Macbeth:

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Timeline of how Macbeth changes throughout the play:

Macbeth Timeline of how he changes

Act 1:
In Scotland, three witches vow to meet with Macbeth ‘when the battle’s lost
and won’.
King Duncan is at war with the ‘merciless Macdonald’ and Macbeth has been
fighting really well. Duncan sentences the Thane?of Cawdor to death for
treason, and announces that Macbeth will get his title instead.
On their way back from battle, Macbeth and his friend Banquo meet
three witches on the heath. The witches make three prophecies: Macbeth will
become the Thane of Cawdor; Macbeth will become king; and Banquo’s
children will be kings. Almost immediately, Ross arrives to tell Macbeth he is
now the Thane of Cawdor.
Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth about the witches’ prophecies
and his new title. She fears that he is too weak and ‘full o’th’milk of human
kindness’? to get the crown quickly and thinks that she will have to do it. She
calls on the spirits and ‘murdering ministers’ to give her strength.
Macbeth arrives home to his ‘dearest love’, Lady Macbeth. She tells him that
they should murder King Duncan that night so that the prophecy can be
fulfilled and Macbeth can become king.
King Duncan arrives at the castle. Macbeth worries about whether he should
go through with the ‘horrid deed’ but Lady Macbeth convinces him to ‘screw’
his courage ‘to the sticking place' and murder Duncan.

Act 2:
On the way to kill Duncan, Macbeth sees a vision of a dagger with the handle
pointing towards him. He dismisses it as an illusion caused by the ‘bloody
business’ he is about to do and goes on to murder King Duncan in his bed.
After the murder, Macbeth returns to Lady Macbeth with his hands covered in
blood and still holding the daggers. He was meant to leave them with the
guards but won’t go back. Lady Macbeth takes them from him saying ‘give
me the daggers’ and she goes back and plants them by Duncan’s sleeping
guards to make it look like they murdered the king.
Macduff and Lennox arrive at the castle to meet Duncan. They discover the
murdered king and Macbeth explains that he killed Duncan’s guards out of
‘fury’. Macduff questions his actions, so Lady Macbeth pretends to faint to
distract them.
Malcolm and Donalbain, Duncan’s sons, decide to flee Scotland for their
safety and, because they are ‘stol’n away and fled’, they are suspected of
murdering the king. It is announced that Macbeth will be the new king.

Act 3:
Banquo reflects on how the second prophecy has come true and suspects
Macbeth ‘played’st most foully’ and killed Duncan for the crown.
Macbeth is afraid that the witches’ other prophecy, about Banquo’s future
children being kings, will come true as well. He sends two murderers to kill
Banquo and Banquo’s son, Fleance. As the murderers kill Banquo he shouts
to his son ‘fly, good Fleance, fly’ and the boy escapes.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hold a banquet for all the thanes. Macbeth is
haunted by visions of Banquo’s ghost and seems terrified. Lady Macbeth tells
the thanes that Macbeth is ill and that they should leave as it ‘grows worse
and worse’. Macbeth is still fearful that ‘blood will have blood’ and begins to
worry about Macduff’s loyalty. He decides to visit the witches again.

Act 4:
Macbeth visits the witches a second time and they make three more
prophecies: Macbeth should fear Macduff; Macbeth cannot be harmed by
anyone born of a woman; and Macbeth will not be defeated until Birnam
Wood?moves to Dunsinane. Macbeth is reassured by this, thinking he is
unbeatable and saying ‘then live Macduff, what need I fear of thee?’
However, he decides to listen to the first warning and have Macduff and his
family murdered to be completely safe.
Murderers arrive at Macduff’s castle in Fife and find Macduff has gone away.
They kill Macduff’s wife and children.
Macduff has gone to England to convince Duncan’s son Malcolm to return to
Scotland to fight against Macbeth. News reaches Macduff that Macbeth has
‘savagely slaughter’d’ his wife and children and Macduff vows to avenge
them.

Act 5:
Lady Macbeth has been walking and talking in her sleep. Her servant and the
Doctor watch her talking about how she cannot wash the blood clean from
her hands, saying ‘out, out, damned spot!’ and ‘who would have thought the
old man to have had so much blood in him’. They realise she must be guilty
of the murder but ‘dare not speak’.
Malcolm and Macduff’s army grows, but Macbeth is fixated on the witches’
prophecies believing he can't be beaten until ‘Birnam Wood remove to
Dunsinane’. Malcolm’s army cut down branches from Birnam Wood to use as
camouflage and start to march towards the castle.
Macbeth is told that Lady Macbeth is dead and he remarks that life is only ‘a
brief candle’. He is confronted with news that Birnam Wood is moving
towards the castle.
Macduff confronts Macbeth. Macbeth holds on to the witches’ prophecy that
he cannot be killed by a man born of a woman. Macduff reveals that he was
‘untimely ripped’ from his mother and not born naturally. Macbeth realises
that all the prophecies have come true and he is going to die but decides to
die fighting, saying ‘Yet I will try the last. Before my body / I throw my warlike
shield. Lay on, Macduff,’ and is killed by Macduff.
Macduff presents Macbeth’s severed head to Malcolm as proof that he has
killed the tyrant. He hails Malcolm as the new King of Scotland.

Main reasons that Macbeth changes throughout the play: