Lyric Opera 2021-2022 Issue 1 Macbeth

Lyric Opera of Chicago | 22 Scene 3. Lady Macbeth and her husband greet their guests at a banquet. One of the assassins privately reports to Macbeth the outcome of their mission. Macbeth is about to take his place at the table when Banquo’s ghost appears – to the guilty man alone. Macbeth’s horror amazes his guests and casts a pall on the festivities. Lady Macbeth vainly attempts to restore a light-hearted mood. Intermission Act three Scene 1. Macbeth forces the witches to produce apparitions that pronounce the triple oracle: “Beware Macduff;” “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth;” “Macbeth will never be vanquished till Birnam Wood moves against him.” Lady Macbeth joins Macbeth, and together they plot to destroy their enemies. Act four Scene 1. Scottish refugees lament the sad fate of their country since Duncan’s death. Macduff mourns his wife and children, murdered by Macbeth’s assassins. Malcolm arrives with English soldiers as reinforcements to march against Macbeth. He orders the soldiers to cut boughs from the trees of nearby Birnam Wood to conceal their numbers. The army sets out. Scene 2. A doctor and lady in waiting keep a vigil to see if their queen, whose reason has been affected by the recent bloody events, will again walk in her sleep. She soon does; in her mind, she relives the crimes she has committed. Scene 3. Macbeth is fearless at the prospect of battling his enemies. He regrets only that his chosen course of action has deprived him of the honor, respect, and love that might otherwise have brightened his declining years. His soldiers enter to inform him that Birnam Wood is moving toward the church. He meets death at the hands of Macduff, who was torn prematurely from a dying mother and hence does not disprove the oracle that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.” The victorious army hails Malcolm as king. Synopsis Continued