were to appear in any physical form—even a Russian bear—Macbeth would take him on, no problem. The ghost leaves again and Macbeth tells everyone to stay put.  Lady Macbeth lets him know that he’s killed the mood. It’s pretty clear the party’s over.  Macbeth tries to recover, and he even questions everyone else asking how they can be so calm in the face of such horrible sights. Um…what sights? they want to know. Lady Macbeth tells the concerned lords to leave immediately. Pronto. NOW. After they exit, Macbeth philosophizes that blood will have blood. In other words, this ain’t over yet. Morning is now approaching, and Macbeth points out that Macduff never showed at the party. He lets out that he has had a spy in Macduff’s house. He promises to go to the witches the next day and says that he’s so far into this bloody business that there’s no turning back now. Lady Macbeth suggests that maybe he just needs a good night’s sleep, and so they go off to bed.

Characters in order of appearance:

First Murderer
Third Murderer
Second Murderer
Banquo

Time: Night

Summary:
The hired murderers met, and when they heard horses a signal was given, and his son Fleance were attacked. One of the murderers blew out the lantern and the job was left half done because although Banquo was killed, Fleance escaped.

Characters in order of appearance:

Lady Macbeth
Servant
Macbeth

Time: Evening

Summary:
This scene shows the audience the unseen thoughts of the ambitious pair. When the hired murderers take their place waiting for Banquo, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth meet in secret. She attempts to soothe his troubled mind and thoughts but she too feels the same troubles herself. By killing the king, this has come with more difficulties than they had originally thought. Macbeth then reveals his plan to kill Banquo much to the surprise of Lady Macbeth.

Characters in order of appearance:

Banquo
Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Servant
First Murderer
Second Murderer

Time: Evening

Summary:
At Macbeth’s Palace in Forres, Banquo thinks about the encounter of the witches and Macbeth’s coronation. The witches predicted that Macbeth would become king and that Banquo’s line would eventually sit on the throne. He thinks if Macbeth has now become king, when will Banquo’s line sit on the throne? Macbeth enters as King along with Lady Macbeth and the court. He and Lady Macbeth ask Banquo to come to the dinner they are having that same night, and Banquo says he will come after he goes on a horse ride with his son. Banquo leaves, and Macbeth dismisses his court. He is left alone in the hall with a servant who says there are some men that have come to see him, and Macbeth tells the servant he wants to see them. The two men come in and Macbeth asks them if they are angry enough to kill Banquo, and the say yes. Macbeth reminds him to kill his son Fleance too and tells them to wait in the castle for his command.

Characters in order of appearance:
Old Man
Ross
Macduff

Time: Afternoon

Summary:
On his way from the castle, the Thane of Ross encounters an Old Man, who confirms the widespread reports of disruption in the natural world. Macduff comes into the scene and says king Duncan has been buried. He also says that his sons have fled and that the kingship has passed on to Macbeth. Notice that the prophecies mention by the witches in act 1 have been completed.

Quote by old man:
OLD MAN

Characters in order of appearance:
Porter
Macduff
Lennox
Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Donalbain

Time:
Morning of the following day.

Summary:
Macduff is talking with a porter who says he was drinking until 3 am. Lennox says good morning to Macbeth who has entered. Lennox goes to wake the king, and come back screaming he’s dead. Macduff sees for himself. The Kings guards are blamed.

Quote from Macduff:

Characters:
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth

Time: Sometime past Midnight

Summary:
Lady Macbeth has come back to her room just after she has drugged the King Duncan’s guards. She meets Macbeth in the in the lower courtyard as he comes out of the king’s room itself,  and the things he says obviously portrays his conscience because of his evil acts.  Lady Macbeth critiques and criticises him. The success of their plot is also in jeopardy because Macbeth has brought the daggers with him, and he has blood all over himself. Lady Macbeth returns to the scene of the murder in order to place the daggers and to smear the king’s sleeping servants with blood, a deed that presents her with none of the horrors that now affects Macbeth. As the scene closes, we hear, with the Macbeth’s, a loud and persistent knocking at the door.

Characters:
Banquo
Fleance
Macbeth

Location:
Macbeth’s Castle, Glamis.

Time:
Near Midnight

Summary:
Banquo and his son Fleance are at Macbeth’s inner court in Macbeth’s castle in Glamis. They’re both feeling a bit off. Then Macbeth enters with a servant and Banquo says that now Macbeth is Thane of Cawdor he should be relaxing because of the good news.

Characters:
Macbeth
Lady Macbeth

Location:
Macbeth’s Castle

Time:
Midday-Evening

Summary:
Macbeth is alone in one of the rooms in the castle and has second thoughts about killing King Duncan. He knows how powerful he could potentially be, but also knows the consequences of his actions if he is caught. Lady Macbeth comes in and basically tells him that his second thoughts are nonsense, and if she were him she would have done it. She feels strongly about the actions they are going to take and persuades her husband into doing the deed.

Quote:

 ” LADY MACBETH