Macbeth (c. 1005-1057), king of Scotland (1040-1057). He was a commander in the service of King Duncan I, and a chieftain of the Moray district. After murdering Duncan in 1040, Macbeth claimed the kingdom and ruled for 17 prosperous years. In 1057 he was killed in battle by Malcolm Canmore, a son of Duncan I who was later, as Malcolm III, king of Scotland.
Macbeth, a tragedy in five acts written by Shakespeare, is based on episodes in the life of Macbeth. Possibly performed as early as 1606, the play was first printed in the edition of Shakespeare's works that was published in 1623 and is known as the First Folio. The principal source used by the author for this work was Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577) by the English chronicler Raphael Holinshed. The tragedy is a penetrating, concentrated, and harrowing study of ambition. In the characters of Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, the play provides two strong roles long regarded as attractive vehicles for the leading actors of the world. Shakespeare's tragedy also provided the basis for the libretto of the opera Macbeth (1847) by Giuseppe Verdi.