Macbeth: ThemeTracker

The LitCharts ThemeTracker is a mini-version of the entire LitChart. The ThemeTracker provides a quick timeline-style rundown of all the important plot points and allows you to track the themes throughout the work at a glance.

	1.1	In a storm, three witches appear and agree to meet again with Macbeth after the battle currently raging ends.
	1.2	King Duncan of Scotland waits for news of the battle against the Norwegians and the traitorous Thane of Cawdor. The Scots loyal to Duncan win, and Macbeth was particularly heroic. Duncan decrees that Macbeth shall be the new Thane of Cawdor.
	1.3	Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches after the battle. The witches greet Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and “king hereafter.” They tell Banquo that he will never be king, but his descendants will. Then the witches disappear. Macbeth learns that he actually is the new Thane of Cawdor. Banquo comments that “instruments of darkness” sometimes tell half truths to bring men to ruin Though disgusted by himself, Macbeth contemplates murdering Duncan to make the rest of the prophecy come true.
	1.4	Duncan praises Macbeth, but makes his son Malcolm his heir to the throne. Duncan decides to spend the night at Inverness, Macbeth’s castle. Macbeth goes ahead to prepare Inverness for the king, but notes that Malcolm now stands between him and the throne.
	1.5	Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth’s letter about the witches’ prophecy, and vows to get Macbeth to murder Duncan. When Macbeth arrives, he is unconvinced by Lady Macbeth’s arguments, but she tells him to leave the plan to her.
	1.6	Duncan arrives at Inverness. Lady Macbeth greets Duncan and other thanes graciously, but Macbeth is nowhere to be seen.
	1.7	Macbeth, agonizing, decides not to murder Duncan because he knows that “bloody instructions, being taught, return to plague the inventor.” Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s manhood and outlines her plan to kill Duncan and frame his attendants. Macbeth agrees to murder Duncan.
	2.1	Banquo notes that the stars aren’t shining, and begs angels to save him from the dark thoughts that have plagued him since he heard the witches’ prophecy. Macbeth tells Banquo he never thinks of the witches’ prophecy, but vaguely asks Banquo to support him when the time comes. Banquo agrees to do that, as long as it does not cost him his honor. Alone now, Macbeth sees the vision of the floating dagger. At the sign from Lady Macbeth, he goes to murder Duncan.
	2.2	Lady Macbeth, waiting for Macbeth to return, says that she would have killed Duncan herself if only he didn’t look so much like her father. Macbeth is guilt-ridden after the murder. While murdering Duncan, he thought he heard a voice say, “Macbeth does murder sleep.” Lady Macbeth is not nervous. She plants the daggers on the attendants (which Macbeth forgot to do) and then washes her and Macbeth’s bloody hands. She says “a little water clears us of this deed.”
	2.3	The porter answers the door at Inverness, and lets in Macduff and Lennox. Macduff goes to wake Duncan, while Lennox describes the terrible storms of the previous night. Macduff discovers Duncan’s body. Macbeth kills Duncan’s attendants. Lady Macbeth faints when Macduff asks why Macbeth killed the attendants. Malcolm and Donalbain, realizing that they are probably the next target of the man who killed their father, flee.
	2.4	Storms and unnatural events rage across Scotland. Because they fled, the other thanes believe that Malcolm and Donalbain were behind the murder. Macbeth is made King by the other thanes. But Macduff does not attend, and instead goes to his own castle at Fife.
	3.1	Alone in the royal palace, Banquo states his suspicion that Macbeth may have murdered Duncan because of the witches’ prophecy. Macbeth, meanwhile, muses about the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings. He hires men to kill Banquo and Fleance.
	3.2	Lady Macbeth knows she has what she desires, but feels unhappy. Macbeth admits that his own mind is “full of scorpions,” but believes that once Banquo and Fleance are dead all will be better.
	3.3	The murderers attack Banquo and Fleance. Banquo is killed. Fleance escapes.
	3.4	Macbeth learns during a feast with the other thanes that Banquo has been killed but Fleance escaped. As the feast progresses, Macbeth is terrified by the appearance of Banquo’s ghost. But only he can see the ghost, and the other thanes think that Macbeth is acting insane. Lady Macbeth tries to cover for him. Later, Macbeth wonders why Macduff did not attend the coronation and feast. He decides to visit the witches, and says “I am in blood / Stepped in so far” that turning back is as difficult as continuing on.
	3.5	Hecate decides to help the witches ruin Macbeth.
	3.6	Lennox and other lords suspect that Macbeth was behind the murders of Duncan and Banquo. They hope that Macduff—who has gone to England to meet with Malcolm and to try to get the English King Edward to gather an army to help them defeat Macbeth—is successful.
	4.1	Macbeth visits the witches. They tell him to beware Macduff, that “no man of woman born shall harm” him, and that he won’t be defeated until Birnam Wood marches on Dunsinane. Macbeth thinks that this must mean that he is invincible. Macbeth asks the witches if Banquo’s heirs will be kings, and to his horror learns that the answer is yes. The witches vanish. Macbeth learns that Macduff has gone to England. He decides to kill everyone connected to Macduff.
	4.2	At Fife, Lady Macduff condemns Macduff for leaving her and their children behind when he left for England. Men sent by Macbeth overrun the castle and kill Lady Macduff, as well as Macduff’s children, and servants.
	4.3	In England, Macduff proves to Malcolm that he is first and foremost loyal to Scotland. Malcolm tells Macduff that King Edward of England is so saintly that he can cure disease with a touch. Macduff learns that Macbeth killed his family. He vows revenge.
	5.1	Lady Macbeth begins sleepwalking, during which she obsessively tries to rub off the blood she believes is covering her hands and relives moments of and just after the murders of Duncan and Banquo.
	5.2	Malcolm and Macduff invade Scotland with an army of English lords and soldiers. The army gathers at Birnam Wood. Macbeth fortifies Dunsinane. Many Scottish lords choose to join Malcolm rather than Macbeth.
	5.3	Macbeth does not fear Malcolm’s army, and mocks Malcolm as a man of woman born. Yet Macbeth observes that he also feels heartsick.
	5.4	To hide the size of his army, Malcolm orders his soldiers to cut down trees and carry them upright as they march.
	5.5	Lady Macbeth commits suicide. Macbeth feels nothing, and gives the “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” speech. A servant runs in with the news that Birnam Wood seems to be marching on Dunsinane. Macbeth realizes that the witches tricked him, and vows to die fighting..
	5.6	Malcolm’s men attack Dunsinane under Macduff and the English lord Siward.
	5.7	Macbeth fights valiantly, and easily kills Young Siward.
	5.8	Macduff searches for Macbeth, vowing to kill him to avenge his family.
	5.9	Malcolm’s forces capture the castle easily because Macbeth’s men barely fight back.
	5.10	Macduff finds Macbeth. In response to Macbeth’s taunting, Macduff reveals that he was born by caesarian section. Macbeth refuses to fight until Macduff mocks him as a coward. Macbeth attacks. Macduff kills him.
	5.11	Malcolm becomes King of Scotland, and promises to heal the wounds that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth inflicted on Scotland.