The Tragedy of Macbeth

By William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's shortest—but one of his most popular—tragedies features a man who will do anything to fulfill a prophecy that will lead him to become the King of Scotland. Fresh from battle, Macbeth and his companion Banquo come across three witches who tell of great power that is in store for Macbeth. Driven by their prophecy and aided by his wife, Macbeth sets out on a journey that is wrought with deceit, murder, and suffering to acquire the throne of Scotland. At each and every turn, Macbeth must make choices that alter the trajectory of not only his life but every life around him, as he begins to fall mad with greed. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dreamscape Media
• Release date: Mar 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781666517842

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Book preview

Dramatis Personæ

DUNCAN, King of Scotland.

MALCOLM, his Son.

DONALBAIN, his Son.

MACBETH, General in the King’s Army.

BANQUO, General in the King’s Army.

MACDUFF, Nobleman of Scotland.

LENNOX, Nobleman of Scotland.

ROSS, Nobleman of Scotland.

MENTEITH, Nobleman of Scotland.

ANGUS, Nobleman of Scotland.

CAITHNESS, Nobleman of Scotland.

FLEANCE, Son to Banquo.

SIWARD, Earl of Northumberland, General of the English Forces.

YOUNG SIWARD, his Son.

SEYTON, an Officer attending on Macbeth.

BOY, Son to Macduff.

An English Doctor.

A Scottish Doctor.

A Soldier.

A Porter.

An Old Man.

LADY MACBETH.

LADY MACDUFF.

Gentlewoman attending on Lady Macbeth.

HECATE, and three Witches.

Lords, Gentlemen, Officers, Soldiers, Murderers, Attendants and Messengers.

The Ghost of Banquo and several other Apparitions.

SCENE: In the end of the Fourth Act, in England; through the rest of the Play, in Scotland; and chiefly at Macbeth’s Castle.

ACT I

SCENE I. An open Place.

Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches.

FIRST WITCH.

When shall we three meet again?

In thunder, lightning, or in rain?

SECOND WITCH.

When the hurlyburly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won.

THIRD WITCH.

That will be ere the set of sun.

FIRST WITCH.

Where the place?

SECOND WITCH.

Upon the heath.

THIRD WITCH.

There to meet with Macbeth.

FIRST WITCH.

I come, Graymalkin!

SECOND WITCH.

Paddock calls.

THIRD WITCH.

Anon.

ALL.

Fair is foul, and foul is fair:

Hover through the fog and filthy air.

[Exeunt.]

SCENE II. A Camp near Forres.

Alarum within. Enter King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lennox, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Captain.

DUNCAN.

What bloody man is that? He can report,

As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt

The newest state.

MALCOLM.

This is the sergeant

Who, like a good and hardy soldier, fought

’Gainst my captivity.—Hail, brave friend!

Say to the King the knowledge of the broil

As thou didst leave it.

SOLDIER.

Doubtful it stood;

As two spent swimmers that do cling together

And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald

(Worthy to be a rebel, for to that

The multiplying villainies of nature

Do swarm upon him) from the Western Isles

Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;

And Fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,

Show’d like a rebel’s whore. But all’s too weak;

For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name),

Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel,

Which smok’d with bloody execution,

Like Valour’s minion, carv’d out his passage,

Till he fac’d the slave;

Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,

Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chops,

And fix’d his head upon our battlements.

DUNCAN.

O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!

SOLDIER.

As whence the sun ’gins his reflection

Shipwracking storms and direful thunders break,

So from that spring, whence comfort seem’d to come

Discomfort swells. Mark, King of Scotland, mark:

No sooner justice had, with valour arm’d,

Compell’d these skipping kerns to trust their heels,

But the Norweyan lord, surveying vantage,

With furbish’d arms and new supplies of men,

Began a fresh assault.

DUNCAN.

Dismay’d not this

Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?

SOLDIER.

Yes;

As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.

If I say sooth, I must report they were

As cannons overcharg’d with double cracks;

So they

Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:

Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,

Or memorize another Golgotha,

I cannot tell—

But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.

DUNCAN.

So well thy words become thee as thy wounds:

They smack of honour both.—Go, get him surgeons.

[Exit Captain, attended.]

Enter Ross and Angus.

Who comes here?

MALCOLM.

The worthy Thane of Ross.

LENNOX.

What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look

That seems to speak things strange.

ROSS.

God save the King!

DUNCAN.

Whence cam’st thou, worthy thane?

ROSS.

From Fife, great King,

Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky

And fan our people cold.

Norway himself, with terrible numbers,

Assisted by that most disloyal traitor,

The Thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;

Till that Bellona’s bridegroom, lapp’d in proof,

Confronted him with self-comparisons,

Point against point, rebellious arm ’gainst arm,

Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,

The victory fell on us.

DUNCAN.

Great happiness!

ROSS.

That now

Sweno, the Norways’ king, craves composition;

Nor would we deign him burial of his men

Till he disbursed at Saint Colme’s Inch

Ten thousand dollars to our general use.

DUNCAN.

No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive

Our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death,

And with his former title greet Macbeth.

ROSS.

I’ll see it done.

DUNCAN.

What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.

[Exeunt.]

SCENE III. A heath.

Thunder. Enter the three Witches.

FIRST WITCH.

Where hast thou been, sister?

SECOND WITCH.

Killing swine.

THIRD WITCH.

Sister, where thou?

FIRST WITCH.

A sailor’s wife had chestnuts in her lap,

And mounch’d, and mounch’d, and mounch’d. Give me, quoth I.

Aroint thee, witch! the rump-fed ronyon cries.

Her husband’s to Aleppo gone, master o’ th’ Tiger:

But in a sieve I’ll thither sail,

And, like a rat without a tail,

I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do.

SECOND WITCH.

I’ll give thee a wind.

FIRST WITCH.

Th’art kind.

THIRD WITCH.

And I another.

FIRST WITCH.

I myself have all the other,

And the very ports they blow,

All the quarters that they know

I’ the shipman’s card.

I will drain him dry as hay:

Sleep shall neither night nor day

Hang upon his pent-house lid;

He shall live a man forbid.

Weary sev’n-nights nine times nine,

Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine:

Though his bark cannot

Reviews for The Tragedy of Macbeth

[obrien8341 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Obviously, Shakespeare is a poetic genius. This play is beautifully written and contains messages about morality. Although Shakespeare's writing can be sometimes hard to understand, I followed this play very well and found it very entertaining. It is interesting to notice the way that fate plays a huge role in the outcome of the play.

[tryion · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My all time favorite.

[xicanti_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful play with so many great things going on. One of my favourite lines comes when MacDuff learns that his family has been killed. He says, "Oh, my pretty chickens!" As those of you who've read the play will know, much of it revolves around the idea that fair is foul and foul is fair. Pretty chickens are fair fowls. I can't help but wonder if Shakespeare did that deliberately.Stuff like that kills me.

[sdtaylor555 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a big Shakespeare fan, so I won't rate any of his works very high

[kaelirenee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's interesting to consider the role fate has in this play. And of course, it helps to have the guides at the bottom of the page that explains some of the texts.

[jeroenberndsen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic editions this is, the play on the right page, and explanations and supprt material on the left. You don't have to read it, but if you come across words you don't understand, It's pretty convenient!The story itself, well that off course has lost nothing of it's magic....

[fluffyblue_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can you say about Macbeth that's not already been said? I thought I would find it difficult to understand, having not read any Shakespeare before, but it just took a bit of slow reading and thinking about what the meaning might be. I think if you've not read Shakespeare before, this might be a good place to start.

[allriledup · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't believe I hadn't read this sooner and hope to see a production of it one of these days. I must say I have a soft spot in my heart for the three weird sisters.

[nmg1-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

studied this play during 2nd level education. Certain lines still stick with me to this day. Amazing to think of its sheer impact, centuries into the future (and still going strong!).

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Scottish play is well known for those who know a thing or two about Shakespeare. This play tells the tale betrayal, guilt, hubris, and witchcraft, threading together plots and wordplay only as Shakespeare could do.Recommended for any fan of Shakespeare, or by any fan of British fantasy.

[ragwaine · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Not fun to read. A cool line every 20 lines or so. Pretty good story, I would have enjoyed it more if it was written in regular, somewhat poetic prose.

[mbmackay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Re-read this classic in the Signature Shakespeare edition - beautiful presentation, and useful notes and explanations. Interesting to contrast the awful reputation of the Shakespearian Macbeth with the vastly different person that historians now document. I read a book on the real Macbeth a few years ago which claimed that he was the most unfairly maligned figure in history. But you read the play for Shakespeare, not historic accuracy, and this play is a ripper. Read March 2015

[atothel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic. My favorite SS play.

[mjmbecky · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although I'm an English teacher, I have to admit that Macbeth is not one of my personal favorites. Does that mean that the play isn't brilliant? Absolutely not. Shakespeare, once again, exhibits the full range of characteristics and emotions that a human can display. Great play about the way a seemingly good man, can descend into the madness of becoming greedy and a murderer.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I think this is one which needs to be seen. It seemed very slow to me, aside from the bits with murder and ghosts.

[jfoster_sf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic tragedy.

[tygers_eye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A shakespeare play full of tragedy, love, and a crazy hunger for power. An amazing play by William Shakespeare.

[jpsnow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favorite Shakespeare play so far, due to the simple depth of the plot, the cool use of the witches, and the straightforward, yet dynamic characters.

[msnikki · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Was a great book, at the time I had a teacher who understood how to make Shakesphere approachable to students.It could easily be staged as a leadership bid at one of those Fortune 500s all over Wall Street.

[joles_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my absolute favorite plays by Shakespeare. The "Scottish Play" contains the supernatural, riddles and memorable quotes. It is a testament about the times and a warning to those that would deceive others to get what they want. This play is a must read/see!

[rosamie.bautista · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Opening with the prophecies of the three witches always caught my imagination. I love how the story relates to that throughout the play, and also how Macbeth is intrigued that he may indeed become king. It adds a great, dramatic effect. Beginning to end this is a brilliantly written play.

[idiotgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Audiobook. Strangely compelling. Narrated by Alan Cummings. A good part of the charm was the great Scottish reading. I have now downloaded his one man show of Macbeth. This is a very interesting project. Would probably be a .5 because of how interesting the project.

[trilliams · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seems like a lot of build up to just suddenly end like that. Damn those witches and their doubletalk. Pro tip: mention this play as often at theatres as possible.

[leslie398 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This full cast production of Macbeth was excellent. Joanne Whalley was particularly good as Lady Macbeth.