„The Tragedy of Macbeth"," directed by Joel Coen, is aBlack and white filmIt is about an army general's quest for power. Based on the classic tragedy by William Shakespeare, the drama film examines the mental problems faced by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they commit heinous crimes to seize the throne.
WithDenzel Washington,Frances McDormandWith Alex Hassell and Bertie Carvel in key roles, Joel's direction draws on the principles of German Expressionism and presents a poignant, slow-paced tale of ambition and guilt. If you're looking for an explanation of the plot and ending of The Tragedy of Macbeth, you've come to the right place. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Tragedy of Macbeth. synopsis
The film begins with the strange sisters muttering about their meeting with Macbeth, one of the Glamis and general of the army of Duncan, King of Scotland. Then we see King Duncan being informed by Ross, a Scottish nobleman and messenger, that Macbeth has won the war against the two invading armies of Ireland and Norway. King Duncan orders the execution of the Thane of Cawdor and orders that his title be awarded to Macbeth for his valiant efforts in war.
Soon we see Macbeth and Banquo, Thane of Lochaber and a general in King Duncan's army, walking across a moor. The strange sisters who have been waiting for Macbeth turn to the Thane of Cawdor. "All hail Macbeth. Hail, Thane of Glamis. All hail Macbeth. Hail, Thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth. "It shall be king henceforth," say the three witches, making a prophecy that says , that Macbeth will become Cawdor's husband and then the King of Scotland.
When Banquo so skeptically approaches the Weird Sisters, they tell him that he will be the father of a series of kings. Ross later informs Macbeth that he has been made the new Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth immediately begins to ponder the prophecy; He fears that his ambition is beginning to take over his morals and loyalty. Soon Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband explaining the prophecy about the strange sisters. She is glad that despite their advanced age they can still get a taste of real power.
Lady Macbeth soon learns that her husband and King Duncan are coming; She begins to plan the king's death in her head. She then convinces a worried Macbeth that he must kill the king and secure the crown. However, Macbeth feels guilty because he is the king's relative, subject and host. He tries to abandon the assassination plan, but Lady Macbeth tells him that he will be a "greater man" if he carries it out. She adds that after the murder, they will mourn the death of King Duncan so that no one suspects them.
The End of Macbeth's Tragedy: Does Macbeth Kill King Duncan? Will he be King of Scotland?
So Macbeth enters King Duncan's room at night – where the grooms are drunk thanks to Lady Macbeth – and stabs his ruler in the throat with a knife. Lady Macbeth is happy about the murder, but Macbeth is clearly appalled by his actions. He begins to hear voices telling him that he has "killed sleep" and that he will not sleep any more; A loud, rumbling noise also begins to bother him. We thus see the beginning of Macbeth's descent into madness – his guilt manifested in the form of sounds, whispers and black ravens.
Then Macduff, Fife's servant, arrives at the castle. He goes to meet King Duncan and finds him dead. While the others are busy, Macbeth quickly kills the two drunken grooms to make it look like they are the murderers. Soon the castle is in uproar, and Macbeth pretends to be deeply saddened by the death of his king.
Knowing they are in danger, Duncan's sons Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee to England and Ireland respectively. Macbeth later goes to Dunsinane to be crowned King of Scotland. This makes the Weird Sisters' prophecy come true. Of course, we can say that Macbeth simply needed encouragement - supernatural or otherwise - to commit political murder and gain the power he had craved for years.
Meanwhile, Macbeth realizes that Banquo and his son Fleance pose a threat to him due to the Weird Sisters' final prophecy. In the interests of self-preservation, he decides to end their longstanding military and personal relationship. So the King of Scotland hires two thugs to kill the Thane of Lochaber and his son. At this point, we see Macbeth, blinded by his greed, falling deeper and deeper into the pit of immorality.
In another scene, we see Macbeth furious at the possibility that his hard work (read: murder) may result in Banquo's descendants enjoying the throne in the future. He rages at Lady Macbeth for not getting his hands bloody for a "fruitless crown." So we see that the royal couple are unable to think outside of themselves.
The thugs manage to kill Banquo, but Fleance escapes. In fact, Ross helps the son of Thane of Lochaber escape to safety. We realize that Ross has been serving himself all along and his loyalties have shifted depending on who is on the winning side. At the royal feast, Macbeth is tormented by Banquo's ghost and ravens. The court witnesses Macbeth going insane and weeping over the murders; Lady Macbeth tries to calm him down. We note that the burden of guilt rests more heavily on the king's shoulders than on the queen's. This may be because Macbeth, a soldier, has trouble being disloyal, while the queen simply recognizes what she feels is her right.
The next day, Macbeth decides to talk to The Weird Sisters again. The witches sit on the roof and allow him to speak with their master. In the water on the ground beneath his feet (which acts as a cauldron), Macbeth sees the faces of children - the future rulers. One child tells him that Macduff is a threat and another tells him to be "bloody and resolute" because "no woman born shall harm Macbeth". A third child says, "Macbeth will never be vanquished till great Birnam wood and high Dusinane hill stand against him."
At this point we realize that Macbeth feels quite safe, but there is no way a man cannot be born of a woman - therefore no one can kill the king. Also, the woods themselves are unable to advance on the castle, giving Macbeth peace of mind that he is invincible. However, we quickly discover that he only hears what he wants to hear. He will also console himself with the fact that he will not face the consequences of his heinous crimes.
Does Ross kill Lady Macbeth? Who kills Macbeth?
Lady Macbeth arrives to tell her husband that Macduff has fled to England (where we know Malcolm is). Therefore, Macbeth decides to attack the Kingdom of Fife as Macduff has clearly declared his loyalty. In fact, immediately after King Duncan's death, Macduff suspected Macbeth of being the murderer, but did not act on it.
Soon Lady Macbeth starts pulling out her hair and stops caring for herself. The enormous psychological burden of being involved in a political assassination attempt also took its toll. It also hurts the queen to see her husband turn into a smoldering shadow of his former self. Then we see Ross meet Macduff's wife and children just before they are murdered by Macbeth's soldiers.
Ross rushes to meet Malcolm and Macduff and tells them that the Fife thane's family has been killed as he realizes that they are planning a war against the Dusinane. Obviously, Ross is doing this to save his own neck and stay in the good graces of those who will most likely be the winners. Malcolm plans to attack Macbeth's castle with Siward, Earl of Northumberland and King Duncan's brother, and 10,000 men. Macduff vows to kill Macbeth himself as revenge.
Meanwhile, in Dusinane, Lady Macbeth has lost control of herself. She wanders the halls in her nightgown, holding a candle and talking to herself about the murders. The maid tells the doctor that the queen sleepwalks most of the time. Lady Macbeth is also constantly washing her hands (she presents herself as bloody) and wailing. It is clear that guilt, sadness and a deep sense of loss have taken over her soul.
Macbeth is informed by Seyton, the king's chief servant, and others that Malcolm's soldiers are coming. Meanwhile, Ross approaches Lady Macbeth, who is standing miserably at the top of a staircase. In the next scene, Seyton tells Macbeth that the queen is dead. Apparently Ross pushed her from the top of the stairs - her limp body can be seen below later. This is a marked departure from Shakespeare's original work, which implied that Lady Macbeth killed herself. However, Ross' actions show how dangerous the political game is. By killing the queen, he ensures that Macbeth's downfall is partially guaranteed.
Then Macbeth is told that the forest has begun to move. Up until this point, Macbeth was foolishly unafraid of war, believing it to be unwinnable. But we realize that the strange sisters' prophecy is quite literal - Malcolm, Siward and Macduff's soldiers carry green branches and move towards the castle, giving the impression of an entire forest advancing.
Siward enters the castle and finds Macbeth on the throne. Enraged, he attacks the king with a sword; Macbeth coldly avoids him. He asks if Siward was born of a woman; His behavior suggests that he is still convinced that no man is not born of woman and therefore believes that he cannot be killed. Macbeth quickly kills Siward.
Macbeth goes out and meets Macduff, who is here to avenge his family. The two fight fiercely with swords, and in one sweeping motion Fife's thane decapitates Macbeth. In fact, Macbeth loses his head when he bends down to pick up his fallen crown. So in another gruesome twist of fate (or perhaps justice), Macbeth dies trying to wear the crown he killed to win. Although not explained in the film, the play highlights that Macduff was born via caesarean section. Then again, the witches' prophecy must be taken literally: Macduff was not born naturally from a woman's body and is therefore the one who ultimately kills Macbeth.
After Macbeth, who will be the new king of Scotland? Where is Banquo's son Fleance?
Ross takes the crown and Macbeth's head and approaches Malcolm, who is now the new king of Scotland as he is King Duncan's eldest son. Later we see Ross meet the old man (the weird sisters in disguise) and realize that he was conspiring with the supernatural forces all along. The old man hands Fleance over to Ross, and we learn that the Scottish nobleman plans to bring Banquo's son to justice so that the witches' prophecy can come true. Thus, the carefully planned political murders of the late Macbeth prove fruitless as the prophecy finds a way to come true thanks to the king's inability to overlook his greed and shame.
Read more:Is the tragedy of Macbeth based on a true story?