Montana Shakespeare in the Parks: Macbeth

The Tragedy Of Macbeth

Legend has it that one of William Shakespeare's best-known plays, The Tragedy of Macbeth, is cursed. Many practitioners of the theatre would sooner do just about anything except utter the name of this terrific play while in a theater. The centuries-old story of the Macbeth curse may originate with Shakespeare's inclusion of witches in the play. These 'Weird Sisters' open the play and speak prophesy to Macbeth, who is captivated by the witches, their spooky maneuverings and wild incantations.

Many have waxed eloquent about the themes in the play that have made it relevant for so long. Greed. Lust for power. Betrayal. Most assuredly they are all there in this, Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, but the fact of the matter is that Macbeth is the wellspring from which all great thrillers and horror stories originate.

Macbeth and Banquo, returning from a military victory, meet three witches who prophesy that Macbeth will be king and Banquo the father of kings. Might Macbeth actually be king one day? He writes his wife and tells her of the prophecy. A plan is hatched.

Lady Macbeth urges her husband to kill the king when he comes to stay with them. Macbeth protests but eventually relents and kills the sleeping King Duncan, but he is so undone by the deed that Lady Macbeth takes the bloody dagger and plants it on the servants. Macbeth assumes the throne.

In short order Lady Macbeth goes a bit mad. Macbeth fears the witches' prophesy about Banquo and has him killed, but Banquo's son, Fleance, escapes before he gets it as well. Banquo makes a macabre return as a ghost. The witches reappear, telling him that 'none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.'

Macbeth takes this to mean that he's off the hook, but he's wrong. And when he realizes it, it's too late. For audiences, however, Shakespeare's Macbeth, with it's soaring language and spellbinding plot, is as close as it comes to a never miss.

Macbeth will be directed by Susan Felder.