Macbeth Timeline and Summary

1.3: Macbeth and Banquo are traveling back from the battlefield when they come upon the three witches. Macbeth is promised to be Thane of Glamis, Cawdor and eventually King. He listens, rapt, but demands to know more, and then learns from Ross that he's been made Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth justifies the morbid suggestions of the prophecy by downplaying it, saying that the prophecy is neither good nor bad. This is the first in a long line of justifications. We get the inside line that he's thinking of murdering Duncan from this scene (his first).
1.4: Macbeth meets with the King and other noblemen and pledges his loyalty. He iterates that everything he does is to secure the love and honor of Duncan and Duncan's children. Later, Macbeth splits for home right after Duncan announces that his own child is in the line for the crown. Macbeth would stick around to secure Malcolm's love and honor, but he has to go home to plan murdering Malcolm's father and stealing Malcolm's crown.
1.5: Macbeth finds a recently unsexed Lady Macbeth. He says only that Duncan is coming for a visit. After Lady Macbeth has a long speech about how she'll take care of things, he merely replies, "We will speak further."
1.7: Macbeth philosophizes to himself about the pros and cons of murdering the King, his cousin, whom he is sworn to protect, in his own house. He weighs eternal damnation, his obligations, Duncan's goodness, all the perks of being King and ultimately realizes he's really just acting on his own ambition. When Lady Macbeth enters, he's convinced himself that they can't go on to murder Duncan, and should instead enjoy their new titles without committing regicide. Lady Macbeth challenges his manhood, and he reveals how much he relies on her by asking, "If we should fail?" After hearing Lady Macbeth's plan, Macbeth is back on track to murdering Duncan.
2.1: Macbeth has a bit of a chat with Banquo, who is distressed by his dreams about the witches. Macbeth is distressed by his own plan to murder the King. While his last speech was about whether and why he should do the murder, this one focuses on the fact that he will do the murder, and his mind (possibly compensating for his silent conscience) has shown him the vision of a bloody dagger. He is at once resolved to kill Duncan, but a bit nervous over being found out.
2.2: Macbeth has murdered Duncan and seems a bit panicky. His murdering sounds woke some people up, people that cried "murder!" but then went back to sleep after saying some prayers. It stresses Macbeth out that his attempt to say "amen" stuck in his throat. He seems genuinely distressed; as he was murdering he also heard wild voices promise him he would sleep no more, as he had murdered sleep itself. He refuses to go back to the room to smear the king's guards with the king's blood and instead laments that not even the ocean could clean his hands of this deed.
2.3: Macbeth does a real piece of work here – he greets Macduff and Lennox who have come to wake up Duncan, treats them to some small talk and then sends Macduff to discover Duncan, whom Macbeth recently murdered. He plays the innocent and even gives a sweet speech about how with Duncan gone, grace can live no more. Also, he throws in that he killed the drunken guards in a fit of rage and love for the King, which solves the problem of them outing him for his crime.
3.1: Macbeth is now at his new palace, and invites Banquo to dinner after asking where he'll be that afternoon and whether or not he'll have the means to defend himself at such a time. He finds out that Banquo and his son Fleance will be horseback riding and changes the subject to gossip about Malcolm and Donalbain. He blames them for the murder, and tells Banquo they'll discuss it all later.
After sending Banquo out, he calls in the men he has lined up to murder Banquo. He gives a little speech justifying his action, as Banquo is the only threat to him, given Banquo's disposition and knowledge. Also, the witches promised Banquo's children would be next to the throne, which doesn't look good for Macbeth's offspring. Macbeth gives a pep talk to the murderers, inventing some wrong that Banquo has done to them. Macbeth says he would kill Banquo himself, but their mutual friends wouldn't be too stoked about it. Also, he adds, Banquo's innocent son Fleance will have to be killed for good measure.
3.2: Macbeth conferences with Lady Macbeth, and hints that he's going to have Banquo killed. They agree to put on a good face at the dinner party, but Macbeth won't explicitly burden Lady Macbeth with the knowledge of his fifth wrongful murder. (Having killed King, guard, guard, and friend, Fleance is number five.) Macbeth appeals to the dark forces in nature to help him (or his henchmen, apparently) take action.
3.4: Macbeth is jovial at the dinner party, even more so when he talks with a murderer who confirms that Banquo is dead. He is unsettled to hear that Fleance is not, and then he begins having fits, seeing Banquo's ghost at the dinner table. Banquo's ghost appears twice, fittingly, each time Macbeth is making a brazen toast to Banquo who is, in Macbeth's speech, mysteriously absent. In full view of all his guests, he shouts at the invisible ghost that only he sees. Lady Macbeth sends everyone home, and Macbeth seems resigned to the fact that blood will have blood. He will visit the weird sisters tomorrow for more news.
4.1: Macbeth shows up on the heath to meet the witches. He compliments them on their power, but demands they answer his questions about his future. He is shown many visions and walks away with some conflicting information. He can only be defeated by a man not born of a woman, and only when Birnam forest moves to his doorstep. However, he learns the bad news that Banquo's kids, not his, will be the next line of kings. The witches disappear and Lennox finds Macbeth (who is in a rage) to tell him Macduff has fled. Macbeth will show Macduff who's boss by murdering his wife and children. He adds he will now focus on acting on his feelings immediately instead of waiting for things to go naturally.
5.3: Macbeth is at his castle in Dunsinane, and blusters that he needn't shake with doubt or fear because the prophecy protects him. He curses the attendant that tells him of the approach of 10,000 Englishmen, and upon confirming this news, decides to put on his armor a little early, to get ready for the battle. He asks the doctor after his wife, and hearing that she is not sick, but rather she is stricken with fantasies, demands that someone cure her. He then asks the doctor if maybe he has some way to get rid of the English army, while he's at it. Macbeth, distracted, keeps referring to the impossibility of Birnam Wood marching or of men not being born of women. He seems to hope to reassure himself with repetition, which is a little device sometimes known as "denial."
5.5: Macbeth decides to hang banners on the castle walls, in case that somehow helps. It does not. According to Macbeth, no matter how many troops show up, Dunsinane is fortified and Macbeth's men don't need to fight – rather, they can wait in the comfort of the castle for the other forces to weary and die of hunger and fatigue and maybe boredom.
Then news comes in that Lady Macbeth has died, and Macbeth confirms that he's not so hot on living lately, either. When he hears that the forest is marching on his castle, he resigns himself to his fate and decides to die fighting.
5.7: Though Birnam Wood has indeed marched on Dunsinane, Macbeth fights valiantly, repeating that he relies on the other part of the prophecy (that he can't be taken out by a naturally born man). He kills Siward's son mercilessly.
5.8: Macbeth faces Macduff and asks that Macduff back down, as Macbeth already feels responsible for so much of the Macduff blood being shed. Macduff won't back down, and Macbeth says he might as well fight, as he can't be beaten by anyone born by natural means (this is him repeating the prophecy yet again). Macduff lets out the spoiler that he was ripped from his mother's womb. Macbeth wishes to not fight Macduff, knowing he is bested, but his pride won't let him kneel before him, either. He fights, choosing death before his own twisted version of dishonor. He is slain and reappears as a severed head in Macduff's hands soon afterward.

Analysis

Quotes