Macbeth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest and bloodiest tragedy. It is frequently performed at both amateur and professional levels, and frequently adapted. Often regarded as archetypal, the play tells of the dangers of the lust for power and the betrayal of friends. For the plot Shakespeare drew loosely on the historical account of King Macbeth of Scotland by Raphael Holinshed and that by the Scottish philosopher Hector Boece.[1] There are many superstitions centred on the belief the play is somehow "cursed", and many actors will not mention the name of the play aloud, referring to it instead as "the Scottish play".
Talk about tragedy.
While I was in University, one of my all-time favourite classes was, you guessed it, Shakespeare. Sister Corona informed us on day one that the final exam would be on thirteen of the fifteen plays we were to study. My roommate at the time, working on her Masters Degree, suggested I choose thirteen of the plays to read and forget about the remaining two. Focus was the key. She was correct. I aced the class due, largely, to my intense love of his plays and my keen interest in theatre in general. One of my most loved works of his is the tragedy of Macbeth.
Today I read aloud to the boys from Lamb's Tales of Shakespeare as is the custom on Tuesday. They were pretty shocked that I would read this grim and gruesome tale even to myself let alone OUT LOUD. I must have climbed the cool homeschooling mom ladder today. It was certainly not due to the glasses I wore whilst reading. It definitely had to do with the myriad of voices I used.
I thought I might also quote my favourite line from this adaptation
The king entered well pleased with the place, and not less so with the attentions and respect of his honoured hostess, Lady Macbeth, who had the art of covering treacherous purposes with smiles, and could look like the innocent flower, while she was indeed the serpent under it.
Seriously sagacious, perfectly perspicacious, greatly guileless, unusually unstable, Tuesday teatime.
