Macbeth was written by William Shakespeare at an unknown date, probably in the very beginning of the 16th century. It is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy and one of the most famous, with five acts as it was usual in his plays. The author found his inspiration in Holinshed’s Chronicles published in 1587. It presented a history of England, Scotland and Ireland through Macbeth’s life. Therefore the book and its themes were familiar to Shakespeare’s contemporaries but the play’s story differs from the historical events in the book.

In Shakespeare’s time, the audience was greedy for action and violence, epic battles, and powerful men’s speeches. The dichotomy between good and evil makes the plot of the play easy to understand. The action takes place in Scotland in the Middle Ages. The hero, called Macbeth, is a general, like his friend Banquo, and he serves a king named Duncan. The plot starts with the scene introducing three witches who make a prophecy to them, announcing that one day Macbeth will become the King of Scotland.

From that moment on, we discover that Macbeth is a flawed character and Lady Macbeth, whose greed for power is even more huge, spurs him to action. He kills the king to take the crown for himself and then thinks that many people are threatening him so he is forced to commit more and more murders in order to protect himself from his enemies, and turns out to be a tyrannical ruler. Of course his political ambition entails physical and psychological effects on him; he becomes strongly affected by guilt and paranoia. He finally falls into madness before the story finishes in a blood bath.

Shakespeare’s tragedies contain common features such as supernatural elements which are always present, a protagonist of high social standing encountering a downfall because of his tragic flaw (in Macbeth’s case, it’s his greed for power despite his apparent goodness and courage), the opposition of good and evil which helps stir the imagination of the audience, and finally, the death of the hero and the villain makes the public experience an emotional release known as catharsis.

The plot : l’intrigue
The Middle Ages : le Moyen Âge
A witch : une sorcière
Flawed : imparfait, avec des défauts
Greed : l’avidité
To spur : inciter, pousser
A crown : une couronne
A ruler : un chef d’État
To entail : impliquer
Guilt : la culpabilité
The downfall : la chute
To stir : émouvoir
A release : une libération