What is Macbeth?
''Not to be confused with the king of Scotland [[Macbeth of Scotland]]'' [[File:Thomas_Keene_in_Macbeth_1884_Wikipedia_crop.png|thumb|250px|''Macbeth'', with many parts shown. Top left: Banquo and Macbeth meet the witches. Middle-left: Macbeth has just killed Duncan, and talks with his wife. Bottom-left: Banquo's ghost. Bottom-right: Macduff duels Macbeth.]] [[File:Second Folio Title Page of Macbeth.jpg|thumb|right|The first page of ''Macbeth'', printed in the Second Folio of 1632]] '''''Macbeth''''' is a [[Play (theatre)|play]] by [[William Shakespeare]]. Shakespeare wrote three types of plays: histories, [[comedy|comedies]] and [[tragedy|tragedies]]. ''Macbeth'' is his shortest tragedy. Shakespeare wrote it between 1603 and 1607, during the [[reign]] of [[James I of England|King James I]] of [[England]]. In the play, the [[Fictional character|characters]] of Macbeth, [[Macduff (Shakespeare)|Macduff]], and Duncan are roughly based on records of real people. Shakespeare read these records in ''[[Holinshed's Chronicles]]'', a [[history]] book from 1587. However, the things that happen in the play are very different from what happened in real life. == Characters == * Duncan – King of [[Scotland]] ** [[Malcolm III of Scotland|Malcolm]] – Duncan's eldest son ** Donalbain – Duncan's youngest son * '''Macbeth''' – A general in the army of King Duncan, [[Thegn|Thane]] of Glamis, then Thane of Cawdor and later King of [[Scotland]] ** [[Lady Macbeth]] – Macbeth's wife, later Queen of Scotland * [[Banquo]] – Macbeth's friend and fellow general in Duncan's army ** Fleance – Banquo's son * Three [[Witch]]es (sometimes called the Weird Sisters) * [[Macduff (Macbeth)|Macduff]] – Thane of [[Fife]] ** Lady Macduff – Macduff's wife ** Macduff's son * Ross, Lennox, Angus, Menteith, Caithness – Thanes * Seyward – General of the English forces ** Young Seyward – Seyward's son * Seyton – Macbeth's servant * Three Murderers * Porter – in charge of the gate at Macbeth's castle * English Doctor * Scottish Doctor – Lady Macbeth's doc