In The Tragedy of Macbeth, three witches tell a general that he is destined to become King of Scotland. The general, Macbeth, becomes fixated on this prophecy. He and his wife decide to take matters into their own hands. At Lady Macbeth's urging, Macbeth begins murdering his way to the throne. When the pair finally gets what they want, they cannot enjoy it. Instead, they are crazed with guilt and paranoia.