Episode 222:
We can’t say for sure that ‘Macbeth’ was Shakespeare's next offering after 'Anthony and Cleopatra' as precise dating of these early 17th century plays is next to impossible, but whatever the case, it certainly has a very different feel and focus from it’s near contemporises. Although recounting historical events it is dominated by the presence and effect of the supernatural. This proved a mix that audiences have flocked to ever since and it remains one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, for tragedy ranking only behind ‘Hamlet’.
The dating of the play
The text in the First Folio and adaptations by Thomas Middleton
The sources for the play
A brief Synopsis of the play
Macbeth and Julius Caesar
Macbeth’s ambition
The importance of the soliloquy in the play
Macbeth’s feelings of guilt
The reports of the play by Simon Foreman
Banquo’s ghost as a manifestation of Macbeth’s guilt
Blood as a symbol of guilt
The torment of sleeplessness
The tensions between destiny and free will
The three witches
Link to ‘That Shakespeare Life’ episode featuring Prof. Laurie Johnson on the ‘weird sisters’:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/that-shakespeare-life/id1372846116?i=1000751203466
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