"macbeth" is a tragedy that was written in 1606 by william shakespeare and in essence it portrays the conflict that arose during the reign of king james i, patron of shakespeare and his acting company. the story of macbeth shows the effects that ambition and the desire for absolute power brings to people who wish for more than they have. the story tells of a man, macbeth, who is given a prophecy by three witches in which he is told that he will become part of a really powerful line of kings of scotland. this prophecy derives in all the tragedies that befall macbeth and his wife as they struggle to achieve their goals. in the first 2 acts, macbeth has two elements of plot, which are: exposition and rising action. in act 1, macbeth, its setting, its characters and the main line of the story is introduced. in act 2, the plot starts to develop and the first bases of the plot are established when we learn of the way that lady macbeth starts generating conflict through her planning and ideas, and which set the stage for what will develop next. this is why the correct answers here are: exposition and rising action, which are two elements of plot development.