Macbeth

From the Royal Shakespeare Company a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare s great drama of ambition, desire and guilt. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of Macbeth in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are three interviews with leading directors Rupert Goold, Gregory Doran and Trevor Nunn providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare s career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed.

Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer a fresh, accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare s works for the twenty-first century.

Introduction.- About the Text.- Key Facts.- The Tragedy of Macbeth .- Textual Notes.- Scene-by-scene Analysis.- Macbeth in Performance: The RSC and Beyond.- Four Centuries of Macbeth: An Overview.- At the RSC.- The Director's Cut: interviews with Rupert Goold, Gregory Doran and Trevor Nunn.- Shakespeare's Career in the Theatre.- Shakespeare's Works: A Chronology.- Further Reading and Viewing.- Acknowledgements and Picture Credits