Macbeth, set primarily in Scotland, mixes witchcraft, prophecy, and murder. Three "Weïrd Sisters" appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and prophesy that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king.
After Macbeth murders Duncan, the king's two sons flee, and Macbeth is crowned. Fearing that Banquo's descendants will, according to the Weïrd Sisters’predictions, take over the kingdom, Macbeth has Banquo killed. At a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost appear covered in blood. Macbeth determines to consult the Weïrd Sisters again. They comfort him with ambiguous promises.
Another nobleman, Macduff, rides to England to join Duncan's older son, Malcolm. Macbeth has Macduff's wife and children murdered. Malcolm and Macduff lead an army against Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth goes mad and commits suicide.
Macbeth confronts Malcolm’s army, trusting in the Weïrd Sisters’ comforting promises. He learns that the promises are tricks, but continues to fight. Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes Scotland's king.
Early printed texts
Macbeth was published for the first time in the 1623 First Folio (F1) and that text is the basis for all modern editions of the play.
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First Folio (1623)
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Second Folio (1632)
Picturing Macbeth
As part of an NEH-funded project, the Folger digitized thousands of 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-century images representing Shakespeare’s plays. Some of these images show actors in character, while others show the plays as if they were real-life events—telling the difference isn't always easy. A selection of images related to Macbeth is shown below, with links to our digital image collection.
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Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth (late 19th century)
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Sarah Bernhardt as Lady Macbeth (late 19th century)
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Orson Welles and Jeannette Nolan as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (1948)
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Henry Irving as Macbeth (19th century)
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Charles Macready as Macbeth (mid 19th century)
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Edwin Booth as Macbeth (1860)
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G.J. Bennett, Drinkwater Meadows, W.H. Payne as the witches (1838)
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Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost (Act 3, scene 4; mid to late 19th century)
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Henry Fuseli's painting of Macbeth with the witches (Act 4, scene 1; 1793)
More images of Macbeth can be seen in our digital image collection. (Because of how they were cataloged, some images from other plays might appear in the image searches linked here, so always check the sidebar to see if the image is described as part of a larger group.)
Teacher & student resources
Created by teachers and curated by the Folger, these teaching modules can help you with Macbeth in the classroom:
More teaching modules and other teacher and student resources can be found in our Teach & Learn section.
