ACT 1, Scene 2
Lady Macbeth reads her husband's letter telling of his encounter with the witches and decides to incite her husband to action. After a messenger tells her King Duncan and Macbeth will arrive by nightfall, she calls on Hell and the shadows of night to aid her plan. When her husband arrives, she encourages him that he will be King if he is not afraid to act. That night, Macbeth wavers at the thought of murder, but enters the King's chamber when he hears the signal. Lady Macbeth meets the horrified Macbeth as he emerges after having slain the King. Seeing that he has brought the dagger with him, Lady Macbeth takes the dagger back into Duncan's room to frame the guards for the murder. When she returns, she pulls Macbeth away to clean their bloody hands. Macduff, a nobleman, arrives with Banquo to wake the King. Discovering the murder, they summon everyone in the castle; the assembled mob calls down Heaven's curse on the murderer.

Act 2, Scene 1
Macbeth is now King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth assures her husband that his throne is secure since Duncan’s son, Malcolm, has fled to England. Recalling the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth replies that Banquo's heirs will gain the throne. They decide to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. Lady Macbeth calls on the night to hide their crimes.

Act 2, Scene 2
Along a dark road, a group of murderers hides. As Banquo and Fleance approach the castle, Banquo tells his son about a presentiment of danger. The assassins kill Banquo while Fleance manages to escape.

Act 2, Scene 3
In the castle’s banquet hall, Macbeth and his wife greet their guests with Lady Macbeth offering a toast in the guests’ honor. One of the murderers quietly informs Macbeth of Banquo's death. As the guests enjoy the party, Macbeth approaches Banquo's chair and is terrified when Banquo's ghost appears. The ghost is unseen by the others, forcing Lady Macbeth to distract the guests from her husband’s seemingly irrational behaviour. Despite her attempts to fool the guests and placate her husband, Macduff begins to suspect the truth.

Act 3, Scene 1
The witches prepare for Macbeth’s return. When Macbeth arrives and demands to know his future, they summon three apparitions. First, a warrior’s head warns him to beware of Macduff. Second, a bloody child tells him no one born of woman can harm him. Third, a crowned child proclaims that Macbeth will be King until Birnam Wood uproots itself and moves toward him. Macbeth insists on knowing whether Banquo's heirs will ascend the throne. The answer comes in the form of a procession of eight kings, the last of whom is Banquo carrying a mirror which reflects the continuing succession of kings. Left alone, Macbeth is found by his wife. When he tells her of the latest prophecies and warnings, the pair resolves to kill all their enemies, including Fleance and Macduff's family.

Act 3, Scene 2
Scottish refugees camped on the border of Scotland and England, lament the grief that has infected their homeland under Macbeth's rule. Macduff's wife and children have been slaughtered in his absence and he has joined the refugees in revolt. Malcolm, leading English troops, finds them and calls on Macduff and all loyal Scots to join him in rescuing their country. Malcolm orders the men to cut branches from Birnam Wood to serve as camouflage.

Act 4, Scene 1
Lady Macbeth’s lady-in-waiting and her doctor observe Lady Macbeth sleepwalking. In a trance, she tries to wash invisible spots of blood from her hands while she recalls the night of King Duncan’s murder. She agonizes over the murders of Banquo and Macduff's wife until an imagined knock on the door sends her back to her room.

Act 4, Scene 2
Alone, Macbeth renounces thoughts of pity and love, knowing only curses will be his epitaph. He rejects life as meaningless when he is told that his wife has died. As Macduff and Malcolm’s camouflaged troops approach Glamis Castle, Macbeth's soldiers announce that Birnam Wood is moving. Recalling the third apparition’s warning, Macbeth calls for his weapons and pledges his men to fight to victory or death.

Act 4, Scene 3
In the battle, Macduff confronts Macbeth. When Macbeth defies Macduff with the boast that he cannot be killed by any man born of woman, Macduff reveals that he himself was not born naturally, but had been torn from his mother's womb. The two men battle their way out of sight as the soldiers and refugees proclaim victory. Macduff returns to hail Malcolm as King and Malcolm pledges to restore peace to Scotland.