Notes by CaitlinBackground: William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23, 1564. His father William was a local businessman and his mother Mary was the daughter of a landowner. . It is likely that the family paid for Williams' education, although there is no evidence that he attended college. In 1582, when William was 18, he married a woman named Anne Hathaway. After his marriage, information about his life became unclear, but it appears that he spent most of his time in London, writing and performing in his plays. Shakespeare was able to gain solid financial experience, giving him time to write and perform. Some of these investments included purchasing real estate near Stratford in 1605, which quickly doubled in value. William Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets. Prophecy, violence, and blood seep into the play, making it one of the most brutal plays Shakespeare ever wrote. This story combines many historical facts, such as the kingship of Duncan and Macbeth in the 11th century. Researchers date the play to 1606, based on Shakespeare's famous tragedies Hamlet and Othello. The play takes place in Scotland. Ideas of honor, lineage, and position are key elements of the story. Character: Banquo's main role in Macbeth is that he is Macbeth's co-conspirator. It is open to human aspirations and desires. For example, he is just as interested in hearing what the witches have to say. He often says he can't sleep because he can't stop thinking about witches. Banquo is a sympathetic figure for several reasons. At first he is not very smart to discover Duncan's murder. He is killed by convicted criminals whom Macbeth had hired, and his son Fleance flees. Malcolm is one of Duncan's sons, along with Donalbain. After Duncan is killed, he flees to Ireland because he is afraid of being killed. Later in the play, when he reappears, he has gained the support of the King of England and he has troops. Many said he was “all king.” His tests on Macduff are psychologically accurate. By pretending to be something he is not, he hopes to convince Macduff into confessing that Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis and that he and others defeated Macdonwald. After that, Duncan found out that the Thane of Cawdor was a traitor, so he returned honor to Macbeth after killing the other guy. Next, Banquo and Macbeth meet the three strange sisters and tell them what their future will consist of and what they will become. Then, when they return home after the prophecy that he would become Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth wanted to make Macbeth king faster and so killed Duncan. Commentary: “Beauty is bad, and the fault is right, fly over the fog and dirty air. .” This is to say that no matter who is good or bad, people make mistakes and can become bad. Act II: In this act, after Macbeth kills Duncan, he tells Banquo that he didn't even think about the three weird sisters. When they consider killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth says she will do the deed, but when the time comes she cannot kill him because he reminds her of her father. So she kills the guards and Macbeth kills Duncan. Then Macduff and Lennox arrive and find Duncan dead. Macbeth makes up a story about why the guards also died so that it won't come back to them. After a long conversation, Malcolm and Donalbain flee the castle to Ireland and England because they do not want to be killed.