The character is loosely based on the historical king Macbeth of Scotland and is derived largely from the account in Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), a compilation of British history.

[1] The tragedy begins amid a bloody civil war in Scotland, where Macbeth is first introduced as a valorous and loyal general with the title of Thane of Glamis (which he inherited from his father Sinel) serving under King Duncan, who gives a colourful and extensive exaltation of Macbeth's prowess and valor in battle.

His courageousness is also suggested, "Bellona’s bridegroom", comparing Macbeth to the Roman god of war, Mars.

When the battle is won, largely due to Macbeth and his lieutenant Banquo, the Thane of Lochaber, Duncan honours his generals with high praise and sends the messenger Ross to deliver Macbeth his reward: the title of Thane of Cawdor, since its previous holder was to be executed for betraying Scotland and siding with the enemy.

Shakespeare also presents Macbeth as a very determined character who wants to control his own fate, rather than letting it be for the witches to decide.

These responses are the antithesis of Banquo's, who knew that the witches were forces of evil and shouldn't be trusted – "can the Devil speak true?” – whereas Shakespeare presents Macbeth in this scene as if he could be corrupted and his allegiance could shift, due to his state of moral conflict – "nothing is but what is not".

Macbeth becomes fixated on the prophecy, ignoring Banquo's advice that "oftentimes to win us to our harm these instruments of darkness tell us truths…to betray us in deepest consequence".

However, they subsequently state that he will not be defeated "until Birnam wood move to high Dunsinane," and that "no man of woman born" may harm him.

Now completely alone, Macbeth laments that life is a "tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

By the end of the play Macbeth learns that the witches' second set of prophecies have hidden meanings: Malcolm's army carries shields made from Birnam wood to Macbeth's fortress in Dunsinane, and Macduff reveals that he was prematurely removed from his mother's womb, meaning that he technically was not "of woman born".

On stage and film, Macbeth has been portrayed by many famous actors, including Sean Connery, Laurence Olivier, Christopher Eccleston, Michael Rosenbaum, Alan Cumming, Sam Worthington, Orson Welles, Dakota Goodwin, Ian McKellen, Toshiro Mifune, Nicol Williamson, Jon Finch, Daniel Day-Lewis, James McAvoy, Jeremy Brett, Charlton Heston, Peter O'Toole, Patrick Stewart, Dwij Vasavada, Jason Connery, Irrfan Khan, Alec Baldwin, Ethan Hawke, Michael Fassbender, Kenneth Branagh, John Simm, Denzel Washington and Daniel Craig.