A Brief Introduction

 Born in Stratford Upon Avon in 1564  Married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had 3 children  Became a well-known dramatist and actor in London by 1592

 Member of the theater troupe The Lord Chamberlain’s Men  Performed (and helped to build) The Globe Theater in London

 Wrote 37 plays, 4 poems and 154 sonnets  Died on April 23, 1616

 Written between for King James I  King James was fascinated by witches and sorcery, both of which are big elements in the play

 3 witches confront the Scottish general Macbeth and predict that he will one day become king  So Macbeth (with the help of his wife Lady Macbeth) murders King Duncan and frames the palace guards for the murder  A nobleman named Macduff discovers the king’s body

 Macbeth becomes king but is filled with guilt because he murdered the previous king  After seeing many ghosts and scary visions, Lady Macbeth commits suicide  Macduff kills the tortured Macbeth and becomes king