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Returning from victory in battle, the Scottish general Macbeth and his friend Banquo meet three witches on a heath. They hail Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and…
Returning from victory in battle, the Scottish general Macbeth and his friend Banquo meet three witches on a heath. They hail Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and future king, and Banquo as the father of kings. When the first prophecy comes true at once, Macbeth, urged on by his wife, murders King Duncan as he sleeps in their castle and takes the crown. One killing leads to another, Banquo's ghost appears at a feast, the witches give new riddling prophecies, and as Lady Macbeth walks in her sleep trying to wash the blood from her hands, Macbeth reaches the despair of 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow'.
Context and significance
Shakespeare wrote the play around 1606 for King James I, who believed himself descended from Banquo and had written a book on witchcraft. It is his shortest tragedy, fast and dark, and actors still superstitiously call it 'the Scottish play'. For another tragedy of ambition and conscience, read Hamlet.
About the author
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), born in Stratford-upon-Avon, actor, playwright and shareholder of a London company, wrote about thirty-seven plays and 154 sonnets.