In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. He found a spectacle of violence and stories of traitors advised by witches and wizards, echoing James’s belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft. In depicting a man who murders to … murders to become king, Macbeth teases us with huge questions. Is Macbeth tempted by fate, or by his or his wife’s ambition? Why does their success turn to ashes?
Like other plays, Macbeth speaks to each generation. Its story was once seen as that of a hero who commits an evil act and pays an enormous price. Recently, it has been applied to nations that overreach themselves and to modern alienation. The line is blurred between Macbeth’s evil and his opponents’ good, and there are new attitudes toward both witchcraft and gender.
The authoritative edition of Macbeth from The Folger Shakespeare Library, the trusted and widely used Shakespeare series for students and general readers, includes:
-The exact text of the printed book for easy cross-reference
-Hundreds of hypertext links for instant navigation
-Freshly edited text based on the best early printed version of the play
-Newly revised explanatory notes conveniently linked to the text of the play
-Scene-by-scene plot summaries
-A key to the play’s famous lines and phrases
-An introduction to reading Shakespeare’s language
-An essay by a leading Shakespeare scholar providing a modern perspective on the play
-Fresh images from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s vast holdings of rare books
-An annotated guide to further reading
Essay by Susan Snyder
The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, is home to the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare’s printed works, and a magnet for Shakespeare scholars from around the globe. In addition to exhibitions open to the public throughout the year, the Folger offers a full calendar of performances and programs. For more information, visit Folger.edu.
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“The Scottish Play”, sometimes dubbed “Macbeth” by thespians as it is known to bring great luck on stage, is Will Shakespeare’s latest children’s mystery novel. The story follows Macbeth, a Scottish highlander unkillable by those born of man. Even those who haven’t read this book should be familiar with his quote: “Here we may have only one!” directed towards Hilary MacDuff (because of their similar names, I assume). Similar to previous Shakespearian comedies I’ve reviewed (Hamlet, King Lear), The Scottish Play displays the themes of family and friendship. Particularly the latter, as Macbeth maintains many deep friendships throughout the story.
Ah Macbeth… good old, dark and devious Macbeth. We read this as part of a 10th grade AP English course and watched a movie to compare the differences between the two versions. Everyone has his or her own take on Macbeth. I rather enjoyed the play back in high school and then again in college during my English major. It’s nearly 500 years old. Even by today’s standards, it has some of the most fun drama you could imagine. It’s sort of like a reality TV show, don’t you think?
Witches. Devious wife. Devilish husband. Death all around. Ghosts. Superstitious behavior. All great plot points. Amazing characters to work with. Fun and lyrical language. Can’t say enough good things about it. But to flip the coin for a minute… was it too much all in one story? What are we supposed to learn from it? Who was this really about? Many open-ended questions I’d love to ask Mr. Shakespeare.
If you’ve never read it… it’s necessary reading for classic / historical literature. If you’ve read it and didn’t like it, why? I’d love to know.
For me, it hit the mystery sweet spot in a few ways, even though it wasn’t quite a story about “who’s the killer.” It was more a thriller… “who else is gonna die?”
Tons of adaptions. Stage plays. It’s a multi-media dream come true for directors, producers and actors. As a play, it’s easy to follow and moves quickly.
As dark as it gets. MacBeth is the writer’s journey Shakespeare embarked on one very bloody night.
How can a person really review Macbeth? For a person who wasn’t applying themselves in high school, this book of love, hate. strange relationships, treachery, betrayal.
Everything a high school boy would like. It also opened so many possibilities for more classics.
It’s really interesting it’s not what you would expect
Ghosts and witches. These will grab your attention, but what keeps it are the monsters. Monsters? You ask. The book description doesn’t say anything about monsters.
The monsters, like all great monster stories, are the people we follow through the Medieval Scottish moors and castles. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth take the spotlight, but they keep company with some folks who are no less ambitious and unscrupulous as them.
Read it. Watch it. Read it. Watch it again.
Note: There are a number of movie versions out there. Roman Polanski directed one. So did Orson Welles. More recently, there are some set in more modern/contemporary worlds. I can’t think of one to call perfect, but neither have I been totally disappointed by any them either.]
This is my favorite Shakespearean play! I love the fantastic element that, at the time, would have been considered much more of a reality than today. I love the characters. MacBeth feels more like a hero than Hamlet (who’s a bit of a whiner). I love that it’s set in Scotland. The description of guilt that centers around the famous “Out, damned spot!” line really resonated with me. New to Shakespeare? Start with MacBeth and you’ll get the bug. Highly recommended!
i think the book is very intertaining