Macbeth, for one, is a character from William Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. He is a Scottish nobleman, known as a THANE, who is driven by ambition and a prophecy to murder the King of Scotland and take the throne for himself. His ROLE in the play is that of the tragic hero, and he is ultimately the SLAYER of the King. The play is a classic example of a DRAMA, and is one of Shakespeare's most famous works.