Macbeth

Shakespeare’s play about a Scottish nobleman and his wife who murder their king for his throne charts the extremes of ambition and guilt. First staged in 1606, Macbeth’s three witches and other dark imagery have entered our collective imagination.

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire play or a scene by scene Summary and Analysis.

Plot Summary
Act 1, Scene 1 Summary
Act 1, Scene 2 Summary
Act 1, Scene 3 Summary
Act 1, Scene 4 Summary
Act 1, Scene 5 Summary
Act 1, Scene 6 Summary
Act 1, Scene 7 Summary
Act 2, Scene 1 Summary
Act 2, Scene 2 Summary
Act 2, Scene 3 Summary
Act 2, Scene 4 Summary
Act 3, Scene 1 Summary
Act 3, Scene 2 Summary
Act 3, Scene 3 Summary
Act 3, Scene 4 Summary
Act 3, Scene 5 Summary
Act 3, Scene 6 Summary
Act 4, Scene 1 Summary
Act 4, Scene 2 Summary
Act 4, Scene 3 Summary
Act 5, Scene 1 Summary
Act 5, Scene 2 Summary
Act 5, Scene 3 Summary
Act 5, Scene 4 Summary
Act 5, Scene 5 Summary
Act 5, Scene 6 Summary
Act 5, Scene 7 Summary
Act 5, Scene 8 Summary
Act 5, Scene 9 Summary
Act 5, Scene 10 Summary
Act 5, Scene 11 Summary

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in Macbeth and in-depth analyses of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, Banquo, and Macduff.

Characters

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about the play as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Themes
Motifs

Quotes

Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of the play by reading these key quotes.

Quotes

Further Study

Go further with essays on context, background, and movie adaptations.

Sample Essays