The play I chose is Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare. The protagonist of the story is Macbeth. At first he is a brave and noble warrior, but in the end he is a disgrace to his nation. At first his guilt is almost too much to bear, but in the end he only cares about being king. Lady Macbeth is almost as important to the story as her husband. At first he seems heartless, but over time his guilt takes over. Macbeth's main antagonist is probably Malcolm. Malcolm is the rightful heir to the throne and leads the army that retakes Scotland. Macduff has a small role until the end, but he is important because he defeats Macbeth in battle. The story is the tragedy of a Scottish nobleman and war hero named Macbeth. In the beginning, Scotland is at war with Norway, and the battle is won by Scotland against all odds thanks to the courageous Macbeth. As Macbeth and his friend Banquo, another nobleman, leave the battlefield, they encounter three witches. The witches say that Macbeth, who is already the Thane of Glamis, will also become the Thane of Cawdor and then the King of Scotland, and Banquo will not be king but will father future generations of kings. The witches disappear shortly before two more nobles arrive and inform Macbeth that he has become the lord of Cawdor. At King Duncan's palace, Macbeth is informed that Malcolm, Duncan's son, will become king when the time comes. At Macbeth's castle, his wife reads a letter from him recounting the witches' prophecies just before being informed that Duncan is coming to the castle that night. After Duncan falls asleep, Lady Macbeth drugs her guards and convinces her husband to kill him, calling him a coward. In the morning Macduff, another nobleman, finds the king dead and the guards covered in blood. Macbeth immediately kills the guards and Duncan's two sons flee the country out of fear, which causes the first suspicions to fall on them. With the disappearance of the king's sons, Macbeth becomes king. Banquo is suspicious of Macbeth, but says nothing. Macbeth, feeling threatened by Banquo because of the witches' prophecy, hires three men to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, but Fleance escapes. Macbeth invites other Scottish nobles to dinner at the palace and while they are at the table he sees the ghost of Banquo and has a crisis.