Macbeth
William Shakespeare (1606)
“A Scottish general receives a prophecy, murders a king, and discovers that the real horror isn't the crime — it's living with it.”
At a Glance
Macbeth, a celebrated Scottish general, receives a prophecy from three witches that he will become king. Spurred by his wife's ambition and his own desire, he murders King Duncan in his sleep and seizes the throne. But power purchased through murder requires more murder to maintain. Banquo is killed; Macduff's entire family is slaughtered. Lady Macbeth, consumed by guilt, sleepwalks and dies. English forces led by Malcolm and Macduff invade Scotland. Macbeth discovers the witches' prophecies contained fatal loopholes. Macduff kills him. Malcolm is crowned king.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
Macbeth is the most performed Shakespeare play in the English-speaking world, partly because of its brevity and partly because of its theatrical richness. It contains more famous quotes per page than almost any other work in the language. It has been adapted into film, opera, manga, and novels set everywhere from feudal Japan (Kurosawa's Throne of Blood) to 1950s Chicago (the Joe Macbeth gangster film). Its psychological portrait of ambition and guilt remains the definitive literary treatment of both subjects.
Diction Profile
High — blank verse throughout with strategic prose for Porter, sleepwalking scene, and low-status characters
Extremely high