Three witches prophecize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and one day rule as King of Scotland.

Ross arrives to inform Macbeth that King Duncan has awarded him the title of Thane of Cawdor.

King Duncan publicly names his son Malcolm as the heir to the Scottish throne.

Lady Macbeth overcomes her husband's hesitation and convinces him to murder King Duncan that very night.

Macbeth enters King Duncan's bedchamber and stabs the sleeping king with daggers.

Macduff enters Duncan's chamber and emerges in horror to announce that the king has been murdered.

Macbeth kills King Duncan's two chamberlains in a staged rage, framing them for the king's murder.

Macbeth declares himself King of Scotland after Duncan's sons flee the country under suspicion of murder.

Macbeth secretly meets with hired men and orders them to ambush and kill Banquo and his son Fleance.

The hired murderers kill Banquo but fail to catch his son Fleance, who escapes into the darkness.

Macbeth visits the witches' cavern and receives three apparitions warning him about Macduff and predicting his safety until Birnam Wood moves.

Macbeth orders his men to seize Macduff's castle and execute Macduff's wife and children.

Macduff learns from Ross that Macbeth's men have slaughtered his entire family in his absence.

Macduff reveals to Macbeth on the battlefield that he was born by caesarean section, not by natural birth.

Macduff kills Macbeth in single combat and presents Macbeth's severed head to Malcolm.

Macbeth is a celebrated Scottish general who learns from three witches that he is destined to become King of Scotland. Spurred on by his wife's relentless ambition, Macbeth murders King Duncan and seizes the throne for himself. To protect his grip on power, Macbeth hires killers to eliminate his ally Banquo, though Banquo's son Fleance escapes. Believing himself invincible after a second visit to the witches, Macbeth orders the slaughter of his enemy Macduff's entire family. Macduff returns from exile with an army and reveals on the battlefield that he was born by caesarean section, defeating the witches' final protective prophecy. With Macbeth slain and his head presented to the court, Duncan's rightful heir Malcolm is crowned the new King of Scotland.

The key events driving Macbeth's rise and violent fall.

Three witches meet on a stormy heath and arrange their next encounter with Macbeth.

King Duncan hears from a wounded soldier how Macbeth's bravery turned the tide of battle against Ireland and Norway.

King Duncan sentences the traitorous Thane of Cawdor to death and strips him of his title.

Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter describing the witches' prophecy and his newly granted title.

Lady Macbeth calls on dark spirits to strip away her feminine qualities and fill her with ruthless cruelty.

King Duncan arrives at Macbeth's castle and praises Lady Macbeth's gracious hospitality.

Macbeth hallucinates a floating bloody dagger pointing toward King Duncan's chamber before going to commit the murder.

A drunk porter slowly stumbles to open the castle gate for Macduff and Lennox the morning after Duncan's murder.

Malcolm flees to England and his brother Donalbain flees to Ireland after their father Duncan is found murdered.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth preside over a royal feast celebrating his reign as the new king.

Lady Macbeth abruptly dismisses the entire court from the royal feast after Macbeth's frantic behavior alarms the guests.

Lennox and a Scottish lord quietly agree that Macbeth has become a tyrant and express support for the army forming against him.

Macbeth's hired murderers arrive at Macduff's castle, stab Macduff's young son, and chase down Lady Macduff.

Malcolm orders his soldiers to cut branches from Birnam Wood and carry them as camouflage toward Dunsinane Castle.

Malcolm is hailed and crowned the new King of Scotland and invites all to his coronation.

The story opens with three witches scheming and a king celebrating his generals' triumph over two invading armies. Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter about the prophecy, steels herself to push him toward murder, and plays the perfect host when Duncan arrives at their castle. After the murder, confusion erupts as a drunk porter stumbles to the gate, Duncan's sons flee the country, and a kingdom begins to fracture under its new king. The royal feast collapses into chaos as Macbeth's behavior alarms the court, forcing Lady Macbeth to dismiss the guests and manage the damage. Scottish lords quietly unite against Macbeth's tyranny, and Malcolm's army deploys a clever ruse with Birnam Wood branches to conceal their numbers. With Macbeth defeated, Malcolm claims the throne and invites all of Scotland to witness a new and hopeful reign.

The supporting moments that shape Macbeth's world and downfall.

Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon three strange witches on the stormy heath as they return from battle.

Banquo cautions Macbeth that evil forces often tell half-truths to lead people toward their own ruin.

Alone before the feast, Macbeth weighs all the reasons not to murder Duncan and admits his only true drive is ambition.

Lady Macbeth secretly drugs King Duncan's chamberlains with wine so they will sleep through the night.

Macbeth returns from Duncan's chambers with blood-soaked hands and confesses he was unable to say Amen.

Lady Macbeth takes the bloody daggers back to frame the sleeping chamberlains after Macbeth refuses to return them.

Ross and an old man discuss the terrifying unnatural omens that appeared on the night Duncan was murdered.

The ghost of Banquo appears at the royal feast and only Macbeth can see it, leaving him visibly terrified.

After the feast collapses, Macbeth resolves to seek out the witches again to learn what the future holds.

Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, furiously scolds the three witches for meddling in Macbeth's fate without her involvement.

Malcolm pretends to be a corrupt and sinful ruler to test whether Macduff is truly loyal to Scotland.

Macduff's anguished cry for Scotland convinces Malcolm that Macduff is a genuine ally and not Macbeth's spy.

Lady Macbeth is discovered sleepwalking through the castle, rubbing her hands and whispering about the murders she helped plan.

A servant reports that Lady Macbeth has died, and Macbeth responds with a hollow speech declaring life meaningless.

Young Siward challenges Macbeth to a duel on the battlefield and Macbeth kills him without hesitation.

Macbeth's tragedy ignites the moment he and Banquo stumble upon the witches and hear prophecies that speak directly to Macbeth's deepest ambitions, despite Banquo's warning that dark forces exploit half-truths. Macbeth's own soliloquy forces him to confront that his only reason to murder Duncan is naked ambition, yet Lady Macbeth's careful drugging of the chamberlains removes his last excuse to stop. Guilt overwhelms Macbeth immediately after the killing, as he returns unable to say a simple prayer, and Banquo's ghost later shatters his composure at the royal feast in front of the entire court. The witches deepen Macbeth's delusion with prophecies that seem to promise invincibility, while Macduff and Malcolm forge an alliance bound together by Macduff's anguished love for his country. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking reveals the total collapse of her mind under guilt, and her death pushes Macbeth into hollow despair even as he prepares for his final battle. When Macduff exposes the fatal loophole in the witches' promise, Macbeth fights on regardless, choosing defiant destruction over surrender.