Macbeth

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Revision as of 20:22, 18 December 2007

From the cheapo crown, you know he's Scottish.

Macbeth is a lyrically beautiful, horrifically macabre tragedy by William Shakespeare.

Plot

Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis. Then he meets these three Weird Sisters who put weird ideas in his head. He becomes Thane of Cawdor, kills the king and takes his place (with a little help from Lady Macbeth), then gets overthrown by Macduff, who was from his mother's womb untimely ripp'd.

Characters

• Macbeth, that wacky Scotsman.
• Lady Macbeth, that gender-bending wife of his.
• Duncan, soon-to-be-dead king of Scotland.
  • Malcolm and Donalbain, his sons.
• Banquo, Macbeth's compatriot.
• Fleance, Banquo's son.
• The Porter, a lousy drunk.
• Macduff, a c-sectioned, bad-ass warrior.
• The Weird Sisters, who have a sweet tooth for Tartar's ear.

Quotes

• "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."
• "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble..."
• "Macduff was from his mother's womb untimely ripp'd."
• "Is this a dagger which I see before me?"

Cultural influence

Don't say "Macbeth" in a theatre. You're just asking for trouble. Beyond that, Macbeth has been made into countless film adaptations. Orson Welles did a poverty row version of it in 1948. And Kurosawa's Throne of Blood. Lady Macbeth's somnambulism has also slipped into the common mindset.