on this cheat sheet
Everything on the GCSE English Literature Macbeth poster is written out below, section by section. Use it to search the sheet, copy parts into your own notes, or check a fact quickly.
The plot: act by act
Act 1: The prophecy
- Three Witches predict that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and then King.
- Malcolm is made Thane of Cawdor.
- He tells Lady Macbeth, who plans to make him king.
Act 2: The murder
- Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to kill King Duncan.
- Macbeth murders Duncan.
- Macbeth is filled with guilt.
- Duncan's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, flee Scotland.
- Macbeth becomes king.
Act 3: The tyrant
- Macbeth fears Banquo, who had a prophecy about his sons.
- Macbeth orders to kill Banquo and his son Fleance.
- Banquo is killed, but Fleance escapes.
- Banquo's ghost unsettles Macbeth at a banquet.
Act 4: False confidence
- Macbeth visits the Witches again.
- They show him three visions and warnings: beware Macduff; no man "born of a woman" can harm him; he is safe until Birnam Wood moves.
- Macbeth feels invincible and orders the murder of Macduff's wife and children.
Act 5: The downfall
- Lady Macbeth goes mad with guilt and dies.
- Malcolm raises an army to invade Scotland.
- They use branches to hide their soldiers.
- Macduff reveals he was born by C-section.
- Macduff kills Macbeth.
- Malcolm becomes King - order is restored.
Key themes
Ambition - Macbeth's desire for power drives the tragedy.
Guilt - Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are destroyed by guilt.
Appearance vs reality - Things are not as they seem, for example Duncan's murder and the Witches' deceptions.
Power and corruption - Macbeth's rise to power leads to tyranny and violence.
The supernatural - The Witches influence Macbeth and shape events.
Key characters
- Macbeth - a brave Scottish general whose ambition leads him to murder and tyranny.
- Lady Macbeth - Macbeth's wife, who pushes him to kill Duncan and is later consumed by guilt.
- Banquo - Macbeth's loyal friend, whose ghost haunts him after his murder.
- Macduff - a Scottish nobleman who opposes Macbeth and ultimately kills him.
- Malcolm - Duncan's son who flees Scotland and returns to restore order.
- The Witches - three supernatural figures whose prophecies set the tragedy in motion.