Temptations

MacBeth is a well respected man before he is seduced by Lady MacBeth and tempted by the witches.

At the beginning of the Act, Scotland is at war and they just won. The captain enter the room to deliver a message to King Duncan. He tells the King that MacBeth has won them the war. He took a man and cut him from the navel up to the chin. They give him the title “brave MacBeth.” Duncan decides that The Thane of Cawdor who was a trader needed to learn a lesson. Duncan also has a surprise in store for MacBeth. In act 1 scene 3, The witches who are dressed as nurses, and has also just killed The Captain are greeted by MacBeth and Banquo. Banquo and MacBeth insult the witches and ask what they’re doing. The witches respond to MacBeth chanting, "All hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!  All hail, MacBeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, MacBeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" They become very bewildered and Banquo wants to know more about his own future. They tell Banquo that he will bear generations of kings however he will not be one. The witches vanished in thin air. Right after the witches left and as they foretold he was crowned Thane of Cawdor. Later in the scene MacBeth has a soliloquy about how he want chance to crown him king. Lady MacBeth receives a note from the messenger while at her chamber. It’s a note about what has happened to MacBeth. Immediately Lady MacBeth wants more, she wants the fame and the riches and she will stop at nothing to get it.

Before Lady MacBeth gets MacBeth to kill King Duncan she seduces him.  She flirts and tells him how he will be a man. She says that he has no balls and if he ever wants to be a man he would do it. She also says that if she made a promise no matter how bad it was she would do it. After constantly fighting Lady MacBeth now gets MacBeth to kill Duncan himself. In Act 2 scene 2, Lady MacBeth says, “ Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t. “ This shows that Lady MacBeth is all talk and no action. She talked a lot about wanting to be a man and that MacBeth is less of a man if he doesn’t kill Duncan.  Duncan is now dead and MacBeth comes back to Lady MacBeth with the daggers. MacBeth is remorseful of his actions. Lady MacBeth gets upset of how guilty he is. When she notices the daggers she becomes frustrated with him, so she takes them back and places them on the guards. When she comes back she looks traumatized and has blood all over herself. She tells him that their hands are of the same color but she shame to where a heart so white. MacBeth and Lady MacBeth quickly go back to their chamber and washes their sins away. At the end of the act King Duncan is found dead in his bed and two bloody guards with daggers. MacBeth kills them so they won't have the chance to deny anything. Malcolm and Donalbain flee in fear that Scotland will think they killed their father. MacBeth is now granted the king of Scotland. MacBeth think he’s out of the clear but there are two very wise people who suspect how Duncan died.

At the very beginning of Act 3 Banquo has a soliloquy about his thoughts on Duncan’s death. He says, “Thou hast it now - king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weïrd women (witches) promised; and I fear Thou play’dst most foully for’t. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, But myself should be the root and father Of many kings.” After his soliloquy MacBeth walks in and invites Banquo to dinner to celebrate his promotion. Banquo accepts but then acts if though he wants to get away from MacBeth as soon as possible. MacBeth fears that he knows what he has done. MacBeth also fears that Banquo will bear generations of kings as the weïrd sisters told him. His fear leads to getting murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. While on the train back to the chamber the murders succeed in killing Banquo however Fleance escapes. Everyone arrives for dinner and takes their seats. While the table is being set up the murderers arrive to give MacBeth the news. MacBeth has a fit but calms down and gets back to dinner. As he is eating a ghost walks up on the table and heads straight for him. The ghost stops in front of him and points. MacBeth becomes terrified as the ghost resembles Banquo; bloody and beaten to death. Throughout dinner he sees Banquo and Lady MacBeth tells the guest to leave before MacBeth’s guilt becomes more than he can bear.

MacBeth decides to visit the weïrd sister to see his destiny in Act 4 scene 1. The witches once again gives him information to provoke him and make rash decisions.The witches sends Apparitions to answer his concerns. The first Apparition tells him, “MacBeth, MacBeth, MacBeth, beware MacDuff, Beware the Thane of Fife.” MacBeth now has no one to fear but MacDuff. The second Apparition tells him, “MacBeth, MacBeth, MacBeth.... Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn The pow’r of man, for none of woman born Shall harm MacBeth.” Now MacBeth is pretty sure that he will not fall to anyone. The third Apparition says, “ Be lion-mettled, proud and take no care Who chafes, frets, or where conspirers are. MacBeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against you.” MacBeth is now positive t`hat no man living can kill him. However he is terribly wrong. Thinking he can't be stopped he decides he will act on impulse. He goes after MacDuff not knowing he flead to receive help from England. MacBeth decides to kill MacDuff’s family instead. Meanwhile in England Malcolm and MacDuff gather and army and heads for Scotland.

In Act 5, the army from England has arrived. Lady MacBeth has just been announced dead when the messenger comes in to break some bad news. He says that as he watched Dunsinane hill he noticed the trees of Birnam Wood moving towards the hill. MacBeth was very shocked however he still thought no one could kill him because everyone is born of women. MacBeth later gets into fights with several different soldiers but he kills them. MacDuff has now found his way to MacBeth. MacDuff is ready to blow his brains out but MacBeth says no one born of woman shall harm him. MacDuff responds, “Despair thy charm And let the angel whom thou still hast served Tell thee, MacDuff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped.” MacBeth now realizes that he made a huge mistake and regrets what he did. MacDuff tell him that he can live and bow down to King Malcolm or die. MacBeth chooses death and so MacDuff cuts his head off. He’d rather die on his feet than live on his knees.