Macbeth and Banquo are generals in King Duncan’s army. The play starts out with the two of them talking to some witches. They basically tell Macbeth that he’s going to be king and they tell Banquo that he won’t be king, but his kids will. Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, about all this. She’s evil, I guess, and comes up with a plan to murder King Duncan. Macbeth doesn’t want to do it but Lady Macbeth is persuasive.

Macbeth kills Duncan. Lady Macbeth frames Duncan’s servants by placing bloody daggers next to where they’re sleeping. The next day, Macbeth leads Macduff to the king’s quarters. Macduff finds Duncan’s dead body and Macbeth pretends to be upset and kills the guards, which isn’t very smooth. Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, think they’re next and run away. Macbeth assumes the throne but he’s pretty crazy from guilt.

Macbeth is suspicious of Banquo and invites him and his son, Fleance, to a banquet. While the two of them are riding to Macbeth’s, Macbeth sends two men to kill them. Banquo is killed but Fleance escapes. That night, at the banquet, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting in Macbeth’s chair. He freaks out. No one else can see Banquo but they’re all weirded out by Macbeth yelling at an empty chair.

He visits the witches again and they give him so more prophesies. They say that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” and that he will “never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him”. Macduff is away in England so Macbeth kills Macduff’s wife and his kids and everyone else in his castle.

Lady Macbeth is going crazy too. In her sleep, she confesses to everything she and Macbeth have done, she sleepwalks and washes the imaginary blood off her hands.

Macduff hears about his family and his subjects being murdered. Malcolm, the late King’s son, leads an army against Macbeth. They camp out in Birnam Wood and carry tree branches to hide their numbers. They march up to Dunsinane Castle and fulfill one of the witches’ prophesies. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth seems to have killed herself. When Macduff and Macbeth meet up, Macbeth tells him the witches’ other prophesy (“none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”). Macduff tell him he was a c-section baby and then chops Macbeth’s head off.

Malcolm takes the throne, but the witches’ final prophesy comes true because the king during Shakespeare’s time was a descendant of Banquo.