Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Macbeth by William Shakespeare, is not an easy read. Shakespeare's language (Early Modern English) has words that are used in the present day, words that are used in present day (with different meanings), or words that he just made up. I read the Barns & Nobles Edition of Macbeth, which has a page of Macbeth, and then a page dedicated to explaining parts of the story which are not so easy to interpret, as well as some of the harder language.

Macbeth starts out with a bang, with the three witches off to see Macbeth, and tell him of his future, and all the glory and titles that come with it. Then, in Scene 2, Duncan, King of Thames, praise Macbeth for his bravery on the field, and speak of the Macdonwald, the leader of the rebellion. The plot twists and turns, until it is hard to distinguish friend from foe and guilt racks the main characters, Macbeth and the Lady Macbeth, senseless. Shakespeare has effortless captured the merciless life of guilt that belongs to murderers. Though Lady Macbeth craves power, later on in the story, she goes mad from the guilt of pressuring her husband to kill Duncan. Her ruthlessness rules her, driven by her desire for power, until it snaps back to drive her into madness.

Macbeth is a advanced read, and one should be wary of reading it with out learning a bit about the time Shakespeare lived in, his language, and overall, his life. The Barns & Noble’s Shakespeare edition makes it easier to interpret than the original, and I suggest reading that copy instead. The story itself is difficult to understand, and maybe better as a summer read, when more time can be invested in reading this work. It is hard to read in fragments, such as in the school year.