Macbeth

The Tragedy of Macbeth

Summary:

Macbeth, a Scottish Thane (essentially a Duke), comes across three witches who deliver a prophecy foretelling that he will one day be King. With the encouragement of his wife, he takes matters into his own hands and murders his way to the top. His ambitions make him new enemies however, and ultimately lead to his own death and fall from power.

What It’s About:

Ambition sows the seeds of its own destruction 

The play is famously the story of a man corrupted by ambition - at the start of the play Macbeth receives a prophecy that accurately predicts his spoils from a recent war - he’ll be named Thane of Cawdor, and that calls for a greater crown to come to his head as well. Spurred by this prediction and by his wife, the famously bloodthirsty and all-around incredible character of Lady Macbeth, he takes matters into his own hands and murders his way to the top. Of course, once you start killing those who oppose you it gets harder and harder to stop, and so in the process of removing witnesses and claimants to his throne Macbeth ends up drenched in blood, and with enemies on all sides.

There’s also a fair amount within the text about guilt, and the weight of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s bloody actions on their respective consciences. They come to realize that their actions don’t exist in a vacuum, but rather follow one another in a downward spiral of death and violence - “blood will have blood” (3.4.151). The weight of this drives both to the brink of insanity, with Macbeth rarely sleeping throughout his reign as King, and Lady Macbeth so haunted by her actions she delivers the play's most famous line and ultimately kills herself.

If This Were A Movie:

I’m a big proponent of the idea that Shakespeare’s plays were the big-budget films of their time - in the 17th century the theater was a populist medium enjoyed by people across classes, not the highbrow stuff we’ve come to know it as in our day. Shakespeare himself was wildly successful as a playwright, and honestly should be compared in modern terms to someone like Stephen Spielberg - critically acclaimed yes, but also very strong at the box office.

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s more bloody works, with not only multiple murders but also several full-on battle scenes. As such, the closest modern comparison is probably a war drama - think something like Dunkirk or (appropriately Scottish) Braveheart. It’s not a big budget action film, but the play’s quiet drama scenes are nonetheless driven by the bloody conflicts happening around them.

The Line From The Play That You Know:

Double, double, toil and trouble 
Fire burn and cauldron bubble - Macbeth 4.1.10-11

The witches’ famous chant, which has become synonymous with three crones hovering around a bubbling pot casting spells. In general, the witch imagery of this play informs so much of the modern ‘Halloween-esque’ conception of witchcraft, and is some of the most enduring in terms of its saturation into pop culture. The witches also get the best lines - see also: “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.” Some Shakespeare scholars even argue one of their scenes (3.5, with Hecate) was added by a later author because they were just that popular with 17th century audiences - in our modern day, they probably would have gotten a spinoff.

Out, damned spot! Out, I say! - Macbeth 5.1.37

Lady Macbeth’s line from the end of the play as she sleepwalks through the royal castle, frantically miming washing her hands. Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s juiciest female roles for actors, and has a number of speeches that, in good hands, are showstoppers. She’s also a terrifyingly ruthless character, resolved to bloody violence well before Macbeth and instrumental in leading him down the road to murder the King. Here, the guilt and agony from all those deaths she’s orchestrated has become too much to bear, and in her sleep she frantically tries to wash the blood from her hands. Four scenes later she’ll have thrown herself from the castle battlements because of this same guilty conscience.

The Line You Should Know:

I am in blood
Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er. - Macbeth 3.4.168-170

Easily my favorite line in the play, in no small part because it’s a perfect trailer one-liner for a modern adaptation of the work. Delivered after Macbeth has killed the King and had Banquo murdered, he comes to the realization that there is no peace in his newly won crown and prestige - that despite all the blood he’s shed to win his place, there is still much more to come. He acknowledges that this is the point of no return, and accepts his role as villain and tyrant. To this point, Macbeth has shown remorse and regret for his actions - for killing a king and friend that trusted him. From here on out he is resolved to hold the crown no matter the cost.

Notable Adaptation:

These are plays, and as such you can only get so much from reading them - they are meant to be seen and heard, meant to be performed.

For Macbeth, I’d recommend the 2015 film starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard - it is a period war drama set in 11th century highland Scotland, and captures so much of the essence of the play. There are other more inventive adaptations, others that put a unique spin on the material - this is simply Macbeth Classic. It’s also as good an example as any that this play is like catnip for actors - there is so much good material to work with, and most anyone who’s playing either of the lead roles will hand in a truly stunning performance. Fassbender and Cotillard are no exception. The film is available on Prime video here.

General Notes:

This section is going to be far more relevant as we get to the more obscure stuff. As it stands; it’s Macbeth. It’s part of the Big Four tragedies (along with Hamlet, Othello, King Lear), and it’s there for a reason: it’s GOOD. The story is relatable yet specific, speaking to universal truths about the human experience that transcend the setting, as evidenced by the diverse adaptations of the work. “Ambition sows the seeds of its own destruction” - it’s about as simple a thesis as you can get, and yet because of that simplicity it has transcended its time, its place, and in some ways its authorship.

I’m not going to sit here and try to give you a unique take on this play, because it’s been written about to the ends of the earth. I will say I’m a fan of the theory that Macbeth’s ultimate downfall is motivated by Duncan’s transgression in naming his son as heir, as expanded upon in the essay prefacing the Complete Pelican Shakespeare publishing of the play. Essentially, the Scottish kingship at this time in history was more adoptive then hereditary, and the idea of enshrining power in dynastic succession would have been, in many ways, a massive slap in the face to the nobles that formed the basis of the then-King’s court. However, this is a historical reading that doesn’t quite gel with the rest of the frankly ahistorical text. Moreover, I think it’s a modern reading, ascribing modern sensibilities to Shakespeare - an easy and common mistake to fall into with an author that so often seems ahead of his team despite the fact that we know so little about who he was as a person.

However, the power of the play (as with so much of Shakespeare’s work) is that it’s open enough to support multiple interpretations. Even if this wasn’t necessarily the intent of the author, it’s a reading of the text that holds up, and can be made manifest by staging and decisions from the actors in the roles. In many ways, this is the true power of Shakespeare, and why his work has stood the test of time. Regardless of authorial intent, the subjects covered are so universal and themes so well developed that they can persist through modifications to motivation, character, setting. It’s no accident these plays have endured for nearly 400 years, and despite how you might have felt about them in high school English, they remain well worth reading.

A Monologue For the Road:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, 
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. - Macbeth 5.5.22-31