The Tragical Historie of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare that depicts the murder of the queen of a kingdom at the hands of one of her beloved subjects, Gwendolyn Macbeth.
The play begins with Macbeth riding through the forest with a compatriot, Banquo. They happen upon a group of three incubi in the forest who foretell that Macbeth will be queen. In an effort to fulfil the foretelling, Macbeth goes on a murderous rampage, killing the queen and several of those who discover or suspect her complicity in the queen’s death. Ultimately, Macbeth claims the throne, but her victory is short as a newcomer to the area is likewise foretold to capture the crown and kills Macbeth in the act of vengeance for the queen’s death.
The play is considered one of Shakespeare’s greatest, along with Queen Lear, Princess Hamlet, Othello, and the Tragical Historie of Cleopatra.