King Duncan hears that Macbeth and Banquo defeated two armies in battle. Duncan names Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor, as prophesied by three witches. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan so he can become king, as also prophesied. Macbeth kills Duncan and frames the servants. He is then named king, but grows paranoid after Banquo expresses doubts about Macbeth and the witches' prophecy. Macbeth hires men to murder Banquo and his son Fleance, though Fleance escapes. At a feast, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost and resolves to consult the witches again.

1. Macbeth
Acts 1-3

2. • King Duncan hears about how Macbeth and
Banquo (two Scottish generals) defeated two
armies, Macdonwald’s army and an invading
army from Norway. Duncan announces that
Macbeth will become the new thane of
Cawdor.

3. • Three witches wait for Macbeth after the
battle. When he and Banquo arrive, they tell
him that he will become the thane of
Cawdor and the future king (Macbeth
doesn’t know that he is the thane of Cawdor
yet). They also tell Banquo that his kids will
become kings. Once they get back king
Duncan names Macbeth the thane of
Cawdor and says he will visit his castle.

4. • Lady Macbeth reads a letter from Macbeth
that talks about the witches prophecy. She
decides to make a plan to kill Duncan, but she
worries that Macbeth is to soft to murder the
king. So she plans to manipulate him.

5. • Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he doesn’t
want to kill Duncan, she calls him a coward
and tells him that they will blame the murder
on the servants. He finally agrees to it.

6. • Macbeth waits for Lady Macbeth’s signal to
murder Duncan. He hallucinates a dagger in
front of him with blood on it. Once he hears
the signal he goes into Duncan’s room.

7. • Once he finishes, he comes out and tells Lady
Macbeth he will never sleep again. She tells
him to stop worrying or else he will ruin
everything. He says he can’t go back into the
room so she takes the daggers and leaves
them with the servants.

8. • They hear a knock at the door. He says that he
will never be able to wash the blood off his
hands, she tells him to snap out of it and put on
his night clothes. The porter opens the gate and
Macduff enters into the king’s room and finds
Duncan murdered.

9. • Macbeth goes into see, once he comes back
out he says he saw the servants with daggers
and he got so angry he killed them. Malcolm
and Donalbain (Duncan’s sons) flee to England
and Ireland because they fear they are in
danger. After they leave people begin to think
Malcolm and Donalbain got the servants to kill
their father.

10. • Macbeth is then made king. Banquo says he
thinks Macbeth committed the murder and
wonders if the witches prophecy will come
true for him. Macbeth tells Banquo to come to
his feast that night.

11. • Macbeth wants to get rid of Banquo because
the witches said his sons would become kings.
He hires two men to kill Banquo and his son
Fleance. The two murderers and a third (sent
by Macbeth) attack Banquo and Fleance.
Banquo is killed but Fleance escapes.

12. • As Macbeth walks into his feast, he sees one of
the murderers. The murderer tells him that
Banquo is dead but Fleance escaped. When
Macbeth goes to sit down he sees Banquo’s
bloody ghost sitting in his chair. He freaks out,
Lady Macbeth tells the guests that he has always
had fits. Macbeth keeps seeing apparitions and
Lady Macbeth tells everyone to leave. She scolds
him and tells him it was just hallucinations, he
says the problem is that he just isn’t used to
murder yet. Macbeth says he will go to the
witches the next day for answers.

13. • The witches meet with Hecate (the goddess of
witchcraft) Hecate is angry that the witches
told Macbeth about his future, but tells them
that when Macbeth returns they must
summon spirits to make him feel safe.

14. • In Scotland, Lennox talks with another noble
about how they suspect Macbeth in Banquo’s
murder. The noble tells Lennox that Macduff
has gone to England to ask for king Edward’s
help. Macbeth hears of this and starts
preparing for war.