MACBETH

by William Shakespeare

MACBETH

CHAPTER 1

In an open place, during a storm, there are three witches. They say they are going to meet Macbeth, the Scottish Lord of Glamis, when the battle will be finished. Duncan, King of Scotland, and his sons Malcolm and Donalbain are in their castle and they are worried because Macdonwald, a Scottish man, is now allied with the Norwegian King. A sergeant says that Macbeth has won the battle and he has killed Macdonwald, but the Norwegians soldiers start a new battle. Ross, a Scottish and rich man, tells that Macbeth has defeated the Lord of Cawdor and Duncan says that his riches are to be given to Macbeth. Ross has to deliver the news to Macbeth. *allied= be on the side of

Macbeth, after the battle, is going at home with his best friend Banquo, and they meet three witches; they tell to Macbeth that he will be Lord of Cawdor and also a king, and to Banquo that he will be the father of a line of kings. The witches disappear. Ross and Angus arrive and tell to Macbeth that he's going to be the Lord of Cawdor: Macbeth understands that what the three witches say is true! They arrive at the Castle of Duncan, who puts his son Malcolm as the prince of Cumberland. *Angus= a Scottish man, like Ross

CHAPTER 1

Lady Macbeth, the wife of Macbeth, receives a letter from him where he tells her about the three witches. She starts thinking that Macbeth should kill King Duncan, even though he might be scared. Macbeth arrives at the castle and he tells to Lady Macbeth that the king is going to stay there for the night. Macbeth doesn't want to kill him, but the woman convinces him: she says that she will purse wine, ale and drugs inside the drinks of the guards of the king, so they won't remember anything, and Macbeth will put some king's blood on them and the daggers near them ,so the people will think that the guards killed the king and Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will be safe. *ale= beer *daggers= sharp knives

CHAPTER 2

Banquo is with his son, Fleance, and they meet Macbeth. Banquo gives a ring to Macbeth for Lady Macbeth from King Duncan to thank her for her hospitality. The best friend of Macbeth wants to talk with him about the three witches, but Macbeth doesn't, so Banquo and his son go to sleep. Macbeth tells a servant to tell Lady Macbeth to ring a bell when the drink for the guards will be ready. While Macbeth is waiting, he starts seeing a dagger that doesn't exist, because he's going to kill the king and he's afraid. The bell rings and Macbeth is ready to kill the king. Lady Macbeth hears a sound and she is afraid that the guards might wake up.

CHAPTER 3

Macbeth kills the king and he tells to Lady Macbeth that the noise she hears is the guards talking: they seem to know what's happening, but they don't have a reaction because they are drunk and drugged. The guards are praying! Macbeth would like to say "Amen", but he can't for what he has just done. He starts crying and he hears a voice saying "sleep no more" because he has killed the king while he was asleep. Lady Macbeth orders Macbeth to take the daggers back because he forgot, but he doesn't want to, so Lady Macbeth does it. Macbeth, alone, hears a knocking and he's scared because after killing the King Duncan, every noise scares him. Lady Macbeth returns and she hears the knocking too. They go to their room and she washes Macbeth's hands from the blood of the king.

CHAPTER 3

Macduff and Lennox come to visit the king. Macduff enters the room, while Lennox stays out with Macbeth. Macduff, after seeing the king's body, starts agitating and he rings the alarm bell. People in the castle don't want to accept the tragedy. Lennox says that the guards has killed tha king and Macbeth says that he has killed the guards to revenge. Lady Macbeth becomes unconscious. Banquo wants to solve the crime, but Malcolm decises to go to England and Donalbain to Ireland because someone killed their father and they were afraid that someone might kill them too. Ross goes to the castle, he meet his father and they start talking about the injustice that happened. *unconscious= to lose consciousness *injustice= when something is not fair

CHAPTER 4

Macbeth starts thinking that Banquo could be a problem for him, because Banquo would have been the father of a line of kings while Macbeth was the king, so he decises to kill Banquo; he invites him in an evening party, but Banquo wants to go on a ride with Fleance, and now Macbeth wants to know more information about the ride, because he wants to share it with the murderers of the man. Macbeth decises to kill Fleance too. Macbeth is afraid and Lady Macbeth tries to encourage him, but he says that his mind is full of scorpion because of what he has done and what he continues to do. The murderers kill Banquo, but Fleance escapes. *murderers= people who kill

CHAPTER 5

During the party, Macbeth talks with one of the murderers of Banquo and he finds out that Fleance escaped. He wants to sit at the table with Ross and other men, but the ghost of Banquo is sitten at Macbeth's place, but only Macbeth can see it. He becomes crazy and Lady Macbeth tries to help him and the people leave the room. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are alone and he says that he wants to meet again the three witches and know something more. Hecate, the goddes of witchcraft, is unhappy with the three witches because they didn't ask her advice to predict Macbeth and Banquo's future. After the party, Lennox visits a nobleman and they start thinking about the death of king Duncan and Banquo. They also say that Macduff is now in England and he doesn't want a a tyrant in Scotland. When Macbeth finds it out, he wants to start a war. *witchcraft= magical practices *nobleman= rich man

CHAPTER 6

In a house, the three witches start preparing a magical potion, Hecate compliments to them and they start singing around the cauldron. Macbeth arrives and he gets his prediction: he must be careful of Macduff, he can't be hurt from a man born from a woman and he will be safe until Great Birnam Wood moves to his castle to fight against him. Macbeth asks if Banquo's sons will ever reign in Scotland and the three witches show him eight kings marching in front of his eyes; the last one has a mirror where Macbeth can see many more men: they are Banquo's descendants! The three witches disappear. Lennox arrives and Macbeth asks him if he saw the three witches, but he didn't: he says they were three messangers who said that Macduff is gone to England. Macbeth decises to kill Macduff's wife and children. *cauldron= large magic pot, typical of witches *prediction= announcement of an event *descendants= someone who is relative of a person who lived in the past

CHAPTER 7

In England, Malcolm and Macduff walk together and Malcolm pretends to be an evil man to see if Macduff is betraying him, and Macduff proves to be loyal. They meet with Ross, who says to Macduff that Macbeth has killed his wife and his children. Macduff wants a revenge, so he prepares the army to go to Scotland. *to betray= to break a pact *loyal= showing support to a person

CHAPTER 8

In Macbeth's castle, a doctor, with a lady, speaks about Lady Macbeth's health. The lady says that Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking. Then, Lady Macbeth enters the room while she is asleep and she starts moving her hands like she is washing them from the blood, because her husband and her have done many bad things. After this, she decides to go to bed. The army of Macduff is preparing to march towards Birnam Wood. Macbeth is in his castle and he suggests the doctor to give to Lady Macbeth a potion which can delate her memory, but the doctor doesn't accept.

CHAPTER 9

Now, the army of Macduff decides that every soldier should grab branches from the trees, so that the other army can't know the exact number of Macduff's army. Inside the castle, Lady Macbeth starts crying and Macbeth sends Seyton, his attendant, to control her, and he finds out that the woman is dead: she suicided herself. Macbeth says that she would have died anyway and he doesn't seem worried.

CHAPTER 9

A messanger comes to Macbeth and tells him that the wood is starting moving: it's the army of the enemies. Macbeth starts understanding that the prediction was true. The battle starts and Macbeth kills Young Seyward. Macduff finds Macbeth: they start fighting and, during the fight, they talk to eachother and Macduff says that he was born by a caesarean section, so he was the man not born of a woman. Macduff kills Macbeth. Ross says to Seyward that his son is dead. Macduff arrives with Macbeth's head in his hand and Malcolm becomes the new King of Scotland. *army= group of soldiers *caesarean section= when a baby is born by cutting his mother's belly

CHAPTER 10