Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare; it is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.
The play is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. The play tells the story of Macbeth, a Scottish general who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland.
Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion.
The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.
Play | Title | Artist |
---|---|---|
Macbeth
|
||
Scotland
|
|
|
Kings and Queens and Vagabonds
|
|
|