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This article is about Shakespeare's play. For other uses, see Macbeth (disambiguation).
Charles Kean and his wife as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, in costumes aiming to be historically accurate (1858).
Charles Kean and his wife as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, in costumes aiming to be historically accurate (1858). Charles John Kean ( January 18, 1811 - January 22, 1868) was born at Waterford Ireland, the son of the Actor Edmund

Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. William Shakespeare ( baptised William Shakespeare's plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Shakespeare wrote Tragedies from the beginning of his career One of his earliest plays was the Roman tragedy Titus Andronicus, which he followed a few It is frequently performed at both amateur and professional levels, and has been adapted for opera, film, books, stage and screen. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Literature is the Art of written works Literally translated the word means "acquaintance with letters" (from Latin littera letter Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. An archetype ( pronounced: /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp/ (Brit or /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/ (Amer Megalomania (from the Greek word μεγαλομανία is a historical term for behavior characterized by Delusional fantasies of Wealth, power For the plot Shakespeare drew loosely on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland by Raphael Holinshed and that by the Scottish philosopher Hector Boece. Mac Bethad mac Findlaích ( Modern Gaelic: MacBheatha mac Fhionnlaigh) anglicised as Macbeth, and nicknamed Rí Deircc, "the Red King" Raphael Holinshed (died c 1580 was an English Chronicler whose work commonly known as Holinshed's Chronicles, was one of the major sources used by The Kingdom of Scotland ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba, Scots: Kinrick o Scotland) was a State in northwest Europe Hector Boece (sometimes spelt Boethius, or Boyce) (1465-1536 was a Scottish Philosopher. [1] There are many superstitions centred on the belief the play is somehow "cursed", and many actors will not mention the name of the play aloud, referring to it instead as "The Scottish play". " The Scottish play " and " The Bard's play " are Euphemisms often used for William Shakespeare 's Macbeth, the

Contents

Date and text

Facsimile of the first page of Macbeth from the First Folio, published in 1623
Facsimile of the first page of Macbeth from the First Folio, published in 1623

Macbeth cannot be dated precisely owing to significant evidence of later revisions. Mr William Shakespeares Comedies Histories & Tragedies is the first published collection of William Shakespeare 's plays Many scholars conjecture the likely date of composition to be between 1603 and 1606. [2][3] As the play seems to be aimed at celebrating King James's ancestors and the Stuart accession to the throne in 1603 (James believed himself to be descended from Banquo),[4] they argue that the play is unlikely to have been composed earlier than 1603; and suggest that the parade of eight kings—which the witches show Macbeth in a vision in Act IV—is a compliment to King James VI of Scotland. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The House of Stuart or Stewart was a Royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later also of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare 's 1606 play Macbeth. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James Other editors conjecture a more specific date of 1605-6, the principal reasons being possible allusions to the Gunpowder Plot and its ensuing trials. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 or the Powder Treason, as it was known at the time was a failed Assassination attempt by a group of provincial English The Porter's speech (Act II, scene III, lines1-21), in particular, may contain allusions to the trial of the Jesuit Henry Garnet in spring, 1606; "equivocator" (line 8) may refer to Garnet's defence of "equivocation" [see: Doctrine of mental reservation], and "farmer" (4) to one of Garnet's aliases. Henry Garnet or Garnett (1555 &ndash May 3, 1606) was an English Jesuit, executed due to his involvement in the Gunpowder The doctrine of mental reservation or the doctrine of mental equivocation was a special branch of Casuistry developed in the late Middle Ages and the [5] However, "farmer" is a common word, and the concept of "equivocation" was also the subject of a 1583 tract by Queen Elizabeth's chief councillor Lord Burghley, and of the 1584 Doctrine of Equivocation by the Spanish prelate Martin Azpilcueta, which was disseminated across Europe and into England in the 1590s. Martín de Azpilcueta ( 13 December 1491 &ndash 1 June 1586) was an important Spanish Canonist and Theologian in his time [6]

Scholars also cite an entertainment seen by King James at Oxford in the summer of 1605 that featured three "sibyls" like the weird sisters; Kermode surmises that Shakespeare could have heard about this and alluded to it with the weird sisters. Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, The word sibyl probably comes (via Latin) from the Greek word sibylla, meaning Prophetess (Other schools of thought suggest that the word [7] However, A. R. Braunmuller in the New Cambridge edition finds the 1605-6 arguments inconclusive, and argues only for an earliest date of 1603. [8] The play is not considered to have been written any later than 1607, since, as Kermode notes, there are "fairly clear allusions to the play in 1607. "[9] The earliest account of a performance of the play is April 1611, when Simon Forman recorded seeing it at the Globe Theatre. Simon Forman ( 30 December 1552 &ndash September 1611 was a prominent English Elizabethan Occultist, astrologist and The Globe Theatre was a Theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. [10]

Macbeth was first printed in the First Folio of 1623 and the Folio is the only source for the text. Mr William Shakespeares Comedies Histories & Tragedies is the first published collection of William Shakespeare 's plays The text that survives had been plainly altered by later hands. Most notable is the inclusion of two songs from Thomas Middleton's play The Witch (1615); Middleton is conjectured to have inserted an extra scene involving the witches and Hecate, for these scenes had proven highly popular with audiences. Thomas Middleton (1580 &ndash 1627 was an English Jacobean playwright and Poet. This article is about the play For other uses see Witch (disambiguation. The Norns ( Old Norse: norn, plural nornir) are a kind of Dísir, numerous female beings who rule the fates of the various races of Norse Hecate ( Greek: Ἑκάτη, "far-shooting") Hekate ( Hekátê These revisions, which since the Clarendon edition of 1869 have been assumed to include all of Act III, scene v, and a portion of Act IV, scene I, are often indicated in modern texts. [11] On this basis, many scholars reject all three of the interludes with the goddess Hecate as inauthentic. Hecate ( Greek: Ἑκάτη, "far-shooting") Hekate ( Hekátê Even with the Hecate material, the play is conspicuously short, and so the Folio text may derive from a prompt book that had been substantially cut for performance, or an adapter cut the text himself.

Characters

Scene from Macbeth, depicting the witches' conjuring of an apparition in Act IV, Scene I. Painting by William Rimmer
Scene from Macbeth, depicting the witches' conjuring of an apparition in Act IV, Scene I. Painting by William Rimmer

Synopsis

Macbeth and Banquo with the Witches by Johann Heinrich Füssli.
Macbeth and Banquo with the Witches by Johann Heinrich Füssli. A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. Lady Macbeth is a character in William Shakespeare play Macbeth. Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare 's 1606 play Macbeth. Fleance is a fictional character in Shakespeare 's The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macduff is a Fictional character in Shakespeare 's play Macbeth. A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. Lady Macduff is a Fictional character from Shakespeare 's Macbeth. Henry Fuseli (in German Johann Heinrich Füssli; February 7, 1741 – April 16, 1825) was a British painter

The play opens among thunder and lightning, with the Three Witches deciding that their next meeting shall be with Macbeth. In the following scene, a wounded sergeant reports to King Duncan of Scotland that his generals, Macbeth (who is the Thane of Glamis) and Banquo, have just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland, led by the rebel Macdonwald. Donnchad mac Crínáin ( Modern Gaelic: Donnchadh mac Crìonain) anglicised as Duncan I, and nicknamed An t-Ilgarach, "the Diseased" Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. Glamis (pronounced Glämz) is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located four miles south of Kirriemuir and five miles southwest of Forfar Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare 's 1606 play Macbeth. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Macbeth, the King's kinsman, is praised for his bravery and fighting prowess.

The scene changes. Macbeth and Banquo enter into conversation, remarking on the weather and their victory ("So foul and fair a day I have not seen"). While they wander into a heath, the three Witches, who have been waiting, greet them with prophecies. Even though it is Banquo who first challenges them, they address Macbeth. The first hails Macbeth as "Thane of Glamis", the second as "Thane of Cawdor", and the third proclaims that he shall "be King hereafter". A thegn or thane was an attendant servant retainer or official in Early Medieval Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon culture. Glamis (pronounced Glämz) is a small village in Angus, Scotland, located four miles south of Kirriemuir and five miles southwest of Forfar Cawdor is a village and parish in Nairn, Highland Council area, Scotland. Macbeth appears stunned into silence; so again Banquo challenges them. The Witches inform Banquo he shall father a line of kings. While the two men wonder at these pronouncements, the Witches vanish, and another Thane, Ross, a messenger from the King, soon arrives and informs Macbeth of his newly bestowed title—Thane of Cawdor. This article refers to an area of Scotland For other uses see Ross (disambiguation. The first prophecy is thus fulfilled. Immediately, Macbeth begins to harbour ambitions of becoming king.

Macbeth writes to his wife about the Witches' prophecies. When Duncan decides to stay at the Macbeths' castle at Inverness, Lady Macbeth hatches a plan to murder him and secure the throne for her husband. Inverness (Inbhir Nis iɲɪɾʲˈniʃ is a city in northern Scotland. Lady Macbeth is a character in William Shakespeare play Macbeth. Although Macbeth raises concerns about the regicide, Lady Macbeth eventually persuades him to follow her plan by challenging his manhood. The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a Monarch, or the person responsible for it

On the night of the visit Macbeth kills Duncan. The deed is not seen by the audience, but it leaves Macbeth so shaken that Lady Macbeth has to take charge. In accordance with her plan, she frames Duncan's sleeping servants for the murder by planting bloody daggers on them. Early the next morning, Lennox, a Scottish nobleman, and Macduff, the loyal Thane of Fife, arrive. Macduff is a Fictional character in Shakespeare 's play Macbeth. Fife ( Gaelic: Fìobha) is a Council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland The porter opens the gate and Macbeth leads them to the king's chamber, where Macduff discovers Duncan's corpse. In a feigned fit of anger, Macbeth murders the guards before they can protest their innocence. Macduff is immediately suspicious of Macbeth but does not reveal his suspicions publicly. Fearing for their lives, Duncan's sons flee, Malcolm to England and his brother Donalbain to Ireland. Máel Coluim mac Donnchada ( Modern Gaelic: Maol Chaluim mac Dhonnchaidh) called in most Anglicised regnal lists Malcolm III, and in later centuries England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Domnall mac Donnchada ( Modern Gaelic: Dòmhnall mac Dhonnchaidh) anglicised as Donald III, and nicknamed Domnall Bán, "Donald Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The rightful heirs' flight makes them suspects and Macbeth assumes the throne as the new King of Scotland as a kinsman to the dead king. The monarch of Scotland was the Head of state of the Kingdom of Scotland.

Macbeth seeing the Ghost of Banquo by Théodore Chassériau.
Macbeth seeing the Ghost of Banquo by Théodore Chassériau. Théodore Chassériau ( September 20, 1819 – October 8, 1856) was a French romantic painter noted for his

Despite his success, Macbeth remains uneasy about the prophecy that Banquo would be the progenitor of kings. So Macbeth invites Banquo to a royal banquet and discovers that Banquo and his young son, Fleance, will be riding out that night. A banquet is a large public meal or feast complete with main courses and desserts Fleance is a fictional character in Shakespeare 's The Tragedy of Macbeth. He hires two men to kill Banquo and Fleance. (A third murderer appears mysteriously in the park before the murder). While the assassins murder Banquo, Fleance escapes. At the banquet Banquo's ghost enters and sits in Macbeth's place. A ghost is said to be the apparition of a Deceased person frequently similar in appearance to that person and usually encountered in places she or he frequented Only Macbeth can see the ghost; the rest panic at the sight of Macbeth raging at an empty chair, until a desperate Lady Macbeth orders them to leave.

Macbeth, disturbed, goes to the Witches once more. They conjure up three spirits with three further warnings and prophecies, which tell him to "beware Macduff", but also that "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" and he will "never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam Wood to High Dunsinane Hill shall come against him". Birnam is a town in Perthshire, Scotland. The town originated from the Victorian era with the coming of the railway in 1856 although the place and name is well known Dunsinane Hill is near the village of Collace in Perthshire, Scotland. Since Macduff is in exile in England (he meets with Malcolm and together they begin to raise an army) Macbeth assumes that he is safe; so he puts to death everyone in Macduff's castle, including Macduff's wife and their young children. Lady Macduff is a Fictional character from Shakespeare 's Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth becomes racked with guilt from the crimes she and her husband have committed. In a famous scene she sleepwalks and tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands, all the while speaking of the terrible things she knows.

Lady Macbeth sleepwalking by Johann Heinrich Füssli.
Lady Macbeth sleepwalking by Johann Heinrich Füssli. Henry Fuseli (in German Johann Heinrich Füssli; February 7, 1741 – April 16, 1825) was a British painter

In England Malcolm and Macduff plan the invasion of Scotland. Macbeth, now identified as a tyrant, sees many of his thanes defecting. Malcolm leads an army, along with Macduff and Englishmen Siward (the Elder), the Earl of Northumberland, against Dunsinane Castle. Sigurd Björnsson, also known as Siward the Dane (died 1055 was an English nobleman in the eleventh century and the Earl of Northumbria. Northumberland is a county in the North East of England. The non-metropolitan county of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west While encamped in Birnam Wood, the soldiers are ordered to cut down and carry tree limbs to camouflage their numbers, thus fulfilling the Witches' third prophecy. Birnam may refer to Birnam Perth and Kinross, a village near Dunkeld Scotland the location of Great Birnam Wood in Shakespeare's Macbeth Meanwhile Macbeth delivers the famous soliloquy ("Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow") upon his learning of Lady Macbeth's death (the cause is undisclosed, and it is assumed by some that she committed suicide, as Malcolm's final reference to her reveals "'tis thought, by self and violent hands / took off her life"). A monologue is an extended uninterrupted speech or poem by a single person " Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow " is the beginning of the third sentence of one of the most famous soliloquies in Shakespeare 's tragedy

A battle ensues, culminating in the slaying of the young Siward and Macduff's confrontation with Macbeth. Macbeth boasts that he has no reason to fear Macduff, for he cannot be killed by any man born of woman. Macduff declares that he was "from his mother's womb untimely ripp'd" (i. e. , born by Caesarean section)—and was therefore not "of woman born". A Caesarean section (or Cesarean section in American English) also known as C-section, is a form of Childbirth in which a surgical In Literature, a quibble is a common Plot device, used to fulfill the exact verbal conditions of an agreement in order to avoid the intended meaning Macbeth realizes, too late, the Witches have misled him. They fight, and Macduff beheads Macbeth off stage, and thereby fulfils the last of the prophecies.

Although Malcolm is placed on the throne and not Fleance, the witches' prophecy concerning Banquo, "Thou shalt [be]get kings", was known to the audience of Shakespeare's time to be true, for James I of England was supposedly a descendant of Banquo. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James

Themes and motifs

Macbeth is an anomaly among Shakespeare's tragedies in certain critical ways. It is short: more than a thousand lines shorter than Othello and King Lear, and only slightly more than half as long as Hamlet. King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606 and is considered one of his greatest works Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 This brevity has suggested to many critics that the received version is based on a heavily cut source, perhaps a prompt-book for a particular performance. That brevity has also been connected to other unusual features: the fast pace of the first act, which has seemed to be "stripped for action"; the comparative flatness of the characters other than Macbeth; the oddness of Macbeth himself compared to other Shakespearean tragic heroes.

Macbeth as a tragedy of character

At least since the days of Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson, analysis of the play has centred on the question of Macbeth's ambition, commonly seen as so dominant a trait that it defines the character. Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 – 30 May 1744 is generally regarded as the greatest English Poet of the eighteenth century best known for his Satirical Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September Johnson asserted that Macbeth, though esteemed for his military bravery, is wholly reviled. This opinion recurs in critical literature. Like Richard III, but without that character's perversely appealing exuberance, Macbeth wades through blood until his inevitable fall. As Kenneth Muir writes, "Macbeth has not a predisposition to murder; he has merely an inordinate ambition that makes murder itself seem to be a lesser evil than failure to achieve the crown. " Some critics, such as E. E. Stoll, explain this characterisation as a holdover from Senecan or medieval tradition. Shakespeare's audience, in this view, expected villains to be wholly bad, and Senecan style, far from prohibiting a villainous protagonist, all but demanded it.

Yet for other critics, it has not been so easy to resolve the question of Macbeth's motivation. Robert Bridges, for instance, perceived a paradox: a character able to express such convincing horror before Duncan's murder would likely be incapable of committing the crime. Robert Seymour Bridges, OM, ( 23 October 1844 &ndash 21 April 1930) was an For many critics, Macbeth's motivations in the first act appear vague and insufficient. John Dover Wilson hypothesised that Shakespeare's original text had an extra scene or scenes in which husband and wife discussed their plans. John Dover Wilson CH ( 13 July 1881 &ndash 15 January 1969) was a Professor and Scholar of Renaissance This interpretation is not fully provable; however, the motivating role of ambition for Macbeth is universally recognised. The evil actions motivated by his ambition seem to trap him in a cycle of increasing evil, as Macbeth himself recognises: "I am in blood; stepp'd insofar that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as to go o'er. "

Macbeth as a tragedy of moral order

The disastrous consequences of Macbeth's ambition are not limited to him, of course. Almost from the moment of the murder, the play depicts Scotland as a land shaken by inversions of the natural order. Shakespeare may have intended a reference to the great chain of being, although the play's images of disorder are mostly not specific enough to support detailed intellectual readings. The great chain of being or scala naturæ is a classical and western Medieval conception of the order of the universe whose chief characteristic is a strict He may also have intended an elaborate compliment to James's belief in the divine right of kings, although this hypothesis, outlined at greatest length by Henry N. The Divine Right of Kings is a general term that refers to the philosophy and ideas used to justify the authority and legitimacy of Monarchs in Medieval and Paul, is not universally accepted. As in Julius Caesar, though, perturbations in the political sphere are echoed and even amplified by events in the material world. Julius Caesar is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599 Among the most frequently depicted of the inversions of the natural order is sleep. Macbeth's announcement that he has "murdered sleep" is figuratively mirrored in Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking.

Macbeth's generally accepted indebtedness to medieval tragedy is often seen as particularly significant in the play's treatment of moral order. Glynne Wickham connects the play, through the Porter, to a mystery play on the harrowing of hell. Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. The Harrowing of Hell is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult, which states that Howard Felperin argues that the play has a more complex attitude toward "orthodox Christian tragedy" than is often admitted; he sees a kinship between the play and the tyrant plays within the medieval liturgical drama.

The theme of androgyny is often seen as a special aspect of the theme of disorder. Inversion of normative gender roles is most famously associated with the witches and with Lady Macbeth as she appears in the first act. Whatever Shakespeare's degree of sympathy with such inversions, the play ends with a fairly thorough return to normative gender values. Some feminist psychoanalytic critics, such as Janet Adelman, have connected the play's treatment of gender roles to its larger theme of inverted natural order. Feminist literary criticism is Literary criticism informed by Feminist theory, or by the politics of Feminism more broadly Psychoanalytic literary criticism refers to Literary criticism which in method concept theory, or form is influenced by the tradition of Psychoanalysis In this light, Macbeth is punished for his violation of the moral order by being removed from the cycles of nature (which are figured as female); nature itself (as embodied in the movement of Birnam Wood) is part of the restoration of moral order.

Macbeth as a poetic tragedy

Critics in the early twentieth century reacted against what they saw as an excessive dependence on the study of character in criticism of the play. This dependence, though most closely associated with Andrew Cecil Bradley, is evident as early as the time of Mary Cowden Clarke, who offered precise, if fanciful, accounts of the predramatic lives of Shakespeare's female leads. Andrew Cecil Bradley (1851–1935 was an English Literary Scholar, best remembered for his work on Shakespeare. Mary Cowden Clarke, née Novello ( 22 June, 1809 &ndash 12 January, 1898) was an English Author. She suggested, for instance, that the child Lady Macbeth refers to in the first act died during a foolish military action.

Superstition and "the Scottish play"

Main article: The Scottish play

While many today would simply chalk up any misfortune surrounding a production to coincidence, actors and other theatre people often consider it bad luck to mention Macbeth by name while inside a theatre, and usually refer to it superstitiously as The Scottish Play, "MacBee," "Macker's," or when referencing the character rather than the play, "Mr. " The Scottish play " and " The Bard's play " are Euphemisms often used for William Shakespeare 's Macbeth, the Coincidence is the noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection Superstition ( Latin superstitio, literally "standing over" derived perhaps from standing in awe used in Latin as a unreasonable or excessive belief " The Scottish play " and " The Bard's play " are Euphemisms often used for William Shakespeare 's Macbeth, the and Mrs. M," "The Scottish King", or sometimes "MacWhat's-his-face".

This is because Shakespeare is said to have used the spells of real witches in his text, purportedly angering the witches and causing them to curse the play. Thus, to say the name of the play inside a theatre is believed to doom the production to failure, and perhaps cause physical injury or worse to cast members. A large mythology has built up surrounding this superstition, with countless stories of accidents, misfortunes and even deaths, all mysteriously taking place during runs of Macbeth (or by actors who had uttered the name). [12]

An alternative explanation for the superstition is that struggling theatres or companies would often put on this popular 'blockbuster' in an effort to save their flagging fortunes. However, it is a tall order for any single production to reverse a long-running trend of poor business. Therefore, the last play performed before a theatre shut down was often Macbeth, and thus the growth of the idea that it was an 'unlucky' play.

Another explanation for this superstition is that theatre companies may have used Macbeth as a back-up play if they were to lose an actor and were not able to perform the production originally planned for the performance. This is because this play requires fewer actors (when doubling of characters for actors occurs) and has the least amount of text for the actors to memorize. "Macbeth" may have been the play that kept in theatre companies' back pockets, just in case some bad luck were to occur prior to any planning of a performance.

Several methods exist to dispel the curse, depending on the actor. One, attributed to Michael York, is to immediately leave the building the stage is in with the person who uttered the name, walk around it three times, spit over their left shoulders, say an obscenity then wait to be invited back into the building. Michael York, OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; March 27, 1942) is an English Actor. [13] Another popular "ritual" is to leave the room, knock three times, be invited in, and then quote a line from Hamlet. Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 Yet another is to recite one of Shylock's monologues from The Merchant of Venice. The Merchant of Venice is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598

Performance history

Shakespeare's day

Apart from the one mentioned in the Forman document, there are no performances known with certainty in Shakespeare's era. Because of its Scottish theme, the play is sometimes said to have been written for, and perhaps debuted for, King James; however, no external evidence supports this hypothesis. The play's brevity and certain aspects of its staging (for instance, the large proportion of night-time scenes and the unusually large number of off-stage sounds) have been taken as suggesting that the text now extant was revised for production indoors, perhaps at the Blackfriars Theatre, which the King's Men acquired in 1608. Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a Theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. [14]

Restoration and 18th century

In the Restoration, Sir William Davenant produced a spectacular "operatic" adaptation of Macbeth, "with all the singing and dancing in it" and special effects like "flyings for the witches" (John Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, 1708). The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored Sir William Davenant (baptised 3 March, 1606 &ndash April 7, 1668) also spelled D'Avenant, was an English Poet John Downes (died ca 1712) worked as a prompter at the Duke's Company and later the United Company for most of the Restoration period 1660 &mdash Davenant's revision also enhanced the role of Lady Macduff, making her a thematic foil to Lady Macbeth. In an April 19, 1667 entry in his Diary, Samuel Pepys called Davenant's MacBeth "one of the best plays for a stage, and variety of dancing and music, that ever I saw. Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for " The Davenant version held the stage until the middle of the next century. It was this version that the famous Macbeths of the early eighteenth century, such as James Quin, employed. James Quin ( 24 February 1693 – 21 January 1766) was an English actor of Irish descent

Charles Macklin, not otherwise recalled as a great Macbeth, is remembered for performances at the Covent Garden in 1773 at which riots broke out, related to Macklin's rivalries with Garrick and William Smith. Charles Macklin ( September 26, 1690 &ndash July 11, 1797) originally Cathal MacLochlainn was an actor and dramatist born in Culdaff a village WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing William Smith (1730–1819 known as "Gentleman Smith", was a celebrated English actor of the 18th century who worked with David Garrick Macklin performed in Scottish dress, reversing an earlier tendency to dress Macbeth as an English brigadier; he also removed Garrick's death speech and further trimmed Lady Macduff's role. The performance received generally respectful reviews, although George Steevens remarked on the inappropriateness of Macklin (then in his eighties) for the role. George Steevens ( May 10, 1736 &ndash January 22, 1800) was an English Shakespearean commentator

After Garrick, the most celebrated Macbeth of the eighteenth century was John Philip Kemble; he performed the role most famously with his sister, Sarah Siddons, whose Lady Macbeth was widely regarded as unsurpassable. John Philip Kemble ( February 1, 1757 &ndash February 26, 1823) was an English Actor. Sarah Siddons ( 5 July 1755 &ndash 8 June 1831) was a British actress, the best-known Tragedienne of the Kemble continued the trends toward realistic costume and to Shakespeare's language that had marked Macklin's production; Walter Scott reports that he experimented continually with the Scottish dress of the play. Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout Response to Kemble's interpretation was divided; however, Siddons was unanimously praised. Her performance of the "sleepwalking" scene in the fifth act was especially noted; Leigh Hunt called it "sublime. James Henry Leigh Hunt ( October 19, 1784 &ndash August 28, 1859) was an English critic essayist poet and writer " The Kemble-Siddons performances were the first widely influential productions in which Lady Macbeth's villainy was presented as deeper and more powerful than Macbeth's. It was also the first in which Banquo's ghost did not appear on stage.

Kemble's Macbeth struck some critics as too mannered and polite for Shakespeare's text. His successor as the leading actor of London, Edmund Kean, was more often criticised for emotional excess, particularly in the fifth act. Edmund Kean (March 17 1789 &ndash May 15 1833 was an English Actor, regarded in his time as the greatest ever Kean's Macbeth was not universally admired; William Hazlitt, for instance, complained that Kean's Macbeth was too like his Richard III. William Hazlitt ( 10 April 1778 &ndash 18 September 1830) was an English Writer remembered for his humanistic Essays and Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591 As he did in other roles, Kean exploited his athleticism as a key component of Macbeth's mental collapse. He reversed Kemble's emphasis on Macbeth as noble, instead presenting him as a ruthless politician who collapses under the weight of guilt and fear. Kean, however, did nothing to halt the trend toward extravagance in scene and costume.

Nineteenth century

The Macbeth of the next predominant London actor, William Charles Macready, provoked responses at least as mixed as those given Kean. William Charles Macready ( March 3, 1793 - April 27, 1873) English Actor, was born in London, and educated at Macready debuted in the role in 1820 at Covent Garden. Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest As Hazlitt noted, Macready's reading of the character was purely psychological; the witches lost all superstitious power, and Macbeth's downfall arose purely from the conflicts in Macbeth's character. Macready's most famous Lady Macbeth was Helena Faucit, who debuted dismally in the role while still in her mid-20s, but who later achieved acclaim in the role for an interpretation that, unlike Siddons', accorded with contemporary notions of female decorum. After Macready "retired" to America, he continued to perform in the role; in 1849, he was involved in a rivalry with American actor Edwin Forrest, whose partisans hissed Macready at Astor Place, leading to what is commonly called the Astor Place Riot. Edwin Forrest ( March 9, 1806 - December 12, 1872) was an American Actor. Early Morning Alamo by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|right|200px|Tony Rosenthal's Alamo ]]The single block of Astor Place The Astor Place Riot occurred May 10, 1849 at the Astor Place Opera House in New York City and resulted in 25 killed and at least

The two most prominent Macbeths of mid-century, Samuel Phelps and Charles Kean, were both received with critical ambivalence and popular success. Samuel Phelps (1804-1878 was an English Actor, born in Devonport. Charles John Kean ( January 18, 1811 - January 22, 1868) was born at Waterford Ireland, the son of the Actor Edmund Both are famous less for their interpretation of character than for certain aspects of staging. At Sadler's Wells Theatre, Phelps brought back nearly all of Shakespeare's original text. Sadler's Wells Theatre is the name of six theatres that have been built since 1683 at a site on Rosebery Avenue Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington He brought back the first half of the Porter scene, which had been ignored by directors since D'Avenant; the second remained cut because of its ribaldry. He abandoned Irving's music and reduced the witches to their role in the folio. Just as significantly, he returned to the folio treatment of Macbeth's death. Not all of these decisions succeeded in the Victorian context, and Phelps experimented with various combinations of Shakespeare and D'Avenant in his more than a dozen productions between 1844 and 1861. His most successful Lady Macbeth was Isabella Glyn, whose commanding presence reminded some critics of Siddons. Isabella Glyn Dallas (1823-1889 was a well-known Victorian -era Shakespearean actress

The outstanding feature of Kean's productions at the Princess's Theatre after 1850 was their accuracy of costume. The Princess's Theatre or Princess Theatre was a theatre in Oxford Street, London. Kean achieved his greatest success in modern melodrama, and he was widely viewed as not prepossessing enough for the greatest Elizabethan roles. Melodrama refers to theatre in which music is used to increase the spectator's emotional response or to suggest character types Audiences did not mind, however; one 1853 production ran for twenty weeks. Presumably part of the draw was Kean's famous attention to historical accuracy; in his productions, as Allardyce Nicoll notes, "even the botany was historically correct. John Ramsay Allardyce Nicoll (1894 - 1976 was an English literary scholar and teacher "

Henry Irving's first attempt at the role, at the Lyceum Theatre, London in 1875, was a failure. Sir Henry Irving ( February 6 1838 &ndash October 13 1905) born John Henry Brodribb was an English stage actor in the Victorian era The Lyceum Theatre is a 2000-seat West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street just off the Strand. Under the production of Sidney Frances Bateman, and starring alongside Kate Josephine Bateman, Irving may have been affected by the recent death of his manager Hezekiah Linthicum Bateman. Sidney Frances Bateman ( March 29, 1823 – January 13, 1881) daughter of Joseph Cowell an English actor who had settled in America was married Kate Josephine Bateman (Mrs Crowe ( October 7, 1842 – April 8, 1917) was an American actress Hezekiah Linthicum Bateman, known as H L Bateman ( December 6, 1812 – March 22, 1875) American Actor and Although the production lasted eighty performances, his Macbeth was judged inferior to his Hamlet. His next essay, opposite Ellen Terry at the Lyceum in 1888, fared only slightly better. Dame Ellen Terry GBE ( 27 February 1847 &ndash 21 July 1928) was an English stage actress. Friends such as Bram Stoker defended his "psychological" reading, based on the supposition that Macbeth had dreamed of killing Duncan before the start of the play. Abraham "Bram" Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912 was an Irish writer of novels and short stories who is best known today for his 1897 horror His detractors, among them Henry James, deplored his somewhat arbitrary word changes ("would have" for "should have" in the speech at Lady Macbeth's death) and his "neurasthenic" approach to the character. Henry James, OM ( –) son of theologian Henry James Sr, brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James

Twentieth century to present

Barry Vincent Jackson staged an influential modern-dress production with the Birmingham Repertory in 1928; the production reached London, playing at the Royal Court Theatre. Sir Barry Vincent Jackson, (1879&ndash 3 April, 1961) was a distinguished theatre director and the founder of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Birmingham Repertory Theatre (commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep) is a Theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It received mixed reviews; Eric Maturin was judged an inadequate Macbeth, though Mary Merrall's vampish Lady was reviewed favourably. Though The Times judged it a "miserable failure," the production did much to overturn the tendency to scenic and antiquarian excess that had peaked with Charles Kean. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register.

Among the most publicised productions of the twentieth century was mounted by the Federal Theater Project at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem from 14 April to 20 June 1936. The Federal Theatre Project (FTP was a New Deal project to fund Theatre and other live artistic performances in the United States during the The Lafayette Theatre, also known as "the House Beautiful" was an entertainment venue located at 132nd Street and 7th Avenue in Harlem New York Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Events 451 - Battle of Chalons: Flavius Aetius ' defeats Attila the Hun. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Orson Welles, in his first stage production, directed Jack Carter and Edna Thomas, with Canada Lee playing Banquo, in an all African American production. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television Canada Lee, born Lionel Cornelius Canegata, ( March 3, 1907 &ndash May 9, 1952) was an American Actor who pioneered African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Welles set the play in post-colonial Haiti, and his direction emphasised spectacle and suspense: his dozens of "African" drums recalled Davenant's chorus of witches. Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole:

Laurence Olivier played Malcolm in the 1929 production and Macbeth in 1937 at the Old Vic Theatre in a production that saw the Vic's artistic director Lilian Baylis pass away the night before it opened. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Lilian Mary Baylis CH ( 9 May 1874 – 25 November 1937) was an English Theatrical producer and manager Olivier's makeup was so thick and stylised for that production that Vivien Leigh was quoted as saying "You hear Macbeth's first line, then Larry's makeup comes on, then Banquo comes on, then Larry comes on". Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron Vivien Leigh Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 &ndash 8 July 1967 was an English actress. [15] Olivier later starred in what is among the most famous twentieth-century productions, by Glen Byam Shaw at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1955. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron Glen Byam Shaw ( 13 December 1904 &ndash 29 April 1986) was an English Actor and theatre director Stratford-upon-Avon (ˌstrætfɚd əpɒn ˈɛɪvən is a Market town and Civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. Vivien Leigh played Lady Macbeth. Vivien Leigh Lady Olivier (5 November 1913 &ndash 8 July 1967 was an English actress. The supporting cast, which Harold Hobson denigrated, included many actors who went on to successful Shakespearean careers: Ian Holm played Donalbain, Keith Michell was Macduff, and Patrick Wymark the Porter. Sir Harold Hobson ( 4 August 1904 - 12 March 1992) was an influential English drama critic and author Sir Ian Holm CBE (born 12 September, 1931) is an English award-winning Actor known for his stage work and for many film roles Keith Michell (born 1 December 1928) is an Australian Actor. Early life He was born in Adelaide and raised in Patrick Wymark ( 11 July 1926, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England — 20 October 1970, Melbourne Olivier was the key to success. The intensity of his performance, particularly in the conversation with the murderers and in confronting Banquo's ghost, seemed to many reviewers to recall Edmund Kean. Plans for a film version faltered after the box-office failure of Olivier's Richard III. Richard III is a 1955 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare 's historical play Richard III It was of this performance that Kenneth Tynan asserted flatly that "no one has ever succeeded as Macbeth"—until Olivier. Kenneth Peacock Tynan ( 2 April 1927 - 26 July 1980) was an influential and often controversial British Theatre Critic

Olivier's co-star in his 1937 Old Vic Theatre production, Judith Anderson, had an equally triumphant association with the play. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron The Old Vic is a Theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Dame Judith Anderson, AC DBE (10 February 1897 &ndash 3 January 1992 was an Australian Tony award - and Emmy -winning Actress She played Lady Macbeth on Broadway opposite Maurice Evans in a production directed by Margaret Webster that ran for 131 performances in 1941, the longest run of the play in Broadway history. Lady Macbeth is a character in William Shakespeare play Macbeth. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Maurice Herbert Evans ( June 3, 1901 - March 12, 1989) was an English Actor who became a US citizen in 1941 Margaret Webster (1905 - 1972 was an American -born Theater Actress, producer and director. Anderson and Evans performed the play on television twice, in 1954 and 1962, with Maurice Evans winning an Emmy Award the 1962 production and Anderson winning the award for both presentations. Dame Judith Anderson, AC DBE (10 February 1897 &ndash 3 January 1992 was an Australian Tony award - and Emmy -winning Actress Maurice Herbert Evans ( June 3, 1901 - March 12, 1989) was an English Actor who became a US citizen in 1941

One of the most notable twentieth-century productions is that of Trevor Nunn for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1976. Trevor Robert Nunn CBE (born 14 January 1940) is an English theatre- and Film director. The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC is a British Theatre company Nunn had directed Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren in the play two years earlier, but that production had largely failed to impress. Nicol Williamson (born 14 September 1938) is a Scottish Actor who was described by English Playwright John Osborne Dame Helen Mirren, DBE (born 26 July 1945 is an English stage, Film and Television actress. In 1976, Nunn produced the play with a minimalist set at The Other Place; this small, nearly round stage focused attention on the psychological dynamics of the characters. The Other Place is a Black box theatre on Southern Lane near to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Both Ian McKellen in the title role and Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth received exceptionally favourable reviews. Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939 is an English stage and screen actor the Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December, 1934) usually known as Judi Dench, is an English Dench won the 1997 SWET Best Actress award for her performance and in 2004, members of the RSC voted her performance the greatest by an actress in the history of the company. The Society of London Theatre (previously The Society of West End Theatre) is an umbrella organization for West End theatre in London.

Nunn's production transferred to London in 1977 and was later filmed for television. It was to overshadow Peter Hall's 1978 production with Albert Finney as Macbeth and Dorothy Tutin as Lady Macbeth. Albert Finney Jr (born 9 May 1936 is a five-time Academy Award -nominated and Emmy Award -winning English Actor. Dame Dorothy Tutin DBE, ( 8 April, 1930 &ndash 6 August, 2001) was a highly-regarded English Actor of stage But the most infamous recent Macbeth was staged at the Old Vic in 1980. Peter O'Toole and Frances Tomelty took the leads in a production (by Bryan Forbes) that was publicly disowned by Timothy West, artistic director of the theatre, before opening night, despite being a sellout because of its notoriety. Peter O'Toole (born 2 August 1932) is an Irish and British actor who achieved instant stardom in 1962 playing T Frances Tomelty (born 1956 (IMDbcom says 6 Oct 1948) in Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish actress and the first wife Timothy West CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English film stage and television Actor. As critic Jack Tinker noted in the Daily Mail: "The performance is not so much downright bad as heroically ludicrous. The Daily Mail is a British newspaper currently published in a tabloid format "[16]

On the stage, Lady Macbeth is considered one of the more "commanding and challenging" roles in Shakespeare's work. Lady Macbeth is a character in William Shakespeare play Macbeth. [17] Other actresses who have succeeded in the role include Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, Glenda Jackson, and Jane Lapotaire. Dame Gwen Lucy Ffrangcon-Davies, DBE ( 25 January 1891 &ndash 27 January 1992) was a British actress and Centenarian Glenda May Jackson, CBE, (born 9 May, 1936) is a British actress and Politician, currently Labour Jane Lapotaire (born 26 December 1944) is a British Actress born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.

A performance was staged in the real Macbeth's home of Moray, produced by the National Theatre of Scotland to take place at Elgin Cathedral. Professional actors, dancers, musicians, school children, and a community cast from the Moray area all took part in what was an important event in the Highland Year of Culture, 2007.

In the same year there was general consent among critics that Rupert Goold's production for the Chichester Festival 2007, starring Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood, rivalled Trevor Nunn's acclaimed 1976 RSC production. Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE (born 13 July 1940 is an English Film, Television and stage Actor. And when it transferred to the Gielgud Theatre in London, Charles Spencer reviewing for the Daily Telegraph pronounced it the best Macbeth he had ever seen [1]. The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, London, at the corner of Rupert Street Charles Spencer may refer to Nobility Charles Spencer 3rd Earl of Sunderland (1674&ndash1722 Charles Spencer 3rd Duke of Marlborough For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. At the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2007 the production won both the Best Actor award for Stewart, and the Best Director award for Goold. The Evening Standard Theatre Awards, established in 1955 are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre. [2]. The same production opened in the US at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2008, moving to Broadway (Lyceum Theatre) after a sold-out run. Brooklyn Academy of Music ( BAM) is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant garde

Adaptations and cultural references

Film versions

See also: Shakespeare on screen#Macbeth
The Three Witches as portrayed in the 2006 film.
The Three Witches as portrayed in the 2006 film. More than 420 feature-length film versions of William Shakespeare ' s plays have been produced making Shakespeare the most filmed author ever in any language

Literary versions

Television versions (a selection)

Musical adaptations

References

  1. ^ The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
  2. ^ Charles Boyce, Encyclopaedia of Shakespeare, New York, Roundtable Press, 1990, p. David Hobson (born 1960 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian Opera singer 350.
  3. ^ A. R. Braunmuller, ed. Macbeth (CUP, 1997), 5-8.
  4. ^ Braunmuller, Macbeth, pp. 2-3.
  5. ^ Frank Kermode, "Macbeth," The Riverside Shakespeare (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974), p. 1308; for details on Garnet, see Perez Zagorin, "The Historical Significance of Lying and Dissimulation—Truth-Telling, Lying, and self-Deception," Social Research, Fall 1996.
  6. ^ Mark Anderson, Shakespeare By Another Name, 2005, pp. 402-403
  7. ^ Kermode, Riverside Shakespeare, p. 1308.
  8. ^ Braunmuller, Macbeth, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1997; pp. 5-8.
  9. ^ Kermode, Riverside Shakespeare, p. 1308.
  10. ^ If, that is, the Forman document is genuine; see the entry on Simon Forman for the question of the authenticity of the Book of Plays. Simon Forman ( 30 December 1552 &ndash September 1611 was a prominent English Elizabethan Occultist, astrologist and
  11. ^ Brooke, Nicholas, ed. The Tragedy of Macbeth Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998:57
  12. ^ The Austin Chronicle: Arts: The Curse of the Play
  13. ^ Babylon 5 - The Scripts of J. Michael Straczynski, Volume 6 by J. Michael Straczynski, Synthetic Labs Publishing (2006)
  14. ^ For the date of acquisition, see, for instance, Adams, J. Q., Shakespearean Playhouses, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1917: 224; Bentley, G. Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) known professionally as J E. The Jacobean and Caroline Stage, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1941: 6. 13-17; Chambers, E. K. , The Elizabethan Stage, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1923: 2. 498. For Macbeth as an indoor play, see, for instance Bald, R. C. , "Macbeth and the Short Plays," Review of English Studies 4 (1928): 430; Shirley, Frances, Shakespeare's Use of Off-stage Sounds, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1963: 168-89.
  15. ^ Robert Tanitch, Olivier, Abbeville Press (1985)
  16. ^ London Stage in the 20th Century by Robert Tanitch, Haus Publishing (2007) ISBN 9781904950745
  17. ^ Brown, Langdon. Robert Tanitch, who lives in London is an Author, theatre and film Critic, Playwright and Biographer of theatre and film actors including such Shakespeare around the Globe: A Guide to Notable Postwar Revivals. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986: 355.

External links

Performances

Text of play

Commentary

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