Macbeth: From Glamis to Dunsinane

In the play's third scene the Three Witches meet on moorland near Forres. There Macbeth and Banquo come upon them, and Macbeth is hailed as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and a man who shall "be king hereafter". Banquo, in turn, is told he will father a line of kings without being one himself. The prophecy sets the whole tragedy in motion. The play names no exact spot on the moor, so the pin marks the town of Forres itself.

Location precision: The play says only moorland near Forres; the pin marks the town, not a specific heath.

Macbeth is first introduced as the Thane (Lord) of Glamis, the first title the witches hail him by. Glamis Castle carries that name and is tied to the play's hero, though the historical King Macbeth, who died in 1057, had no connection with it. The castle you can see today dates largely from the 17th century. It has been home to the Lyon family since the 14th century, and Princess Margaret was born there in 1930.

Location precision: The play takes the title of Glamis, not the castle, as its link; the real Macbeth had no connection with this building.

Visitor guidance: Check the castle's own opening times and tour booking before travelling.

After the rebel Thane of Cawdor is beaten, King Duncan announces that the title will pass to Macbeth. When Ross brings the news, the witches' first prophecy is fulfilled, and Macbeth's ambition begins to stir. Cawdor Castle is linked to the play by name only: it is never mentioned in the text and did not exist in Macbeth's lifetime. Its earliest documented date is 1454, when William Calder received a licence to fortify. The tower house was built around a living holly tree.

Location precision: The play never names the castle and it was built centuries after Macbeth; the pin marks the later castle that carries the Cawdor name.

Visitor guidance: Check the castle's own opening times before travelling.

With Duncan dead and his sons fled, Macbeth takes the throne offstage. Macduff reports that he is "already nam’d; and gone to Scone" to be invested, and at the very end Malcolm invites everyone to see him crowned at Scone too. Scone was the crowning place of the Kings of Scots from at least the 9th century, and Robert the Bruce was crowned there in 1306. Scone Palace stands on the site today.

Location precision: The play only mentions Scone and stages no scene there; the pin marks Scone Palace on the old crowning site.

Visitor guidance: Scone Palace is a visitor attraction; check its opening times first.

The witches' third apparition, a crowned child holding a tree, promises that Macbeth is safe until Great Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill. In Act V Malcolm's army camps in Birnam Wood, and the soldiers cut down boughs and carry them to hide their numbers. The old oak at Birnam, on the south bank of the River Tay, is called a relic of that wood. Its girth suggests around 600 years of growth, and struts now hold up its heavy branches.

Location precision: Birnam Wood is the play's setting; the oak is a traditional relic of it, and its link to Shakespeare is a tradition.

Visitor guidance: The oak stands in woodland beside the River Tay at Birnam.

The prophecy comes true at Dunsinane. The invaders take Macbeth's castle, and Macbeth boasts that he cannot be beaten by one of woman born. Macduff reveals that he was born by Caesarean section, and in the duel Macbeth is killed. The real Dunsinane Hill is 310 metres high and crowned by a late Iron Age hill fort whose ramparts remain obvious. It has long been called Macbeth's Castle, but there is no archaeological evidence he used it. A steep path climbs to the summit from Collace.

Location precision: The play's castle is invented; the pin marks the hill the play names, whose fort has no proven link to Macbeth.

Visitor guidance: A steep but clear path leads to the summit from the small car park near Collace.