Macbeth, written sometime between 1603 and 1606 is Shakespeare’s
shortest tragedy. It concerns a regicide and its aftermath
and primarily accounts the rise to power and the subsequent
violent death of the Scottish general Macbeth. The central
theme of the play entwines ambition, fate, deception and treachery.
The original story starts off with three
witches who decide to confront the great Scottish general
Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland
and Norway. The Scottish king, Duncan, decides that he will
confer the title of Cawdor on the heroic Macbeth. Macbeth,
and another General called Banquo, happen upon the three witches.
The witches predict that Macbeth will one day become king.
Macbeth decides that he will murder Duncan. Macbeth's wife
agrees to his plan. He then murders Duncan assisted by his
wife who smears the blood of Duncan on the daggers of the
sleeping guards. A nobleman called Macduff discovers the body.
Macbeth kills the guards insisting that their daggers smeared
with Duncan's blood are proof that they committed the murder.
The crown passes to Macbeth. More murders ensue and the bloodied
ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth. Lady Macbeth's conscience
now begins to torture her and she imagines that she can see
her hands covered with blood. She commits suicide. Macduff
kills Macbeth and becomes king.
This play is a styled adaptation and concerns
more with the psychological realms of the central character,
Macbeth. The story is told through the three central characters,
Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Banquo, these in turn being mere
reflections of Macbeth himself. It puts aside the socio-political
perspective of Macbeth, and observes the chemical play of
fundamental human nature of concerns, deep desires and greed
that don the stage of conscious and sub conscious mind of
human beings. I perceive Shakespeare’s Macbeth as a
surreal poetry. This play is structured more as a ritual,
a psychological saga to rekindle and awake the soulless mob
on the run. This surreal poetry on stage intends to provoke
the spectator touch the deep emotions at least once
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