Marlborough Summer School will provide
each member of the group with their own copy of the text.There is no need for any prior study, but any knowledge of the play in
performance or through reading it always makes a lively contribution.
Everyone's favourite play?
Macbeth,( full title The Tragedie of Macbeth) is thought to have been
first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological
effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Of all the plays that
Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, Macbeth most clearly reflects
his relationship with King James, patron of Shakespeare's acting company. It
was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is
Shakespeare's shortest tragedy
The playwright's source for the drama
is the account of Macbeth, King of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan in Holinshed's
Chronicles (1587), a history of England, Scotland, and Ireland familiar to
Shakespeare and his contemporaries, although the events in the play differ
extensively from the history of the real Macbeth. The events of the tragedy are
usually associated with the execution of Henry Garnet for complicity in the
Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
In the backstage world of
theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, and will not mention its title
aloud, referring to it instead as "The Scottish Play". Known also as
"the Unlucky Play because it is often put on to boost theatres' flagging Box
Office takings. It is enduringly popular and most often performed and has
attracted the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It
has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, comics, and other media.
The sessions will be completely interactive as the tutor welcomes
personal interpretations suggestions and questions that confront her. She will
also provide you with fascinating insights andanecdotes from productions with
which she has been involved.
I look forward to welcoming you.
