After the battle, MACBETH and BANQUO are on their way to Forres to meet with the King when they encounter three strange women. The "Weird Sisters".² These witches predict that MACBETH will be made Thane of Cawdor and will become King one day, but they tell BANQUO that, although he will never be King himself, he will be the ancestor of a line of Scottish Kings.

The witches disappear, but before MACBETH and BANQUO can recover from the revelations and continue their journey, the first of the witches predictions comes true. DUNCAN gives the lands and title of the traitorous Thane of Cawdor to MACBETH to add to his existing lands in Glamis as a reward for his part in the victory. And BANQUO ³ gets a well deserved pat on the back for his. This starts MACBETH thinking that maybe the other prediction, that he will be King, might also come true.

MACBETH writes a letter to his wife telling her of the days strange happenings and he and BANQUO continue their journey to Forres, to receive DUNCAN's ⁴ thanks. At the gathering, which includes all of Scotland's nobles, DUNCAN announces his successor. MACBETH, with the witches predictions still ringing in his ears, all but expects it to be himself. However, DUNCAN surprises everyone by granting succession to his eldest son, MALCOLM.⁵

DUNCAN invites everyone to MACBETH's castle⁶ in Inverness to celebrate their victory over the Norwegians. MACBETH rides on ahead to make preparations for the King's stay and arrives ahead of the King's party, to find LADY MACBETH ⁷ already has a plan on how to further her ambition... I mean.. their ambition.. to make MACBETH, King. She wants MACBETH to kill DUNCAN, that night, while he sleeps in their castle. MACBETH reluctantly agrees.

That night MACBETH stalks his castle battlements. He is still unsure that murder is the answer. Although he has killed hundreds of men on the battlefield, he is afraid of killing DUNCAN; his King; in cold blood, and in his fear, he fancies he sees a bloody dagger pointing him towards DUNCAN's bedchamber which he follows ⁸.

² Macbeth was written around 1606, a time when there was a widespread fear of the power of evil through " instruments of Darkness" such as witches. King James himself wrote a "Daemonology" in 1597 a treatise about witches and their power. The three witches, who are portrayed as spiteful, creatures of destiny; are able to predict and control the future (and the weather). They predict the meeting with MACBETH at the beginning of the play. BANQUO tells us that they look like they should be women, but they have beards. This is, of course, SHAKESPEARE sharing a joke with his audience, since in his day, the witches would all have been played by men (as they sometimes are in BITESIZE productions). While the witches are always referred to as a group, SHAKESPEARE has written them as individuals. They all have Scottish accents, but different Scottish accents. For example, we find that they all say the word "Cauldron" differently.

³ Although MACBETH is often referred to as the Scottish play, not everyone in it, is Scottish. We have Irish troops, Norwegian Invaders, and later in the play the action moves to England. So we believe, that is was SHAKESPEARE's intention that BANQUO was French. His name and that of his son, Fleance, have a distinctly French sound to them. And him being a foreigner, might help to explain why DUNCAN, while praising both MACBETH and BANQUO for their part in the battle, only honours MACBETH with a new title. It also explains why the witches tell BANQUO that he won't be King of Scotland but that his descendants will be. A reference intended to honour King James VI of Scotland (James I of England) for whom the play was written. James was of French ancestry and many people have speculated that James was actually a descendant of BANQUO, but evidence for this, outside the play, is sparse.

⁴ DUNCAN is portrayed as a good King, which will contrast later with how we are meant to perceive MACBETH as King. DUNCAN is regal, and always in command; decisive; everyone looks up to him and admires his decisions.

⁵ MALCOLM is Duncan's eldest son and while we might expect him to be Duncan's natural successor, he appears to be a bit of a disappointment to his Father. He's not a good general, or a good warrior, although he 'll come into his own

⁶ MACBETH's Castle is at Glamis. The historic village of Glamis lies six miles west of Forfar. Today the buildings we see date largely from the 17^th Century and still have many of the features of early settlements throughout Scotland; a Mercat Cross, a Mill, tiny cottages, a Tolbooth and a Kirk. One mile from the village lies Glamis castle; the family home of the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne. It has been a royal residence since 1372 and is the childhood home of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and the birthplace of Her Royal Highness The Princess Margaret.
www.great-houses-scotland.co.uk/glamis

To defeat the witches prophecy regarding BANQUO, MACBETH orders his murder and that of his son, FLEANCE. Of course, he doesn't do it himself, since he's sure that would only increase his nightmares; and to make things worse, FLEANCE escapes and MACBETH finds himself haunted by BANQUO's ghost. MACBETH seeks out the weird sisters, and is given three more pieces of their wisdom. He is told that no man born of woman has the power to harm him and that he will never be vanquished until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill, but that he should beware of MACDUFF, the thane of Fife. Learning that MACDUFF has joined MALCOLM, who is gathering an army in England, MACBETH sends a warning to MACDUFF by ordering an attack on his castle, and has MACDUFF's wife and children slaughtered. But this only increases MACDUFF's determination to seek the overthrow of the tyrant MACBETH.

MALCOLM and MACDUFF return to Scotland with a ten thousand strong English army under the command of SEWARD, a Northumbrian Knight. The army is further strengthened, by the Scottish Thanes who are deserting MACBETH in droves. As they approach Dunsinane Castle where MACBETH has set himself to withstand a siege, they pass close by Birnam Wood. MALCOLM orders the soldiers to cut down a branch and use it as camouflage. To the embattled MACBETH, the approaching army appears as though it is Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane just as the witches predicted. MACBETH begins to realise that the witches words have always been misleading. LADY MACBETH takes her own life.

With nothing left to lose, MACBETH dons his armour and returns to the battlefield, fighting valiantly until he comes face to face with MACDUFF. We learn that MACDUFF, was 'from his mother's womb, Untimely ripp'd', so not "born of woman". MACBETH realises that he is facing his nemesis, and dies at his hands. MACDUFF carries the tyrants head to MALCOLM who is then hailed king of Scotland.

⁸ This is the turning point of the play.

⁹ Macbeth becomes paranoid, seeing enemies everywhere. He suffers from more hallucinations (Banquo's Ghost), and has violent mood swings going swiftly from deep depression to uncontrollable anger. Lady Macbeth becomes withdrawn and isolated. And will eventually commit suicide.

¹⁰ Dunsinnan Hill-fort lies between Perth and the Tay. There are at least two separate forts at Dunsinnan: the massively defended citadel on the summit of the hill and a larger fort, enclosing the lower terraces of the hill. The larger fort probably dates to the Iron Age (1000BC-500AD) and would have contained a settlement made up of round houses. The inner fort was constructed at a later date, probably on the site of an earlier fortification. It is likely that occupation of the hill-fort continued into the early medieval period. There are historical accounts of a Battle of Dunsinane Hill in 1054, when Malcolm III, launched an attack with an English army from Birnam Hill near

Dunkeld to Macbeth's stronghold at Dunsinane Hill to the south. Macbeth was defeated, but not finally deposed and killed until 1057.