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What are readers saying about Macbeth?
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-18 12:02:03.
(Language: English)
 
Yep. Love it! Who couldn't love this?First Witch Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd. Second Witch Thrice and once the hedge-pig whined. Third Witch Harpier cries 'Tis time, 'tis time. First Witch Round about the cauldron go; In the poison'd entrails throw. Toad, that under cold stone Days and nights has thirty-one Swelter'd venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i' the charmed pot. ALL Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Second Witch Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. ALL Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Third Witch Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, Witches' mummy, maw and gulf Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark, Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark, Liver of blaspheming Jew, Gall of goat, and slips of yew Silver'd in the moon's eclipse, Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips, Finger of birth-strangled babe Ditch-deliver'd by a drab, Make the gruel thick and slab: Add thereto a tiger's chaudron, For the ingredients of our cauldron. ALL Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Second Witch Cool it with a baboon's blood, Then the charm is firm and good.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-05-03 09:26:55.
(Language: English)
jaja este libro ps no le entendi muxo creo q lei cada pagina como tres veces para poder comprenderlo !!!!! weno ceo q nada mas lo termine por q era para español jaja trata de q macbeth se encuentra unas brujas mm q le predicen el futuro pero el se adelanta y mata al rey para q este le herede su puesto pero luego tambien manda matar a banquo el unico amigo de el q presencio la prediccion de las brujas y el hijo de este lo quiere vengar y ps asi se va todo el libro por q su conciencia lo atormenta asi q al final lo mmata el hijo de banquo no entendi muxo el final por q me lo lei rapido jeje es solo para conocer mas obras de shekespeare sip nada mas lo volveria a leer para eso por q esta en forma de obra de teatro por eso cuesta tanto trabajo leerlo y luego aprenderte los personajes!! pero te acostumbraas jeje
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-04 05:49:07.
(Language: English)
If Shakespeare wrote a play besides "Romeo and Juliet" that is a good one to begin reading his material, this is it, tragedy is your thing. Unlike "Hamlet," which tends to wander about more in its plot, "Macbeth" stays far more focused on the central conflict about the rise of the man to power who does terrible things and can never forget. One of my favorites. For selecting that first Shakespeare play if you're reading (rather than watching, since that's technically what you're SUPPOSED to do with them), this is it, if tragedy's your thing. It's easily one of the most straightforward plots that Shakespeare wrote, but still well-written, sticking to the conflict around Macbeth.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-23 08:41:56.
(Language: English)
This is one of my favorite plays to teach seniors in high school. Even if students are low level readers (can be as low as 7th grade as a 12th grader) If it's taught well, all students can connect with the characters and the language. Try having them rotate in groups of six or eight and stand in a circle. Use a ball. Each time a student catches a ball they must recite a pivitol, pre chosen line from the play. They love it. Have them choose a main character and make a collage of that persons characteristics and personal attributes. Then have them work in small groups to put together a scene from the play (pre-selected) to perform for the class. Anyway, that's what I think about when I read this play again, teaching it.
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jenna posted a review at 2009-08-13 10:43:17.
(Language: English)
this is my favourite play, i see every production that comes to town. this is the first play i ever did, it changed my life litteraly. i may be biased as macbeth is on my family tree....im going to geek olut on you here. macbeth was the last true king of scotland. lady macbeth was married the the king before macbeth but the two cousins (yes the ones who are 'inocent' in the play) attack their castle from the woods (inverness woods) but she escapes out a lavatory hole (ew) and runs for her life. fun fact: she was pregnant witht the sole heir (asside form the two cousins) to the scott's crown. since she was running for her life and scared/traumatized she went into labour while still running towards the closest loyal mannor she knew of. lord macduff. when she got there, told them what was going on with the king- that he was dead and that the cousins were planning to userp the thrown. macbeth was the only single and elegable lord. they were married that day to protect the royal line and her son from the cousins. unfortunatly lady macbeth's first marriage was for alliance, and her seccond marriage was one of nescesity. fortunatly her seccond marriage turned into one of great love and scottland was united under their rule...untill the english came...gegh
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-09-10 03:27:03.
(Language: English)
Because for me, I'm sure lots of people with both agree and disagree, it isn't the same just reading Shakespere, you need to see it performed. I watched the Rep Theatre company (Dundee's own theatre company) perform Macbeth and it was so very alive and full of the passion and hatred and deceit and cowardice that the play embodies that I couldn't instantly fall under it's thrall. The intreague of the plot, from scheming Lady Macbeth to Macduff's overcoming of prophecies in the spawning of the ultimate plot twist there's enough to keep you satisfied. It's hard to hate Shakespere, so you're only left to choose your favourites, and this is one of mine.
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A Reader posted a review at 2012-11-18 08:42:43.
(Language: English)
Great masterpiece. I read it and acted Malcom's role on stage.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-03-07 09:44:17.
(Language: English)
Again - a school set-work. Discussed to distraction and multiple essays were written during the year! A dark and secretive background - with hidden agendas, murder and then the heaviness of guilt to contend with - the characters are easily recognisable as everyday people. A poetic rendering of history - albeit truth bent by the author, Shakespeare, to suit his storytelling.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-16 04:59:48.
(Language: English)
I think this is my favorite play of Shakespeare's that I have read thus far. I hadn't expected to like it better than Hamlet, but it exceeded my expectations. It was actually entertaining to read. The most moving scene, in my opinion, is when Malcolm's army is marching towards Dunisane with chopped down trees in front of each and every one of them so that it looks like "the woods are moving." This would make a moving sequence in a film. As for Macbeth, I actually liked him at first. If it hadn't been for his evil wife taunting him about not being manly enough, Macbeth probably wouldn't have killed the king. Talk about Shakespeare being sexist. He sure didn't seem up to it before. Even so, Macbeth seemed to have a bloodthirsty side to him (killing all of Macduff's family). :/
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-20 03:40:57.
(Language: English)
If LEAR is Shakespeare's greatest literary work, and HAMLET his greatest poem, MACB*TH (dare we say it?) is, without a doubt, his greatest PLAY. Short, direct and bone-chilling; MACBETH manages to compress three volumes worth of themes into three hours and, what's more, it's EXCITING. Three cheers for the Scottish play—everyone should read it! Utterly brilliant. Like Crime and Punishment in verse. Incredible philosophical insight put onstage in a compelling, thrilling and bloody human drama: and in verse! "Life's but a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is no more … it is a tale told by an idiot, full out sound and fury; signifying nothing!" Shakespeare at his most nihilistic outside of Lear. Astounding …and short!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-08-16 12:31:59.
(Language: English)
i read macbeth just few days ago but i remember it very well. simply because the story has a moral lesson for all of us. the lust of power and money can drive even the most strong to moral degradation.macbeth inspite of being a great hero kills the king , king Duncan and his friend banquo just because he was informed by the three witches that he will one day become the king of scotland. but before that king duncan was figthing the king of norway in a battle. its was only due to macbeth and banquo that the king managed to get a victory in the battle. but during the battle thane of cawdor who was with the king duncan earlier revolted against him and took side of king of norway in the battle. it was a narrow win for the king of scotland due to only macbeth and banquo.after the battle it started raining . to get shelter from rain banquo and macbeth saw a cave and started for it. in the cave macbeth met 3 witches . who told him that he will soon become the thane of cawdor and after that the king of england . macbeth couldnt believe them. during the journey back to his camp macbeth thought that it was possible to become thane of cawdor but to become king of england wont be possible until he kills the king. brushing aside this thought he reached his camp a messanger came to him telling that the king has called him. he then went to the king and there to his surprise the king of scotland king duncan made macbeth the thane of cawdor for his courage shown in the battlefied. when macbeth wife lady macbeth came to know about him becoming the thane of cawdor and the witches prophesy that macbeth will become the king of england . a very demonic gleam came over her face. from a beautiful women she turned into a ugly looking women. Her thoughts were that macbeth her husband must kill the king of england to become the emperor himself. but how.? while she was still reading this letter send by macbeth , king duncan told macbeth that he will have a feast with macbeth at his castle the next night. macbeth on returning home (to his castle) was greeted by lady macbeth. lady macbeth told macbeth that he has got a golden chance of killing the king when he comes for the feast at the castle (Where macbeth lived) . macbeth first told lady macbeth that its not right for him to kill the king who has made him the thane of cawdor. the honor he had given macbeth will he repay the honor by killing the king.? secondly the king was his guest . and to kill guest was not moral and right any way. but lady macbeth started weeping and saying that macbeth was not a man . if he is manly he should act now and kill king duncan at night. macbeth was torn apart in two . one part saying do not kill the king, other part saying kill him. he was in moral dilemma. the king came just after the sun set. he was greeted and the feast started. after the feast the king along with his two bodyguards went to their rooms for nights rest. in the mean while lady macbeth was preparing a jug of wine with sleeping pills in it. she like a crafty women placed that jug in the kings room so that the bodyguards will drink the wine and go to sleep. and in reality it worked . both the bodyguards went to sleep. macbeth was still confused and feeling sick of the very thought of killing such a noble soul of king duncan. lady macbeth told macbeth that she will give him a signal when he should attack. but before she gave the signal macbeth started walking towards the room of the king. he entered the room and killed the king. when the morning came both kings sons malcom and donalbain came to take the king with them back to his castle. but . Macbeth became the king of scotland. but only after killing the pure hearted king. he later killed banquo his most trusted friend whom he started feeling suspicious of as the murder of the king was under mysterious circumstances. Macduff who was also a soldier was in the king Duncans army. He found the kings death suspicious too. he felt strongly that it was macbeth who murdered the king in his own castle.he silently slid away from scotland and went to england secretively. macbeth also found macduffs absence strange. macduff in the mean while was preparing for an attack on macbeth so as to avenge the death of their king . Macduff along with the king of england mustered a large army and were preparing themselves to attack scotland. duncans sons malcom and donalbain fled scotland after their fathe’s death. macbeth after committing two murders was ill at ease with himself. he found himself very lonely . his heart was paining all around him was beautiful but inside him he was already a dead man. he was full of regrets . slowly people also lost faith in him. as they also started feeling that macbeth was a evil person. they only respected him because they feared him.macbeth to relieve his pains once again went to the 3 witches in the cave. the witches told macbeth that no man who lives and has stayed 9 months in the womb of his mother can harm him , secondly they also told macbeth that he will remain the king of scotland util great brinam wood come to your castle and dunsinane hill. i will write later.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-28 12:34:54.
(Language: English)
Macbeth is the last of the Shakespeare plays that I know well. It really is a good one: actually rather tightly plotted, with both lead roles undergoing transitions of character, in Macbeth's case egged on by the witches (who are memorable but a bit superfluous). The pivotal moments are in Act 3, where Macbeth thinks he is securng his rule by Banquo's murder but in fact finds his ability to operate as a king destroyed by Banquo's ghost. It's as if Shakespeare is returning to the themes of the first quadrilogy, but fictionally this time, and perhaps with a perspective of the reign of King James rather than Queen Elizabeth. Lots of good lines - the reason they stick in the mind is that they are actually memorable images or juxtapositions of words, like the seeds of time, the milk of human kindness, screwing one's courage to the sticking-place, Out, Damned Spot! and Lay On, Macduff! Arkangel have done very well here, by taking the rare but very obvious course of setting the play in, er, Scotland, with appropriate accents and skirling of bagpipes; this gives the whole play an extra edge that I had never really considered properly before. Hugh Ross is OK in the title role, but Harriet Walter is absolutely superb as Lady Macbeth and really carries the rest; I was not surprised to discover that she had played the part memorably for the RSC a few years before.. (David Tennant looks in as the Porter.) It's not quite as stellar as some of the best Arkangel productions, but it's certainly good enough for me.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-18 02:59:43.
(Language: English)
The disastrous consequences of Macbeth's ambition are not limited to him. Almost from the moment of the murder, the play depicts Scotland as a land shaken by inversions of the natural order. Shakespeare may have intended a reference to the great chain of being, although the play's images of disorder are mostly not specific enough to support detailed intellectual readings. He may also have intended an elaborate compliment to James's belief in the divine right of kings, although this hypothesis, outlined at greatest length by Henry N. Paul, is not universally accepted. As in Julius Caesar, though, perturbations in the political sphere are echoed and even amplified by events in the material world. Among the most often depicted of the inversions of the natural order is sleep. Macbeth's announcement that he has "murdered sleep" is figuratively mirrored in Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking. Macbeth's generally accepted indebtedness to medieval tragedy is often seen as significant in the play's treatment of moral order. Glynne Wickham connects the play, through the Porter, to a mystery play on the harrowing of hell. Howard Felperin argues that the play has a more complex attitude toward "orthodox Christian tragedy" than is often admitted; he sees a kinship between the play and the tyrant plays within the medieval liturgical drama. The theme of androgyny is often seen as a special aspect of the theme of disorder. Inversion of normative gender roles is most famously associated with the witches and with Lady Macbeth as she appears in the first act. Whatever Shakespeare's degree of sympathy with such inversions, the play ends with a thorough return to normative gender values. Some feminist psychoanalytic critics, such as Janet Adelman, have connected the play's treatment of gender roles to its larger theme of inverted natural order. In this light, Macbeth is punished for his violation of the moral order by being removed from the cycles of nature (which are figured as female); nature itself (as embodied in the movement of Birnam Wood) is part of the restoration of moral order.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-12 12:04:44.
(Language: English)
Washing your hands of blood has been done before, likening it to Pontius Pilot washing his hands of the blood of Christ, but the stain can never be erased from our memories. Guilt cannot be assuaged by desire for power, Destiny is not ruled by those who tell the future and when man tries to overide his destiny by force of will it provokes the Gods to laughter. That simple words on paper can bring to life a story with such visual clarity, that such power can be transcribed across the ages from its simple tellling, that words can be arranged together in sentences of grace and style that sing as poetry to our ears, words taken to memory and to heart by so many; only proves that the master was at work here be he Shakespeare , or Francis Bacon, or whoever you wish to call him. This work is timeless. As timeless as passion and envy and good and evil. As timeless as . . . the human heart
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-12-11 11:38:25.
(Language: English)
My favourite shakespeare play, I think Macbeth is not entirely a bad person. He is misfortune enought to have a bad wife.I am not saying that he is not responsible, Macbeth wanted the throne..but he is weak.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-08 02:29:03.
(Language: English)
Should I list it as my fav? absolutely not, at the beginning of the year when I knew this is my Olevel text for literature, I nearly fainted for the fact that I dont even understand the language But after a while, learning to get into the mind of the murderer, of a brave soldier, the tragic hero who falls for his greed of power, I have to say, I love the play Rich in irony, tension and suspense... Macbeth, though a killer, a tyrant, someone who commit murder of his own best friend, his king and innocent women and children, in the end wins our sympathy as a loner, a king who is loved by none, a husband who loses his wife... His soliloquy in the end was depressing but beautiful: Life is but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets in his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-01-14 08:42:39.
(Language: English)
A famously peculiar feature of Shakespeare's cast in the tragedy Macbeth is the existence of the "Weird Sisters," three rarely spoken but seemingly omnipresent witches. Manifestations of the goddess Hecate, associated with ghosts and the underworld, they are undoubtedly the source of some evil in the plot. Their dialogue involves solely Macbeth and, briefly, Banquo. "Thou shalt get king, though thou be none./ So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! (1.3, 65-6). Upon initial scrutiny, the force of their predictions appears to empower the murderous Macbeth. Critics have often ascribed his "transformation from a reluctant, conscience-ridden conspirator into a cunning and brutal murderer (Paris)," to the witches' influence. "He had put off [the murder of Macduff's wife and children] until he had visited the Weird Sisters (Paris);" "[T]he witches of Macbeth inspire... the mysterious horror and spiritual terror (Schelling);" [T]he Weird Sisters represent, in most appalling sort, the wickedness of the purpose they suggest: so that Macbeth's fears as well as his hopes are stimulated, and his fears even more than his hopes, by the recollection of their greetings: the instant he reverts to them, his imagination springs into action (Hudson). Curiously, the witches go unpunished for their transgressions at the conclusion of the play. It may be surmised that Shakespeare's intent was not to deem the Weird Sisters wholly unaccountable for the evildoings that commence, but to propose a moral scheme that departs from the binary good-and-evil model. He acknowledges the existence of supernatural forces such as the witches, but rather than purporting their instigation of either order or disorder, he presents them as merely containers of the potential for such. It is ultimately the anomaly of the skewed individual that upsets overall social design.
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saki posted a review at 2012-04-18 01:10:05.
(Language: English)
good
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Andrew posted a review at 2009-09-27 02:07:44.
(Language: English)
WORST PART OF HIGHSCHOOL!!!! Why did I have to read Macbeth, Hamlet, King Lear, Rome and Juliet, and A midsummer nights dream? What was the fucking point of that? I never read any, not one. Some cliff notes, a bit of spark notes, a C+ on the test and I learned nothing absolutely nothing. Please stop teaching this pointless shit in school. Cant you fuckers teach us something usefull. Read books with pscho-babble that are still easy to read. I wouldnt mind if it was tied in with watching the actual play. But I dont know how much time was wasted reading this stuff. Yeah, shakespheare was fucking brilliant, get over it. Yeah, the Beatles were awesome but I dont need to listen to their entire discography to get the hang of them.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-04-11 12:59:54.
(Language: English)
Macbeth is a timeless classic and Shakespeare's most influencial tragedy by far. It shows us that temptation leads to destruction, absolute power corrupts absolutely and, as George Lucas would probably word it, fear of loss is the path to the dark side! With the help of three apparitions, Macbeth seals his own fate by killing King Duncan to take his place as the King of Scotland. He then proceeds to murder anyone whom he fears may jeopardize his new "royal" position. One must either admire Macbeth or deem him an idiot for staying to fight a battle he could not possibly win (as he was horribly out-numbered and his own soldiers and warriors were turning on him) when Duncan's son returned to claim the throne! Macbeth is a must read for literary and Shakespearean enthusiasts!
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-27 01:30:08.
(Language: English)
A Classic...not just because it's by Shakespeare but the portrayal of emotions is, in one word, superb. Shakespeare has proved that emotions are universal...what conspired in the minds of men 500 years ago still holds true today.A story about how one man's ambition can become his fatal flaw and lead him to a destructive end. A fantastic story, told in a very eerie manner and the characters of the 3 sisters of fate doesn't help either. One of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies...it is also highly entertaining if you read it with a lot of thought and care.
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eva posted a review at 2011-05-08 07:51:44.
(Language: English)
Behind every great man...... I like how you can see how easily Macbeth gets manipulated by his wife, but then get to see his wife's downfall. Don't ever get too cocky, becuase soon you will have to pay the price. For a Shakespearean tragedy, pretty short and easy one to read.
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Shamika posted a review at 2012-03-15 01:23:43.
(Language: English)
i would love to read this book
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Marcel posted a review at 2009-01-14 12:57:04.
(Language: English)
To this list I would add a less-seen movie, SCOTLAND PA, a remake of MacBeth set in PA, in a burger franchise, starring Maura Tierney as Lady MacBeth, James Le Gros, and Chris Walken.., MacBeth makes a better comedy than tragedy. I mention this because I think you might appreciate it, not because it suits the thread. Did you ever see a little movie called SCOTLAND PA? It's MacBeth done as a dark comedy, set in 1970s Pennsylvania in and around a fast food franchise (Big Macs)... Walken as MacDuff, James LeGros as MacBeth, and Maura Tierney is great as Lady McBeth. I heard about it late last year. Roth said he'd always wanted to see MacB played by a real person, and said it was the works. I imagine Roth has a hand in the screenplay. I can't even remember the music in SCOTLAND PA. But after seeing it, I began to wonder if all Shakespeare's plays weren't really comedies, cause it seemed that MacBeth certainly played more easily as one. 'Course that's a tendency of mine -- I'm already convinced that MOBY DICK and a good bit of western lit that's taken very seriously is actually wildly comic. Yep. Ray Winstone's the shit. I hear that he's doing MacBeth as a film with Tim Roth directing.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-12 02:52:35.
(Language: English)
If revenge is a dish best served cold, Shakespeare is a dish best served reheated. This is to say, I have never not enjoyed Shakespeare upon a repeated exposure, even if I disliked the play originally, and have always enjoyed it more the second time even when I liked it well the first. Whether it is a matter of seeing a film or play after reading the text, or reading the text after experiencing it visually, or even simply going over it in a class or repeated viewing, the more you are exposed, the clearer Shakespeare's brilliance is. That said, Macbeth took multiple reheatings... I read it thrice through, and discussed it throughout, before I truly appreciated it fully. It is lucky it is so short a play (my edition is fully 2/3 commentary and history pieces), or I would never have allowed it the time to become worthwhile. Part of this is in the sheer denseness of minor characters, the keeping track of whom is difficult and frustrating until you get a feel for who is truly important and who is not. Part of it is the drawn-out nature of some scenes, coupled with the speed of other events, especially the rapidfire nature in which things happen toward the end. Some of the language feels denser here than elsewhere in Shakespeare's catalog. All wrapped in a brutal package. it's tempting not to open it. Still, part of the joy of Macbeth is embracing the brutality, and watching the Lord and Lady unravel. You never root for Macbeth, but his violence and greed are human, if the most debased of our urges. He is never without doubts, always paranoid, often regretful even as he drowns in his deeds. And as you'd expect, there is some brilliant language... whether wonderful wit buried in the dark text or some stunning poetry throughout soliloquies (his "Out, Out" passage toward the end remains one of the most powerful in literature for me). There's always something to love in Shakespeare, and this was worth finally digging until it all made sense. Of course, if all Shakespeare is brilliant in some place, Macbeth fails in requiring more time to delve into it. It rewards your patience, but when other of his plays offer so much and far more readily, it makes even a highly worthwhile play weaker as compares to the entire oeuvre.
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