Macbeth (an undoing)
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This story will be told, the way it has always been told. What else use is it otherwise? The hags on the heath. The woman who went mad. The man who became a tyrant.
When her husband returns victorious from the battlefield with a prophecy that he will become king of Scotland, Lady Macbeth vows to make their darkest ambitions a reality. So far, so familiar. But then the story fragments.
Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth is ruthless and driven, unstoppable in her pursuit of power, yet she quickly descends into madness and despair. Zinnie Harris's thrilling new version undoes the narrative we know, and remakes it, examining Lady Macbeth's trajectory and asking if we have really heard the whole story.
This edition includes an afterword by Dan Rebellato, Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Macbeth (an undoing) premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in February 2023.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England, and was baptized on April 26, 1564. An English poet and playwright, he was widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. His surviving works, including collaborations, comprise 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
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