Macbeth

Publisher Marketing: The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition. The main theme of Macbeth-the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints-finds its most powerful expression in the play's two main characters. Macbeth (full title The Tragedy of Macbeth) is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, and is considered one of his darkest and most powerful works. Set in Scotland, the play illustrates the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. The play is believed to have been written between 1599 and 1606, and is most commonly dated 1606. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably Shakespeare's play is the Summer of 1606, when Simon Forman recorded seeing such a play at the Globe Theatre. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book. It was most likely written during the reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. James was a patron of Shakespeare's acting company, and of all the plays Shakespeare wrote during James's reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with the sovereign. Macbeth is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of arrogance, madness, and death. Shakespeare's source for the tragedy is the account of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles (1587), a history of England, Scotland, and Ireland familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries, although the events in the play differ extensively from the history of the real Macbeth. In recent scholarship, the events of the tragedy are usually associated more closely with the execution of Henry Garnett for complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In the backstage world of theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, and will not mention its title aloud, referring to it instead as "the Scottish play." Over the course of many centuries, the play has attracted some of the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth, a duke of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself. Review Citations: School Library Journal 03/01/2009 pg. 171 (EAN 9780764161407, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2009 pg. 82 (EAN 9780764161407, Hardcover) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2008 pg. 64 (EAN 9780791095942, Hardcover) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2011 pg. 603 (EAN 9780791095942, Hardcover) Kliatt 11/01/2006 pg. 57 (EAN 9781594835483, Compact Disc) Kliatt 11/01/2005 pg. 53 (EAN 9781932219203, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Library Journal 04/01/2005 pg. 134 (EAN 9780300106541, Paperback) Univ PR Books for Public Libry 01/01/2006 pg. 1 (EAN 9780300106541, Paperback) Booklist 10/15/2005 pg. 40 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2005 pg. 287 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Kliatt 01/01/2006 pg. 24 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) School Library Journal 03/01/2006 pg. 254 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Voice of Youth Advocates 06/01/2006 pg. 158 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2006 pg. 57 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2007 pg. 489 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2009 pg. 492 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Wilson Senior High Core Col 01/01/2011 pg. 601 (EAN 9780142404096, Paperback) Kirkus Review - Children 10/01/1997 pg. 1530 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) School Library Journal 12/01/1997 pg. 134 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/1997 pg. 464 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 96 01/01/1998 pg. 42 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2000 pg. 276 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2001 pg. 326 (EAN 9780803719002, Hardcover) Kirkus Review - Children 10/01/1997 pg. 1530 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) School Library Journal 12/01/1997 pg. 134 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/1997 pg. 464 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) ALA Recmd for Reluctant YA's 01/01/1998 pg. 1224 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/1997 pg. 157 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 96 01/01/1998 pg. 42 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Middle/Junior Hi Catalo 01/01/2000 pg. 276 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2001 pg. 326 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 459 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2010 pg. 703 (EAN 9780803718999, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1993 (EAN 9780679938750, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/1993 (EAN 9780679838753, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 03/01/1993 (EAN 9780679838753, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 08/27/2012 (EAN 9781442355934, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Audio File 10/01/2012 pg. 33 (EAN 9781442355934, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review Publishers Weekly 01/30/2012 (EAN 9781580818384, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review School Library Journal 04/01/2012 pg. 59 (EAN 9781580818384, Compact Disc) Contributor Bio:  Shakespeare, William Arguably the greatest English-language playwright, William Shakespeare was a seventeenth-century writer and dramatist, and is known as the Bard of Avon. Under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I, he penned more than 30 plays, 154 sonnets, and numerous narrative poems and short verses. Equally accomplished in histories, tragedies, comedy, and romance, Shakespeare s most famous works include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, The Taming of the Shrew, and As You Like It. Like many of his contemporaries, including Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare began his career on the stage, eventually rising to become part-owner of Lord Chamberlain s Men, a popular dramatic company of his day, and of the storied Globe Theatre in London. Extremely popular in his lifetime, Shakespeare s works continue to resonate more than three hundred years after his death. His plays are performed more often than any other playwright s, have been translated into every major language in the world, and are studied widely by scholars and students.