Macbeth (c. 1606)
by William Shakespeare
Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare about ambition, murder, guilt, tyranny, prophecy, and the collapse of moral order.
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Macbeth: A Scottish general and thane whose ambition leads him to murder Duncan and seize the throne.
Lady Macbeth: Macbeth’s wife, who urges him toward murder but is later overwhelmed by guilt.
Duncan: The rightful king of Scotland, whose murder begins Macbeth’s political and moral downfall.
Banquo: Macbeth’s friend and fellow soldier, whose descendants are prophesied to inherit the throne.
Macduff: A Scottish nobleman who resists Macbeth and becomes central to restoring order.
Malcolm: Duncan’s son and heir, who flees Scotland and later returns to challenge Macbeth.
The Three Witches: Supernatural figures whose prophecies awaken Macbeth’s ambition and shape the play’s atmosphere of uncertainty.
Ambition and moral collapse: Macbeth’s desire for power overrides loyalty, conscience, and judgement.
Guilt and psychological torment: The murders produce visions, sleeplessness, paranoia, and spiritual unease.
Fate, prophecy, and choice: The witches predict Macbeth’s future, but the play leaves open how much he chooses his own destruction.
Kingship and tyranny: The play contrasts legitimate, healing kingship with Macbeth’s violent and fearful rule.
Appearance and reality: Characters repeatedly hide their intentions behind false appearances and deceptive language.
Disorder in nature and society: Duncan’s murder disrupts political, moral, and natural order.
Act 1: Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy, is made Thane of Cawdor, and is persuaded by Lady Macbeth to murder Duncan.
Act 2: Macbeth murders Duncan. Malcolm and Donalbain flee, and Macbeth is positioned to become king.
Act 3: Macbeth arranges Banquo’s murder, but Fleance escapes. Macbeth’s guilt and fear intensify at the banquet.
Act 4: Macbeth seeks further prophecies and becomes more brutal, ordering the murder of Macduff’s family.
Act 5: Lady Macbeth descends into madness, Macbeth clings to the witches’ promises, and Malcolm’s forces defeat him.
Macbeth encounters the witches, receives the prophecy, and begins to imagine becoming king.
Macbeth kills Duncan and is immediately disturbed by guilt, fear, and hallucination.
Now king, Macbeth tries to secure his throne by ordering Banquo’s murder.
Macbeth seeks new prophecies and becomes increasingly violent and reckless.
Lady Macbeth collapses under guilt, and Macbeth is defeated by Malcolm’s forces.