Macbeth (1971) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Macbeth is driven by both his wife's relentless pressure and his own ambitious nature. After learning from the witches that he will become king, Duncan naming his son Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland directly blocks Macbeth's path to the throne. This creates the opportunity and motive for regicide, though the witches' prophecy alone does not compel him, the decision ultimately stems from his willingness to seize power through violence.

Foreshadowing: The witches' prophecy plants the seed of ambition in Macbeth long before he acts on it.

• Macbeth
• Duncan
• murder
• ambition
• prophecy
• throne

Lady Macbeth is consumed by ambition and sees the prophecy as a divine mandate that her husband is too weak to fulfill. She believes Duncan's visit presents an unmissable opportunity and views his murder as necessary to claim the crown. Her ruthless determination stems from a desire to secure power and status, coupled with contempt for what she perceives as Macbeth's indecision.

Foreshadowing: She vows to be cruel and to spur her husband toward the throne before Duncan arrives.

• Lady Macbeth
• ambition
• manipulation
• Duncan
• murder

The Three Witches greet Macbeth with two titles: Thane of Cawdor (which he already possesses by the time they speak) and future king. They tell Banquo he will be lesser and greater than Macbeth, and though he will never be king, his descendants will inherit the throne. These ambiguous prophecies drive the entire tragedy by fueling Macbeth's greed and paranoia.

Foreshadowing: The encounter occurs on the moor immediately after Macbeth's victory in battle, setting the tragic trajectory in motion.

• witches
• prophecy
• Three Witches
• Banquo
• king
• descendants

Macbeth fears Banquo because the witches prophesied that Banquo's line, not Macbeth's, will become kings. While Macbeth has seized the throne through murder, Banquo's descendants threaten his legacy. Macbeth also worries that Banquo suspects him of Duncan's murder. By eliminating Banquo, Macbeth hopes to prevent the prophecy from fulfilling through Banquo's lineage.

Foreshadowing: The witches' earlier prophecy about Banquo's royal descendants haunts Macbeth throughout the film.

• Macbeth
• Banquo
• murder
• Fleance
• prophecy
• lineage

Macbeth is told he cannot be killed by any man born of a woman, giving him false confidence. However, Macduff was delivered by Caesarean section, making him technically not "born of woman" in the literal surgical sense. This loophole allows Macduff to defeat and behead Macbeth, fulfilling the prophecy in reverse.

Foreshadowing: The witches' ambiguous riddles mislead Macbeth into believing he is invincible.

• Macduff
• Caesarean
• prophecy
• invincible
• born of woman
• battle

The English forces led by Malcolm and Siward cut branches from Birnam Wood and carry them as they advance toward Dunsinane. This creates the illusion of a moving forest, technically fulfilling the witches' prophecy that Macbeth cannot be defeated until Birnam Wood moves to his fortress. The visual deception allows the army to approach unnoticed.

Foreshadowing: The witches' third prophecy gives Macbeth dangerous false security about his invincibility.

• Birnam Wood
• Dunsinane
• prophecy
• battle
• English forces
• disguise

Macduff seeks revenge for the brutal murder of his entire family. When Ross slaughters Lady Macduff and her children in Fife on Macbeth's orders, Macduff's personal grief transforms into a quest for justice. He joins Malcolm's forces to overthrow the tyrant and personally confronts Macbeth in the final battle, beheading him.

Foreshadowing: Macbeth's order to kill Macduff's family represents the peak of his brutal tyranny.

• Macduff
• revenge
• family
• slaughter
• battle
• Malcolm

After discovering their father's body, Malcolm and Donalbain fear for their lives. They correctly suspect that whoever benefits from Duncan's death will next eliminate them as potential rivals to the throne. Their flight to England and Ireland respectively makes them appear guilty of conspiracy, inadvertently clearing the path for Macbeth to seize power.

Foreshadowing: Duncan's naming of Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland had already set up the succession conflict.

• Malcolm
• Donalbain
• flee
• England
• Ireland
• suspicion

Fleance is Banquo's son and heir. Macbeth orders Banquo killed specifically to prevent Banquo's descendants from becoming kings, as the witches prophesied. When Fleance escapes into the night, Macbeth's plan to secure his bloodline fails. This leaves him with persistent paranoia that the prophecy will still come true through Banquo's line.

Foreshadowing: The original prophecy explicitly states Banquo will sire future kings.

• Fleance
• Banquo
• escape
• prophecy
• heir
• descendants

Ross appears as the mysterious third murderer who assists the two hired killers. Though initially portrayed as loyal to Macbeth, Ross participates in eliminating Banquo, a fellow Scot and noble. His involvement adds another layer of betrayal and expands the theme of loyalty being corrupted by ambition and fear.

Foreshadowing: Ross had previously been aware of the witches' prophecies and Macbeth's rise.

• Ross
• Banquo
• murderer
• third killer
• loyalty
• betrayal

After Macbeth is defeated and Malcolm is crowned king, Donalbain is seen riding and encountering the Three Witches again. This ambiguous final scene suggests that the supernatural forces at work in the tragedy are not truly vanquished. Donalbain's fate remains uncertain, and the witches may be preparing new prophecies or testing new ambitions.

Foreshadowing: The witches' first appearance occurred at the beginning, and their influence spans the entire tragedy.

• Donalbain
• witches
• ending
• prophecy
• fate
• resolution