Summary
Highlights
The act opens with the three witches and Hecate around a cauldron, throwing in various macabre ingredients. Their chant and spell foreshadow future events. A witch feels a pain in her thumb, signaling the arrival of someone evil: Macbeth, desperate and suspicious of everyone.
The witches show Macbeth three apparitions. The first, an armed head, warns him to beware Macduff. The second, a bloody child, declares that no one 'born of woman' can harm him, filling Macbeth with a false sense of security. The third, a crowned child holding a tree, states he won't be defeated until a forest moves to his castle.
Despite the comforting apparitions, Macbeth's anxiety leads him to ask if Banquo's children will ever be kings. He then sees a vision of Banquo pointing to a line of eight kings, Banquo's descendants, confirming his fears. The witches disappear, and Macbeth, upon learning Macduff has fled to England, vows to act on his first thoughts without hesitation.
Macbeth orders the immediate murder of everyone in Macduff's castle, including his wife, Lady Macduff, his children, and his servants. Lady Macduff expresses anger at her husband for leaving them unprotected. A messenger warns them of danger, but murderers enter, stab her son, and chase Lady Macduff who cries for help.
Macduff joins Malcolm (King Duncan's oldest son) and English soldiers in England, planning to invade Scotland and overthrow Macbeth, who Malcolm believes should be the next king. Ross arrives to deliver the devastating news to Macduff that his entire family has been slaughtered, fueling Macduff's desire for revenge against Macbeth.