
General Information
Title: Macbeth
Autor: William Shakespeare (edited by J.H. Walter)
First published: 1606 (this edition 1962)
Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd., 1994
Genre: Tragedy play

Summary
Act one
Three witches are introduced. They decide to meet each other again on
the heath in order to meet Macbeth. They assent their evil by saying
Fair is foul and foul is fair(p39)

A bleeding captain tells King Duncan about Macbeths victory in battle
with the Norwegians.
Ross and Agnus enter. Ross tells King Duncan about the battle at Fife.
The Thane of Cawdor deserted to the enemy and joined the army of the
Norwegian king Sweno. Macbeth and his army defeated the Norwegians. King
Duncan is very impressed and orders Ross to find Macbeth and give him
the title of Thane of Cawdor.

Macbeth and Banquo arrive on the heath and are confronted by the three
witches. They wonder whether they are real women or not. The witches
call Macbeth Thane of Cawdor and say that he will be the next king.
Banquo asks the witches if they also have some predictions for him. They
answer that he will be lesser than Macbeth, and greater; not so happy,
yet much happier and Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none(p.49).
Macbeth wants to know more, but the witches vanish. Macbeth and Banquo
are wondering if they are insane.
Ross and Agnus enter. Ross meets Macbeth and Banquo and tells them that
Duncan has given the title of Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth.
The first prediction has come true. Macbeth thinks about killing King
Duncan so he can be King.
Macbeth and Banquo are going to visit the King.

Duncan thanks Macbeth and Banquo for their victory. Duncan tells them
his son Malcolm will inherit the throne. Macbeth invites the King to his
house.

Macbeth writes to his wife about the prediction of the witches and that
the King will come to visit their house.
Lady Macbeth sees this oppurtunity to kill the King and make Macbeth
King of Scotland. Macbeth arrives and his wife says he has to kill the
King.

Duncan arrives and thanks Lady Macbeth for her kind welcome. Lady
Macbeth pays her respects to the King. Duncan asks for Macbeth.
Macbeth has doubts about murdering the King, because he is his kinsman
and his host and King Duncan is a good King. But Lady Macbeth convinces
him and he agrees.
They will put drugs in the wine of the chamberlains, so they fall
asleep. Then they will take their daggers and kill Duncan, so the
chamberlains will be accused of killing the King.


Act two

Macbeth has a vision of a dagger covered with blood and it moves into
the direction of Duncan's room. Lady Macbeth has given Duncan's servants
drink, to make them sleepy. Macbeth has killed Duncan, but he is now
afraid of being caught.
Macbeth hears a voice with says that he won't be able to sleep anymore.

The next morning the murder is discovered and everybody is shocked.
Macbeth kills the two servants who are covered in blood. Macduff, the
son of Banquo seems to have some doubts, since he asks Macbeth why he
killed them. Duncans sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and
Ireland

Macduff says that Malcolm and Donalbain, because they are fled, are
suspected of paying the servants to kill Duncan. He says that Macbeth is
crowned in Scone. Ross is going to Scone.

Macbeth is afraid for Banquo, because Banquos son will be king. He
hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance.

Act three

The murderers succeed in killing Banquo, but Fleance escapes. There is a
party at the palace. Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo sitting on his
chair. He becomes really crazy. Lady Macbeth tells the guests that this
is an usual habit of Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth says that the lords must go now. Macbeth is afraid
something will happen to him. Macduff didn't come to the party and he
doesn't no why. Macbeth has sent someone to Macduff to look after him.
The next day he will go to the witches and find out what his future
holds.

Act four
Macbeth consults the witches. He gets three apparitions:
? an armed head :he has to beware of Macduff,
? a bloody child : none of woman born shall harm Macbeth
? a child crowned, with a tree in his hand : Macbeth shall never be
vanquished, until Great Birnam Wood will come to Dunsinane hill
(p.147)
They also show him a line of eight Kings. The last with a glass in his
hand. In the glass Macbeth sees Macduff as a King.
The witches vanish. Macbeth will murder the whole family of Macduff

Lady Macduff doesn't accept that her man has fled. Lady Macduff tells
her son that his father is death. A messenger enters and he tells that
they must fled, because a danger is coming. A little while the murderers
come in. Son is killed.

In England Malcolm tests Macduff and with an army they return to
Scotland. Macduff is told his wife and child have been killed.

Act five
Lady Macbeth has gone mad. Macbeth is worried about her.
The army of Malcolm is on his way to Birnam Wood. It consists of many
young men, who have deserted Macbeth and turned against him. Macbeth
isnt afraid because of the prediction of the witches. Soon after a
messenger says that there are 10.000 soldiers on their way to his
palace. Macbeth asks Seyton, his servant, to bring him his armour.

The soldiers in Malcolms army have to cut off the bough from a tree of
Birnamwood and camouflage themselves. They decide to attack him. So now
the wood is actually moving to Dunsinane Hill

Lady Macbeth has killed herself. A messenger tells Macbeth that the wood
is moving. Macbeth decides to fight until the end.
The army of Malcolm is ready to attack. Theyve reached Dunsinane Hill.
There is a fight between young Siward and Macbeth. Young Siward dies.
Macduff wants to fight Macbeth. He wants to take revenge.

Macbeth fights with Macduff and tells him he isnt afraid of him,
because he knows he dies when hes slain by none of woman born. Macduff
tells Macbeth he was born prematurely.
Macbeth doesnt give up. He doesnt want that young Malcolm becomes
King. They decide to fight.
Ross tells Siward that his son had died. Macduff enters with Macbeths
head and brings it to the new King Malcolm. He will be crowned at Scone.



Het toneelstuk bestaat uit 5 acts, onderverdeeld in verschillende
scenes. Elke scene beschrijft een bepaalde periode. Tussen de
verschillende scenes wordt steeds een stukje tijd weggelaten.
De spanning is erg opgebouwd naar het einde waar de strijd tussen
Macbeth en Macduff plaats vindt. In het stuk zelf komt soms ook wel wat
spanning. Bijvoorbeeld wanneer Macbeth Koning Duncan vermoordt.
Het verhaal is geheel in chronologische volgorde geschreven.
Het is een toneelstuk dus het bestaat uit dialogen.
De themas in het verhaal zijn o.a. de tegenstelling goed-kwaad van de 3
heksen en Macbeth; het steeds maar meer willen van Macbeth leidt
uiteindelijk tot zijn ondergang.
Op de omslag van het boek staat een rode toren met een wit zwaard met de
punt naar beneden afgebeeld. Op de achtergrond een blauwe lucht met
wolken. Ik weet niet of hier een diepere betekenis achter schuilt.

Main characters
The most important main character in the play is Macbeth. Hes a general
in the army of Scotland. He gets a prediction from 3 witches that he
will be king. His wife, Lady Macbeth, tries to distil him to kill the
current king. At first Macbeth has doubts about this, because he is one
of the kings kinsman and the king has always been nice to him, but his
wife convinces him. He kills the king and tries also to kill everyone
who is a danger for his position.
This results finally to resistion and desertation of his kinsman and he
is killed.

Lady Macbeth tries over and over te convince her husband to kill king
Duncan. She is the real spring of the evil in Macbeth. She is a hard
woman and she thinks her husband is too weak. yet do I fear thy nature,
it is too full o th milk of human kindness to catch the nearest
way(p.61)
Finally she cant stand the tension and she gets mad. She commits
suicide.

Banquo is also a general. The witches have predicted that is son also
will be a king. Macbeth tries everything to prevent this.

Minor characters
Macduff is een edelman uit Schotland hij wordt bedreigd door Macbeth.
Dit ontaardt uiteindelijk in een gevecht, waarbij Macbeth het onderspit
moet delven en sterft.

King Duncan is een nobele koning die liefde voor zijn onderdanen heeft.
Hij wordt slachtoffer van de hebzucht van Macbeth.

De drie heksen geven voorspellingen over het leven van Macbeth. Macbeth
handelt naar deze voorspellingen.

Taal en toon
Het hele toneelstuk is in proza vorm geschreven. Omdat het een
toneelstuk is zitten er niet veel lange moeilijke zinnen in. Het bestaat
geheel alleen uit dialogen. De toon is vrij serieus, er komt eigenlijk
geen humor in voor.

Literaire stroming
Het stuk dateert uit de Renaissance Period (1500-1625). Kenmerken van
deze stroming die in dit stuk voorkomen zijn
- De toenemende interesse in het klassieke denken en literatuur.
- Het toevoegen van klassieke elementen in de toendaagse toneelstukken.
Macbeth gaat over het oude Schotse koninkrijk en de dingen die toen
gebeurden.

Schrijver
William Shakespeare was born on 26th April 1564 in Stratford. He was
educated at the local grammar school, where he studied Latin authors and
dramatists, grammar, rhetoric and logic.
In 1582 he marries Anne Hathaway.
>From 1590 until 1613 he has written very many plays.
In 1599 he moved to Southwark near the Globe Theatre which he and his
company had recently erected.
On 23th April 1616 Shakespeare dies.




Mening
Het verhaal bevat niet echt veel spanning en er komt ook geen humor in
voor.
Je leert uit het verhaal dat wanneer je teveel wilt, dat uiteindelijk
tot je ondergang leidt.
Het verhaal kan vandaag de dag niet plaatsgevonden hebben. Het speelt in
het oude Schotland. De vorm van bedrog echter kan in alle tijden
plaatsvinden.
Ik vond het verhaal niet echt boeiend. Ik vind een toneelstuk niet echt
prettig lezen. Het is moeilijk om je aandacht erbij te houden. Dit komt
misschien ook door het moeilijke taalgebruik.
