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A full plot summary tracks prophecy, regicide, suspicion, and the widening downfall toward Macbeth’s 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Macbeth’s eventual doom.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},319290,1790079172,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,91,95,100,105,110,115,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & 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more LitCharts at www.litcharts.com)  \nMacbeth  \nINTRODUCTION  \nBRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE  \nShakespeare's father was a glove-maker, and Shakespeare received no more than a grammar school education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his family behind around 1590 and moved to London, where he became an actor and playwright. He was an immediate success: Shakespeare soon became the most popular playwright of the day as well asa part-owner of the Globe Theater. His theater troupe was adopted by King James as the King's Men in 1603. Shakespeare retired as a rich and prominent man to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613, and died three years later.  \nHISTORICAL CONTEXT  \nWhen Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, King James of Scotland became King of England. James almost immediately gave his patronage to Shakespeare's company, making them the King's Men. In many ways, Macbeth can be seen as a show of gratitude from Shakespeare to his new King and benefactor. For instance, King James actually traced his ancestry back to the real-life Banquo. Shakespeare's transformation of the Banquo in Holinshed's Chronicles who helped murder Duncan to the nobleman in Macbeth who refused to help kill Duncan is therefore a kind of compliment given to King James' ancestor.  \nRELATED LITERARY WORKS  \nShakespeare's source for Macbeth was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, though in writing Macbeth Shakespeare changed numerous details for dramatic and thematic reasons, and even for political reasons (see Related Historical Events) . For instance, in Holinshed's version, Duncan was a weak and ineffectual King, and Banquo actually helped Macbeth commit the murder. Shakespeare's changes to the story emphasize Macbeth's fall from nobility to man ruled by ambition and destroyed by guilt.  \nKEY FACTS  \n• Full Title: The Tragedy of Macbeth  \n• When Written: 1606  \n• Where Written: England  \n• When Published: 1623  \n• Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500-1660)  \n• Genre: Tragic drama  \n• Setting: Scotland and, briefly, England during the eleventh century  \n• Climax: Some argue that the murder of Banquo is the play's climax, based on the logic that it is at this point that Macbeth reaches the height of his power and things begin to fall apart from there. However, it is probably more accurate to say that the climax of the play is Macbeth's fight with Macduff, as it is at this moment that the threads of the play come together, the secret behind the prophecy becomes evident, and Macbeth's doom is sealed.  \nEXTRA CREDIT  \nShakespeare or Not? There are some who believe Shakespeare wasn't educated enough to write the plays attributed to him. The most common anti-Shakespeare theory is that Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays and used Shakespeare as a front man because aristocrats were not supposed to write plays. Yet the evidence supporting Shakespeare's authorship far outweighs any evidence against. So until further notice, Shakespeare is still the most influential writer in the English language.  \nPLOT SUMMARY  \nNorwegians, aided by Scottish rebels, have invaded Scotland. The Scots successfully defend their country and their beloved king, Duncan. One Scotsman in particular, Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, distinguishes himself in fighting off the invaders. After the battle, Macbeth and his friend Banquo come upon the weird sisters, three witches who prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor, and one day King. They further prophesy that Banquo's descendants will be kings. The men don't at first believe the witches, but then learn that the old Thane of Cawdor was actually a traitor helping the Norwegians, and that Duncan has rewarded Macbeth's bravery on the battlefield by making him Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth immediately fantasizes about murdering Duncan and becoming king, but pushes the thought away. Later that day, Duncan announces that his eldest son","cbCaiuTUv5xTHFbK","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiuTUv5xTHFbK","pdf",304436,25,"English","# Introduction\n## Brief Biography of William Shakespeare\n## Historical Context\n## Related Literary Works\n# Key Facts\n# Extra Credit\n# Plot Summary","[{\"question\":\"What are the key facts about Macbeth listed in the guide?\",\"answer\":\"The guide provides Macbeth’s full title, when and where it was written and published, its Renaissance literary period, genre as tragic drama, setting in Scotland (and briefly England), and a discussion of the climax.\"},{\"question\":\"What historical context does the guide connect to Macbeth?\",\"answer\":\"It explains that after Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, King James of Scotland became King of England and gave Shakespeare’s company patronage, framing Macbeth as connected to that new relationship.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the plot of Macbeth unfold according to the summary?\",\"answer\":\"The summary follows prophecy by the weird sisters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s decision to kill Duncan, the framing of guards, Macbeth’s rise to kingship, Banquo’s murder attempt, and the growing suspicion that leads toward Macbeth’s eventual doom.\"}]","Macbeth - Key Facts, Historical Context, Plot Summary | PDF",1789942426,39]