The Story of Macbeth

Once upon a time, there was a Scottish army general named Macbeth. On his way home from a victorious day on the battlefield, he and his fellow army general, Banquo, encountered a group of witches in the woods. These eccentric witches offered to read the generals’ futures. They told Macbeth that he would rise to nobility and eventually become king of Scotland. They told his friend, Banquo, that his sons would become Scottish kings as well.

When their king, Duncan, returns home, he announces great victory and makes Macbeth a nobleman. (The witches’ first prophecy came true.) Macbeth invites the king to his castle for dinner.

While Macbeth is somewhat uncertain that the second half of the witches’ prophecy will also come true (that he will become king), his wife, Lady Macbeth, has no doubts whatsoever. She is consumed by greed and lusts for power. She’s a conniving, heartless, evil woman, with a knack for persuasion. By encouraging, ridiculing, and chastising him, she convinces him that his only option is to speed up the process and kill King Duncan himself.

That night, Macbeth and his wife get King Duncan’s guards drunk, which allows Macbeth secret access to Duncan’s room. Before he knocks Duncan off, Macbeth’s growing insanity kicks in and he sees a bloody dagger floating in the air.

The next morning, the guards awaken (hungover, nonetheless) to find Duncan dead in his room. Out of “rage” for their poor job of protecting the king, Macbeth kills the guards. At this time, Duncan’s sons flee Scotland, fearing that someone has it in for their entire family.

Macbeth’s first concern as king is to get rid of Banquo and Banquo’s son (according to the prophecy, Banquo’s sons were to become kings of Scotland, too). Macbeth hires murderers to kill them. They kill Banquo; however, Banquo’s son escaped.

Now, here’s where Macbeth’s insanity really becomes apparent. That night he and his wife hold a dinner for some Scottish nobility. As they dine, Banquo’s ghost enters (seen only by Macbeth), sending Macbeth into a raging fit. Lady Macbeth tries to cover up his insanity by blaming it on a “lack of sleep” – but it’s obvious he’s gone nuts. That night he meets with the witches, demanding more prophecy.

They give him three important morsels of information:
1. He will never be harmed by any man born to a woman.
2. He will be safe until Birnam Wood (a nearby forest) comes to his castle.
3. He should fear Macduff – a Scottish nobleman who is unhappy about Macbeth’s kingship.

Although the first two tips from the witches appear to mean that Macbeth is invincible, paranoia still eats at him. He is consumed with fear that Macduff will become a problem. Furthermore, the news that Macduff is in cahoots with Duncan’s sons stokes his fires of insanity. So, Macbeth sends his men to raid Macduff’s castle and kill his wife and children. Understandably, Macduff is furious with Macbeth for murdering his family. Macduff joins forces with Duncan’s sons, and their armies advance upon Macbeth’s castle.

In the meantime, Lady Macduff has lost it, too. At night, she sleepwalks, and she is convinced that there are spots of blood on her hands. She continuously washes and wrings her hands in an attempt to make them “clean” again. Unable to take the guilt any longer, Lady Macbeth commits suicide. How untimely, too, for Macbeth, with the armies advancing on him and all.

And here, my friends, is where the witches’ prophecies play out in such an ironic and clever way.

1. Macduff’s army is holding tree branches as they advance. This is their attempt to camouflage themselves – on a more humorous note, it makes it appear as if the forest is moving. Birnham Wood is coming.
2. As Macduff meets sword-to-sword with Macbeth, we find out that Macduff was untimely ripped from his mother’s womb (delivered via cesarean). He is not of woman born. Thus, he is not a part of the group from which Macbeth is safe.

Well, they battle it out, and the story ends with Macduff holding Macbeth’s severed head in his hand, declaring victory, inviting everyone to see him crowned King of Scotland.

Gee, Ash, that was kind-of a downer. Why do you like it so much?

Glad you asked! I’ll try to keep it short.

First, the story illustrates the destructive power of greed. Macbeth, a good guy for all we know, succumbs to greed. Greed is a bad thing. That’s easy enough.

Most importantly, though, all of the horrible things that happen to Macbeth are brought on by no one other than himself. Macbeth destroys himself (with a little encouragement from his wife, of course). Sure, Macduff decapitates him – but he destroyed himself long before he was decapitated. Macbeth initiated and controlled his entire demise.

That is what makes the story so tragic and so easy to connect with. We see the decay of a man who concocted his own destruction. If his “opponent” had been another person, perhaps we might not feel as sorry for him as we do knowing that his own weaknesses (he himself) were to blame. We all have those weaknesses – it is the awareness of them that keep us from truly being our own worst enemy and destroying ourselves in the process.

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