Book 36: Finished.

I really do love Macbeth, which is why I read through it so quickly. It never ceases to amaze me how wonderfully evil it is, and even though I know Macbeth is the bad guy...well, sometimes I still feel like I have to cheer for him!

Like I said before, my favorite scenes are those with the witches. They add a great deal of mysticism to the story and make it seem as though Macbeth's life is really not in his own hands. I also love how beautifully poetic their lines are. Here are a few of my favorite lines from the witches:

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Hover through the fog and filthy air," (I.i. 11-12)

"Harpier cris, 'Tis time; 'tis time.'
Round about the cauldron go;
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweltered venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i'th' charmed pot," (IV.i. 4-9).

"By the pricking of my thumbs.
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks," (IV.i. 44-47).

I just love the visual impact the witches have on the play, and the idea that they are manipulating Macbeth's destiny. Seeing this live would me amazing, since there is so much that could be done with the witches now-a-days with special effects to make them even creepier and evil.

Reading this play again simply reminded me how much I love the way Shakespeare manipulates language. He truly had a skill. And even though it can be a little daunting at times to wrap your mind around the words and meter, the story behind the words is still super strong. This tale of deceit, murder, and ambition is strong enough that it shines through long passages and forgotten words. Shakespeare really is a master of his craft.

From here, I really think I need to move away from the Shakespearean pieces I know very well, to things that I haven't had the opportunity of reading yet. A copy of Othello has been sitting on my shelf and that will most likely be the next play I read.


And like I said before, if you haven't read any of Shakespeare's tragedies, Macbeth really is a great place to start. It has a lot of action and suspense, so I think it really grips the reader!

Book 36: Macbeth.

Of all of Shakespeare's plays, there are two that stand out to me as my favorites (so far). The first is a comedy, Much Ado About Nothing, which I read back in September/October. Much Ado About Nothing is a lighthearted fun comedy that really plays up the wit and banter between characters.

My favorite tragedy, if such a thing is possible, is Macbeth. Since the first time I read it in high school Shakespeare class, I was drawn to the dark and sinister tale of murder and witches. While tragedies like Romeo and Juliet are so wonderfully "romantic," Macbeth is simply dark and creepy. I like that. I like that honesty in the play.

I also believe it is one of the more straight-forward of Shakespeare's plots and a great place for beginners to start. The story itself is fairly simple. There is a battle raging and witches appear to make a prophecy to Macbeth. They tell him he will one day be king. Rather than wait and see what happens, Lord Macbeth takes it into his own hands...and well...murder happens.

What steals the show in this play, however, are the witches and Lady Macbeth. The witches seem to appear out of nowhere and give the play a very supernatural and sinister feel. They also have one of the most famous "witch" lines in literature in this play:

"Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Hopefully that is familiar to you and now you know where it comes from!

Also creepy is Lady Macbeth, who begins to lose her mind near the latter half of the play. The first time I read the play, I physically cringed during some of her scenes.

The other thing that really stands out reading this play is that the "hero," Macbeth, is an evil evil man. Where you can sometimes feel for the victims in tragedies in some of Shakespeare's other tragedies (like Hamlet), Macbeth is just evil, and dark, and someone you wouldn't want to run into on a Scottish moor.

Anyway, I am looking forward to spending some time with an old friend! Let's see if I enjoy it as much as I have in the past.

Book 36: Book Stats.

Title: Macbeth
Author: William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
First Published/Performed: It was written sometime between 1600 and 1610, and the earliest performance known was in 1611.

My Edition: Barnes and Noble Shakespeare (I prefer these over the other editions. They read easier and have great supplemental materials-you can see my edition at left).
Pages: 328

Other Works Include: Much Ado About Nothing, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, etc.

I would be highly offended if you told me you haven't given Shakespeare a try! I love Shakespeare and I find that with the right edition, it is not as difficult to figure out as you might think.

For my challenge, I am reading a whopping 16 plays by William. I have already completed 2-Much Ado About Nothing and The Winter's Tale. I have read a great deal of Shakespeare's work in the past, in college, high school, and on my own. So far in my personal challenge I haven't picked up a Shakespeare play that I haven't already previously read. This will be my fifth or sixth time reading Macbeth, and it has always been one of my FAVORITE Shakespeare plays. It is very dark and sinister and I LOVE the witches.

Before I wrap this up, I just want to mention a couple things about reading Shakespeare. People have a great misconception that Shakespeare is difficult. While yes, his language is tricky, he is not as difficult as you may think. With his plays, it is more important to get the big scheme of things rather than get caught up on every individual word. With that being said, you can buy great editions of his plays that have footnotes and information to help you. I think Barnes and Noble has done a great job with theirs. I also really like No Fear Shakespeare and Folger's editions as well. They are great places to start!