Skip to Main Content

A-Z CLASSIC LITERATURE

Macbeth by William Shakespeare
In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. He found a spectacle of violence and stories of traitors advised by witches and wizards, echoing James’s belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft.
Macbeth: Text of the play, notes & related readings [From Folger Shakespeare]
Read Online Interactive eBook: About the Text

Related Links

Study Guide + Videos Video Channel: Detailed Analysis Literary Devices [Scroll]

Videos

Free Will, Witches, Murder and Macbeth, Part 1 - Crash Course Literature

The Sound! The Fury! Today, we're talking about Shakespeare's Scottish play, Macbeth. So, was Macbeth really predestined to do all the murdering and bad kinging and other terrible stuff? That's the big question in Macbeth, and it's one of the ideas we're going to talk about today, among many. Also, Yoda joins us for the open letter.

SOURCE: Crash Course (2018), posted on YouTube, [12:55 mins] URL: https://youtu.be/VPYOs0EGgJk

Gender, Guilt, and Fate - Macbeth, Part 2: Crash Course Literature

This week on Crash Course Literature, John Green is continuing to talk about Shakespeare's dark, bloody, Scottish play, Macbeth. This time around, we're looking at the play's characters operate, how the play deals with gender, and the Macbeth as an early anti-hero.

SOURCE: Crash Course (2018), posted on YouTube, [12:06 mins] URL: https://youtu.be/4zdkun4xzOs

Why Should you Read Macbeth? - Brendan Pelsue

There’s a play so powerful that an old superstition says its name should never be uttered in a theater. A play that begins with witchcraft and ends with a bloody, severed head. A play filled with riddles, prophecies, nightmare visions, and lots of brutal murder. But is it really all that good? Brendan Pelsue explains why you should read (or revisit) "Macbeth."

View full lesson HERE.

SOURCE: TED-Ed (2017), posted on YouTube, [6:08 mins] URL: https://youtu.be/rD5goS69LT4

Character Analysis: Lady Macbeth

Does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth as subverting feminine stereotypes of the Jacobean era or conforming to them?

SOURCE: Mr Bruff (2020), posted on YouTube, [11:05 mins] URL: https://youtu.be/90iY1ku7flA

Bitesize Shakespeare: Macbeth 

Macbeth is a spooky horror story set in Scotland. There are gory bits. There are witches and spooky visions. Macbeth and his wife commit so many horrible crimes that towards the end even Lady Macbeth goes mad with the horror of it all. What was it all for? The couple were power hungry and happy to kill their friends and family to fulfil their ambition to become royalty.

SOURCE: BBC (2014), available from ClickView, [5:11 mins] URL: https://clickv.ie/w/oEOp

Ethan Hawke on Macbeth

Ethan Hawke looks at the greatest productions of Shakespeare's Macbeth as he uncovers the true story behind the cursed 'Scottish Play'.

SOURCE: ABC (2014), Rated M, available from ClickView, [52:17 mins] URL: https://clickv.ie/w/0DOp

Teaching & Learning Resources

Macbeth interactive reader Summary, Themes & Symbols Close reading: 6 related texts

LitCharts: "Macbeth" Shakescleare Translation

Multiple Critical Perspectives: Feminist