Macbeth (2015) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Macbeth is driven to murder Duncan after the witches prophecy，激发 his latent ambition. When Duncan staying overnight at Macbeth's castle, Lady Macbeth passionately persuades him that killing the King is the only way to fulfill the prophecy and secure their power. His desire to be King overcomes his loyalty, especially after learning he will be rewarded with the title of Thane of Cawdor.

Foreshadowing: The witches' prophecy first plants the seed of ambition in Macbeth before any thought of murder.

• macbeth
• duncan
• murder
• ambition
• prophecy
• ladymacbeth

Lady Macbeth fears that Macbeth lacks the ruthlessness to seize power and wants to ensure the witches' prophecy becomes reality. When Macbeth tells her Duncan will stay overnight, she sees this as their only opportunity and pressures him to murder the King, even calling upon dark spirits to strengthen her resolve.

Foreshadowing: Her earlier calling upon dark spirits shows her willingness to use supernatural means to achieve their goals.

• ladymacbeth
• duncan
• murder
• persuasion
• ambition
• power

Macbeth kills the guards in a fit of paranoia, fearing they might reveal what they saw or overheard. He acts impulsively, overcome with guilt and fear after the murder, which actually makes him look more suspicious to Macduff and others who discover the bodies.

Foreshadowing: Macbeth's early hesitation and guilt during the murder foreshadow his inability to maintain composure under pressure.

• macbeth
• guards
• murder
• paranoia
• suspicion
• macduff

Macbeth fears the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants will inherit the throne. After becoming King, he feels insecure and decides to eliminate Banquo and his son Fleance to secure his line. He hires assassins to kill them at a banquet, but Fleance escapes, leaving Macbeth even more paranoid.

Foreshadowing: The witches' prophecy about Banquo being the progenitor of kings creates the threat Macbeth later acts upon.

• macbeth
• banquo
• fleance
• assassination
• prophecy
• security

The Three Witches deliver three key prophecies: Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and then King, Banquo's descendants will inherit the throne, and Macbeth cannot be harmed by any man born of woman. Later, they warn him to beware of Macduff and claim no man born of woman can defeat him. These prophecies both guide and deceive Macbeth throughout the film.

Foreshadowing: The witches appear at the very beginning, establishing their role as the catalysts for all subsequent events.

• witches
• prophecy
• cawdor
• king
• fate
• macbeth

Macduff reveals he was born via Caesarean section, meaning he was not naturally born of a woman. This technicality makes the witches' prophecy that no man born of woman can defeat Macbeth false. When Macbeth realizes this, his confidence shatters, and Macduff delivers the fatal blow.

Foreshadowing: The witches' misleading prophecy gives Macbeth false confidence that ultimately leads to his defeat.

• macduff
• macbeth
• prophecy
• caesarean
• battle
• defeat

The witches prophecy that Macbeth cannot be defeated until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. During the final battle, Macduff orders his soldiers to cut down branches from Birnam Wood and carry them, creating the illusion that the forest is moving toward Dunsinane. This fulfills the prophecy and marks Macbeth's approaching doom.

Foreshadowing: The witches' cryptic prophecies consistently contain literal interpretations that Macbeth fails to anticipate.

• birnam wood
• dunsinane
• prophecy
• marching
• macbeth
• macduff

Lady Macbeth is consumed by guilt over their crimes, particularly the murder of Duncan and orchestrating the massacre of Macduff's family. She experiences hallucinations of blood on her hands and visions of her dead child's ghost, Eventually descending into madness and taking her own life.

Foreshadowing: Her early scene washing her hands repeatedly in the church foreshadows her inability to cleanse herself of guilt.

• ladymacbeth
• guilt
• insanity
• hallucination
• blood
• death

After consulting the witches a second time, Macbeth learns he cannot be harmed by any man born of woman and that no army can defeat him until Birnam Wood moves. These prophecies give him false confidence, leading him to face Macduff in battle without fear, until Macduff reveals the C-section loophole.

Foreshadowing: Macbeth's reliance on the witches' words shows his desperate need for certainty in an increasingly uncertain reign.

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• invincible
• prophecy
• confidence
• battle
• defeat

The film opens with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth mourning the loss of their child at a funeral not in Shakespeare's original play. This addition deepens their emotional bond and establishes the grief that later makes them more desperate to fill a void through power. Their shared loss intensifies Lady Macbeth's ambition to secure their future.

Foreshadowing: The opening grief establishes the emotional void that drives their ambition throughout the film.

• child
• funeral
• grief
• macbeth
• ladymacbeth
• loss

Macbeth's tyranny escalates after each crime creates more fear and paranoia. Killing Duncan leads to killing the guards, then Banquo, then Macduff's family. Each murder feeds his insecurity about the prophecy, transforming him from a reluctant killer into a ruthless tyrant consumed by maintaining power.

Foreshadowing: The witches' prophecy about Banquo's line creates the insecurity that drives Macbeth's increasingly violent actions.

• macbeth
• tyranny
• paranoia
• murder
• power
• descent