If the video doesn’t load please try refreshing the page. If the problem persists make sure you have the latest version of the Flash player or watch the videos on our RecAPP iPhone and iPod application.

If you want to get to know Macbeth's characters, just check out the cast list. But if you want the goods on the three characters in Macbeth that really run the show, Jenny’s got everything you need to know.

Video Transcription:

In Macbeth, there are noblemen and royalty galore. But the next 60 seconds are devoted to the three characters who really run the show.

Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and the witches. Remember these three and you can understand both the action, and the main message, of this play.

Macbeth is the main character who doesn’t seem to have any plans for greatness until he hears a prophecy about his future as king. But a future as king would mean murder, and Macbeth’s not so into that … at least not at first. By midway through the play, though, Macbeth has become morally bankrupt. He’ll kill anyone who stands in his way.

But is this moral decline Macbeth’s fault? After all, Lady Macbeth is the one who decides what the prophecy means—that Macbeth must kill King Duncan. But don’t call Lady Macbeth completely morally bankrupt. The stain of the killing eventually gets to her. So much so that she goes insane … and kills herself.

So if we can’t blame the Macbeths, it must be The Witches who are at fault, right? Because of their mumbo-jumbo, Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family all die … not to mention various servants and soldiers.

Actually, in the world of Macbeth, it doesn’t really matter who’s to blame. What’s more important are the consequences of any evil action. And you’ll hear more about that in the next Recap.