At this moment they hear a knock at the castle door. Macbeth is filled with remorse, but his wife scolds him. At her signal, Macbeth approaches the king’s chambers, voicing his doubts to himself, and kills the king in his sleep. After a night of celebration, Lady Macbeth drugs the guards to the King’s chambers. However, his wife continues to persuade him and eventually convinces him to kill the king. Macbeth initially resists the plot to kill the king out fear of punishment both in life and beyond. An opportunity easily presents itself when King Duncan pays a visit to Macbeth castle. Upon returning to his castle Macbeth is persuaded by his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth, to kill the king and take his place on the throne. This concerns Macbeth and he returns to his castle plotting a different course. They also foretell that Banquo will be the father of kings. On their way home from battle, Macbeth and Banquo encounter three witches who predict that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland, as has been ordained by the king in his absence. Duncan, the king, gives the title Thane of Cawdor to Macbeth to reward his heroism. This coincides with news of the treachery of the Thane of Cawdor. The scene opens as the kind learns of Macbeth’s victory over the treacherous Macdonald who aided the Norwegians against the king and against Scotland. Duncan, the King of Scotland, is waging a war against the King of Norway. The setting is medieval Scotland, the Highlands. Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants, and Messengers The Ghost of Banquo and other Apparitions SIWARD, Earl of Northumberland, a general of the English forces MACDUFF, Thane of Fife, a nobleman of ScotlandīANQUO, Thane of Lochaber, a general in the King’s army MACBETH, Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, a general in the King’s army As much as Shakespeare wrote to please the tastes and sensibilities of Elizabeth I, he also catered to her successor. The setting for the play is Scotland, the home of James I. Since Shakespeare wrote the play under the reign of James I, the theme of just vengeance against the murder of a king and the proper restoration of order are important themes. The play works with these themes and ideas throughout.

Lady Macbeth is equally a figure of over-reach and remorse. He is terrified of the consequences of his actions yet he plots onward to the end. Throughout the play he expresses fear and remorse. Unlike some of Shakespeare’s other villains who seem to enjoy their misdeeds such as Richard III or Iago, Macbeth is a reluctant villain. The play is a tale of ambition, revenge, and justice.

Although some of the basic facts in the play are true to history, the murder of the king for example, Shakespeare largely wrote the play as an entertaining tragic story rather than a historical document. One of Shakespeare’s shorter tragedies, Macbeth is based on a historical king of Scotland.

When was macbeth written