| “ | Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. | „ |
| ~ Macbeth as he plots to kill King Duncan |
Macbeth is the title character and protagonist villain of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. He is a Scottish nobleman and war hero whose ambition and the machinations of his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the witches the Wyrd Sisters lead him to usurp the throne and become a tyrant.
In the play[]
Macbeth is introduced as the Thane of Glamis and a loyal ally of King Duncan who leads the Royal Army in defeating thew treasonous Thane of Cawdor and his army. After winning the battle, Macbeth and his comrade and best friend Banquo encounter three witches calling themselves the Wyrd Sisters. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and, eventually, King of Scotland, while Banquo will sire a dynasty of kings that will last 1,000 years. When Duncan gives Macbeth the executed Cawdor's title, Macbeth begins to entertain dreams of becoming King.
Macbeth's ruthless wife, Lady Macbeth, urges him to kill Duncan, who is to be staying the night at their castle in Dunsinane, and seize the throne. Macbeth refuses at first, but eventually gives in to his desire for power and stabs Duncan to death, framing the King's sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, who flee the country. Macbeth is then declared king of Scotland.
Macbeth quickly becomes a tyrant, obsessed with eliminating any threat to his rule; he also grows jealous of Banquo because of the witches' prophecy that he will found a line of kings. He orders Banquo and his son, Fleance, killed, but Fleance manages to escape. That night, Banquo's bloodied ghost appears at Macbeth's dinner table during a royal feast, terrifying him and shaking his confidence in his own hold on power,
Macbeth goes to visit the witches for another prophecy, and they reassure him that "no man of woman born" can harm him, and that his rule will last "'Til Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane"; however, they warn him to be careful of Macduff, a nobleman and staunch ally of Duncan. Macbeth promptly orders Macduff killed, but his assassins manage only to kill the Thane's wife and children, as Macduff himself is out of the country raising an army with Malcolm to overthrow Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth, consumed with remorse for her part in killing Macduff's family, commits suicide. When informed his wife's death, Macbeth loses the will to live, delivering the famous "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" soliloquy in which he dreads the long, miserable life he now faces.
Just then, Macbeth learns that Malcolm and Macduff are at his gates with an army, seeking to dethrone him; he is reinvigorated by the prospect of defending his kingdom, determined to take revenge if he cannot have happiness.
He is horrified to learn, however, that the enemy's shields and armor are made of wood from the Birnam Forest. When he does battle with Macduff, Macbeth brags that no man of woman born can kill him, prompting Macduff to reveal that he was prematurely taken from his mother's womb. Macbeth realizes that the witches' prophecies had been designed to trick him. With nothing left to lose, Macbeth charges at Macduff, who kills him, avenging his family and clearing the way for Malcolm to take his rightful place as King of Scotland.