Foundation · Understand it
Macbeth: the story
Seven short sections instead of one long summary. Read a section, answer the Ladder Check, then move on. You cannot analyse a play you can't retell.
What happens
- Macbeth and Banquo are generals who have just won a battle for King Duncan.
- Three witches stop them and make predictions: Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, and then king. Banquo's children will be kings.
- Minutes later, Macbeth is told he really has been made Thane of Cawdor.
Why it matters
One prediction comes true, so Macbeth starts believing all of it. Shakespeare shows how quickly an idea turns into a plan.
Remember this: The witches predict. They never tell him to kill anyone.
Ladder Check
Do the witches tell Macbeth to murder Duncan?