Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is a fantasy novel by Ava Reid, published in August 2024. Reid is an American author of adult and young adult fantasy. Of her three previous books, she is best known for A Study in Drowning, a 2023 young adult fantasy novel that topped the New York Times bestseller list. She is inspired by Gothic literature, and her work often incorporates fairy-tale elements alongside themes of trauma and abuse.

The plot of Lady Macbeth is loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The protagonist, Roscille, is known for her otherworldly beauty and eyes that can compel men; it is rumored that she is a witch. When she is married off to Macbeth by her father, she must navigate her harsh new world cautiously as she tries to survive her husband’s desire for personal and political dominance. 

This guide uses the hardback edition published by Del Rey at Penguin Random House, 2024.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide discuss misogyny and xenophobia, physical and sexual violence (including rape), suicide, and ableist language.

Plot Summary

A young woman named Roscille journeys from Brittany to Scotland with her faithful maid, Hawise. Her father, the Duke of Brittany, has gifted her as a bride to Macbeth, Thane of Glammis. She feels betrayed that he has treated her as a political pawn. She is known for her otherworldly beauty. Her strange eyes allegedly have the supernatural ability to control men, so she must always wear a veil. There are rumors that she is cursed or a witch.

She is alienated by the harsh physical environment of Glammis, the battle-hardened men, and the absence of women. Hawise is taken away and presumably killed. To delay Macbeth from raping her after their wedding, she invokes a custom that allows her three wishes first. She asks for a necklace, knowing the precious materials are only found in Cawder. In order to get them, Macbeth must go to war against the current Thane of Cawder. Roscille helps him justify this to the king, Duncane, offering to forge a letter implying Cawder’s treachery. Macbeth then shares his secret with Roscille: He keeps three witches chained below the castle. They prophesy that he will win and become Thane of Cawder.

While Macbeth is gone, Roscille decides to create an alliance with Fléance, the son of Macbeth’s right-hand man, Banquho. They invent a story that he saved her from an attack, presenting her as sought-after and him as heroic. When Macbeth returns victorious, he vows revenge against the imagined attackers. He also gives Roscille the necklace, prompting her to request a white cloak incorporating the fur of a unicorn. The witches next prophesy that Macbeth will be king.

Duncane and his sons, Evander and Lisander, arrive to formalize Macbeth’s new title. Roscille is attracted to Lisander, who addresses her in her mother tongue. He has a strange air and requests a room with no window. Duncane refers to Macbeth’s dominance over his first wife, alarming Roscille, who wonders about her predecessor’s fate. Macbeth threatens her and says she must use her power to kill Duncane. Roscille considers throwing herself off the battlements, but Lisander pulls her down. He also offers his support, but Roscille, feeling helpless, nevertheless obeys Macbeth, using her magic to make the guards kill Duncane and then each other.

Duncane’s death leaves a power vacuum and creates uncertainty around his peace treaty with the English. Macbeth orders Roscille to kill Lisander, but they instead end up having sex. However, when he finds the dagger she planned to use, he briefly holds her at sword point. Roscille realizes he must be supernatural—he is not impacted by her eyes.

Macbeth reveals that he tried to kill Evander, who fled to rally English troops. Lisander bargains for his life, arguing that he is more valuable alive than dead, so Macbeth locks him in the dungeon and then rides out for Duncane’s castle to secure the throne. He leaves Roscille in charge with Banquho and Fléance supervising. She tries to help the local villagers, including a woman named Senga who is shunned for her sexual activity: Roscille brings her into the castle as a maid and companion. Banquho disapproves and instructs Roscille to fulfill Macbeth’s request to torture Lisander for information. She refuses, and Banquho and Fléance whip her brutally to punish her.

While Roscille is in the dungeon, Lisander tells her his secret: He turns into a dragon whenever he falls asleep because a witch cursed his father for raping and mortally wounding her. He doesn’t want to leave Roscille but is unable to stay awake any longer. He becomes a dragon and breaks out of the dungeon.

Macbeth returns victorious and puts a bounty on the dragon’s head. He has the cloak Roscille requested but is angry with her for “allowing” the whipping to damage her physical form. He is not prepared to wait for her third request, and he rapes her.

The next day, bleeding from her sexual and physical assaults, Roscille sneaks out to a nearby grove with a pool that has magical qualities. She wades in, considering drowning herself. Lisander arrives as a dragon and jumps on her before turning back into a man. She reveals that she has been raped and initiates sex with him as a way to reclaim her body. She learns from him that the witches are former Lady Macbeths, including her husband’s first wife, Gruoch. Roscille and Lisander express their commitment to each other, but she must return to the castle.

She goes to the basement and tells the witches she wants them to share a prophecy on her behalf. Then she sneaks back to Macbeth. He brings her along as he shows Banquho the witches for the first time. They prophesy that Banquho’s children will be kings, infuriating Macbeth, who kills Banquho and locks up Fléance.

Roscille visits Fléance in the dungeon to flaunt her revenge. He says he wishes he’d raped her and that he knows about Lisander, threatening to tell Macbeth. Macbeth finds her outside and questions whether the story that she was attacked was real. He tells her that to counter the latest prophecy, he will rape her every night until she has a son, murdering any baby girls. 

The witches next prophesy that Macbeth cannot be killed by a mortal man and that he will be undefeated until the wood comes to the top of the hill. This convinces him that he is invincible, although the English army, led by Evander, is closing in on his castle. Roscille encourages Senga to flee, but she insists on remaining together.

Fléance convinces Macbeth of Roscille’s adultery, and he locks her in the basement with the witches, telling her she will become one of them, trapped forever. However, they see hope for their redemption in her and help her escape. She tries to flee with Senga, but Fléance stops them, only for Lisander to arrive as a dragon and kill him. He is covered in debris from the forest, fulfilling part of the prophecy.

Roscille realizes she must kill Macbeth. He tries to make her doubt herself, but she channels the witches and her desire to protect Senga. Because he believes in his own dominance, he looks into her eyes and dies. Lisander and Roscille become king and queen, ruling fairly and accepting their supernatural qualities. The witches finally rest.