Its protagonist is Macbeth, who is at first presented as a noble warrior and thane loyal to his king
A combination of his ambition, the prophecies of three malevolent witches and the encouragement of his equally ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth, sees him assassinate his king, Duncan, and ascend the throne himself
While King of Scotland, Macbeth becomes increasingly paranoid that his act of regicide will be discovered, and that he himself will be murdered, and so Macbeth attempts to murder any person he sees as a threat
Overwhelming guilt consumes both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: Macbeth sees hallucinations and seeks the dangerous advice of the witches for a second time, while Lady Macbeth loses her mind completely and commits suicide
The play concludes with Macduff killing Macbeth in a duel, thus avenging both his family, whom Macbeth cruelly murdered, and his former king, with Duncan's son, and rightful heir to the throne, Malcolm, becoming king
