The tragic play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare is a story of the greed and selfish desire of Macbeth in becoming king and getting power for himself. Though not a king by birth, with the persuasion and constant manipulation by his power-loving wife, Macbeth commits even the most treacherous acts to gain power and become the king of Scotland.
Act 1 of the play mostly deal with the theme of the betrayal by Macbeth. It was the scene where he and Banquo met the three witches, hear about the prophecies and the eventual selfish greediness in Macbeth began to grow. The act of King Duncan in declaring Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor confirms the truth of the witches' prophecy for Macbeth, thereby luring him into further self-desire wiles. He now only thinks of his own future, considering Malcolm as the obstacle between him and the crown. The first scene of Act 1 may have introduced Macbeth as a good general of the Scottish king but by scene 4, he was already planning his own kingship, even considering the king's son and heir, Malcolm as the enemy. This is the start of the betrayal of Duncan by Macbeth.
