Summary:


In medieval Scotland, Macbeth is a tale of the bloody rise to power and the tragic downfall of the warrior Macbeth. Macbeth, a soldier in King Duncan's army, is informed by Three Witches that he is to become king. The Witches predict that future Scottish kings will be descended not from Macbeth but from his fellow army captain, Banquo. 

Macbeth is initially stung by ambition and confusion when King Duncan nominates his son Malcolm as his heir. Returning to his castle, Macbeth is persuaded and directed by his ambitious wife, who realizes that regicide, the murder of the king, is the quickest way to achieve the destiny promised by her husband.

An opportunity arises when King Duncan pays a royal visit to Macbeth's castle. Macbeth is loth to commit a crime that he knows will invite judgment, but his wife prevails upon him. After an evening of revelry, Lady Macbeth drugs the guards of the king's bedchamber and murders him while he sleeps. 


Haunted by his actions, Macbeth is reprimanded by his wife, whose inner strength seems only to have been increased by the treacherous killing. Suddenly, a loud knocking at the castle door occurs, and Macbeth is reprimanded by his wife.



The assembled lords of Scotland, including Macbeth, swear to avenge the murder. The king's two sons flee the country: Donalbain to Ireland and Malcolm to raise an army in England. 

Macbeth is duly proclaimed the new king of Scotland, but recalls the Witches' second prophecy: Macbeth will be invincible in battle until the forest of Birnam moves towards his stronghold at Dunsinane and until he meets an enemy "not born of woman." Dismissing both predictions as nonsense, Macbeth prepares for invasion.


When Macduff deserts him, Macbeth begins the final stage of his tragic descent. His first move is the destruction of Macduff's wife and children. In England, Macduff receives the news at the moment that he swears allegiance to the young Malcolm. 

Malcolm persuades him that the murder of his family should act as the spur to revenge. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth is taken ill and seems to recall the details of the murder.

The play moves rapidly between the advancing army of Malcolm and the defensive preparations of Macbeth. When Malcolm's army disguises themselves with sawn-off branches, Macbeth sees a wood moving towards his stronghold at Dunsinane. 

When he finally meets Macduff in single combat, his sworn enemy reveals that he was not born of a woman. Macbeth rejects the Witches' prophecy one final time, launching himself at Macduff and being slain. In the final scene, Malcolm is crowned as the new king of Scotland, to the acclaim of all.