Macbeth (27 page)
Authors: William Shakespeare
The collaborations with Fletcher suggest that Shakespeare’s career ended with a slow fade rather than the sudden retirement supposed by the nineteenth-century Romantic critics who read Prospero’s epilogue to
The Tempest
as Shakespeare’s personal farewell to his art. In the last few years of his life Shakespeare certainly spent more of his time in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he became further involved in property dealing and litigation. But his London life also continued. In 1613 he made his first major London property purchase: a freehold house in the Blackfriars district, close to his company’s indoor theater.
The Two Noble Kinsmen
may have been written as late as 1614, and Shakespeare was in London on business a little over a year before he died of an unknown cause at home in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1616, probably on his fifty-second birthday.
About half the sum of his works were published in his lifetime, in texts of variable quality. A few years after his death, his fellow actors began putting together an authorized edition of his complete
Comedies, Histories and Tragedies
. It appeared in 1623, in large “Folio” format. This collection of thirty-six plays gave Shakespeare his immortality. In the words of his fellow dramatist Ben Jonson, who contributed two poems of praise at the start of the Folio, the body of his work made him “a monument without a tomb”:
And art alive still while thy book doth live
And we have wits to read and praise to give…
He was not of an age, but for all time!
A CHRONOLOGY
| 1589–91 | ? Arden of Faversham (possible part authorship) |
| 1589–92 | The Taming of the Shrew |
| 1589–92 | ? Edward the Third (possible part authorship) |
| 1591 | The Second Part of Henry the Sixth , originally called The First Part of the Contention betwixt the Two Famous Houses of York and Lancaster (element of co-authorship possible) |
| 1591 | The Third Part of Henry the Sixth , originally called The True Tragedy of Richard Duke of York (element of co-authorship probable) |
| 1591–92 | The Two Gentlemen of Verona |
| 1591–92; perhaps revised 1594 | The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus (probably co-written with, or revising an earlier version by, George Peele) |
| 1592 | The First Part of Henry the Sixth , probably with Thomas Nashe and others |
| 1592/94 | King Richard the Third |
| 1593 | Venus and Adonis (poem) |
| 1593–94 | The Rape of Lucrece (poem) |
| 1593–1608 | Sonnets (154 poems, published 1609 with A Lover’s Complaint , a poem of disputed authorship) |
| 1592–94/1600–03 | Sir Thomas More (a single scene for a play originally by Anthony Munday, with other revisions by Henry Chettle, Thomas Dekker, and Thomas Heywood) |
| 1594 | The Comedy of Errors |
| 1595 | Love’s Labour’s Lost |
| 1595–97 | Love’s Labour’s Won (a lost play, unless the original title for another comedy) |
| 1595–96 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream |
| 1595–96 | The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet |
| 1595–96 | King Richard the Second |
| 1595–97 | The Life and Death of King John (possibly earlier) |
| 1596–97 | The Merchant of Venice |
| 1596–97 | The First Part of Henry the Fourth |
| 1597–98 | The Second Part of Henry the Fourth |
| 1598 | Much Ado About Nothing |
| 1598–99 | The Passionate Pilgrim (20 poems, some not by Shake-speare) |
| 1599 | The Life of Henry the Fifth |
| 1599 | “To the Queen” (epilogue for a court performance) |
| 1599 | As You Like It |
| 1599 | The Tragedy of Julius Caesar |
| 1600–01 | The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (perhaps revising an earlier version) |
| 1600–01 | The Merry Wives of Windsor (perhaps revising version of 1597–99) |
| 1601 | “Let the Bird of Loudest Lay” (poem, known since 1807 as “The Phoenix and Turtle” [turtledove]) |
| 1601 | Twelfth Night, or What You Will |
| 1601–02 | The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida |
| 1604 | The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice |
| 1604 | Measure for Measure |
| 1605 | All’s Well That Ends Well |
| 1605 | The Life of Timon of Athens , with Thomas Middleton |
| 1605–06 | The Tragedy of King Lear |
| 1605–08 | ? contribution to The Four Plays in One (lost, except for A Yorkshire Tragedy , mostly by Thomas Middleton) |
| 1606 | The Tragedy of Macbeth (surviving text has additional scenes by Thomas Middleton) |
| 1606–07 | The Tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra |
| 1608 | The Tragedy of Coriolanus |
| 1608 | Pericles, Prince of Tyre , with George Wilkins |
| 1610 | The Tragedy of Cymbeline |
| 1611 | The Winter’s Tale |
| 1611 | The Tempest |
| 1612–13 | Cardenio , with John Fletcher (survives only in later adaptation called Double Falsehood by Lewis Theobald) |
| 1613 | Henry VIII (All Is True) , with John Fletcher |
| 1613–14 | The Two Noble Kinsmen , with John Fletcher |
A CHRONOLOGY
AND VIEWING
CRITICAL APPROACHES
Adelman, Janet,
Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal Origin in Shakespeare
’s
Plays, Hamlet to The Tempest
(1992). Strong psychoanalytical reading.
Bayley, John,
Shakespeare and Tragedy
(1981). Subtle reading.
Booth, Stephen,
King Lear, Macbeth, Indefinition and Tragedy
(1983). Not for beginners, but very penetrating.
Bradley, A. C.,
Shakespearean Tragedy
(1904). Classic interpretation that is still valuable.
Calderwood, James L.,
If It Were Done: Macbeth and Tragic Action
(1986). Good on tragedy as performance.
Norbrook, David, “
Macbeth
and the Politics of Historiography,” in
Politics of Discourse: The Literature and History of Seventeenth-Century England
, ed. Kevin Sharpe and Steven N. Zwicker (1987), pp. 78–116. Important historical contextualization.
O’Toole, Fintan,
Shakespeare Is Hard, but So Is Life: A Radical Guide to Shakespearian Tragedy
(2002, originally published in 1990 with the title
No More Heroes
). Ideal for beginners, especially in exposing the uselessness of the idea of “the tragic flaw.”
Wills, Garry,
Witches and Jesuits: Shakespeare’s Macbeth
(1995). Detailed reading in the light of the Gunpowder Plot.
Bartholomeusz, Dennis,
Macbeth and the Players
(1969). Exemplary stage history, with much critical insight.
Brooke, Michael, “
Macbeth
on Screen,” www.screenonline.org.uk/ tv/id/566363/. Excellent brief overview of very wide range of film and television versions.
Brown, John Russell,
Focus on Macbeth
(1982). Fine blend of criticism and dramaturgy.
Granville-Barker, Harley,
Prefaces to Shakespeare: Macbeth
(1930, repr. 1993). Enduring insights from a great man of the theater.
Kliman, Bernice,
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Performance (1992). The best of the guides to the play via modern performances.
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, ed. John Wilders (2004). Overview of modern productions.
Players of Shakespeare 4: Further Essays in Shakespearian Performance by Players with the Royal Shakespeare Company
, ed. Robert Smallwood (1998). Includes Derek Jacobi on playing Macbeth.
Rosenberg, Marvin,
The Masks of Macbeth
(1978). Much fascinating detail on actors’ interpretations down the ages.
Rutter, Carol Chillington,
Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare
’s
Women Today
(1988). Includes Sinead Cusack on playing Lady Macbeth.
Williams, Gordon,
Macbeth
, Text and Performance (1985). Useful guide.
For a more detailed Shakespeare bibliography and selections from a wide range of critical accounts of the play, with linking commentary, visit the edition website, www.rscshakespeare.co.uk.
Kumonosu jô
, variously known in English as
Throne of Blood
and
The Castle of the Spider
’s
Web
(1957, DVD 2001), directed by Akira Kurosawa. Superlative translation to Samurai Japan.
Macbeth
, directed by Roman Polanski (1971, DVD 2002). With Jon Finch and Francesca Annis. Bloody and controversial, but has stood the test of time well.
Macbeth
, directed by Trevor Nunn (1978, DVD 2004). Film of Nunn’s RSC production with Ian McKellen and Judi Dench: though unable to reproduce the intensity of live theater, especially in a case such as this, it does give continuing life to a masterly production.
Macbeth
, directed by Jack Gold (1983, DVD 2004). Low-key production in the BBC television Complete Shakespeare series, but with a
thoughtful performance from Nicol Williamson as Macbeth and Jane Lapotaire strong as Lady Macbeth.
Macbeth
, directed by Gregory Doran (Channel 4 television 2001, DVD 2003). Film of Doran’s RSC production with Antony Sher and Harriet Walter: though unable to reproduce the intensity of live theater, especially in a case such as this, it does give continuing life to an immensely powerful production.
Orson Welles
’
Macbeth
, directed by Orson Welles (1948, DVD 2003). Facinating version by one of cinema’s greats.
Shakespeare Retold: Macbeth
(BBC television and DVD, 2005), directed by Mark Brozel. Ingenious updating to the kitchen of a celebrity chef, with excellent performances by James McAvoy and Keeley Hawes. Plot and themes, but not language, of the original.
Verdi
’s
Macbeth
, conducted by James Levine (DVD 2008). New York Metropolitan Opera production.
1
. Francis Gentleman, “Macbeth,” in his
The Dramatic Censor: or, Critical Companion
(1770, repr. 1975), pp. 79–113.
2
.
The Universal Museum
, review of 9 January 1762, in
Shakespeare: The Critical Heritage
Vol. 4, 1753–1765, ed. Brian Vickers (1976), pp. 460–62.
3
. Thomas Campbell,
Life of Mrs Siddons
(1834), pp. 10–11.
4
. Roger Manvell,
Sarah Siddons: Portrait of an Actress
(1970), p. 119.
5
. Manvell,
Sarah Siddons
, p. 122.
6
. Fanny Kemble,
Journal
, 18 February 1833.
7
.
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, ed. John Wilders (2004), p. 27.
8
.
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, p. 27.
9
. William Hazlitt, “Mr Kean’s Macbeth” in his
Collected Works
(1903), vol. 8, pp. 204–7.
10
. Review of
Macbeth
in
The Athenaeum
, 1 June 1844.
11
. Review in
The Times
(London), 28 September 1847.
12
. Review of
Macbeth
in the
Illustrated London News
, 23 March 1850.
13
. George Henry Lewes,
Dramatic Essays
(1896), p. 238.
14
. See
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, p. 42.
15
.
Macbeth: New Variorum Edition of Shakespeare
, ed. H. H. Furness (1873, repr. 1963), p. 470.
16
.
The Athenaeum
, 5 January 1889.
17
. Quoted in Sandra Richards, “Lady Macbeth in Performance,”
The English Review
, 1 (1990), pp. 2–5.
18
.
The Athenaeum
, 5 January 1889.
19
.
Academy
, 15 April 1876, quoted in
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, p. 47.
20
.
The Times
(London), 5 July 1884.
21
.
The Times
(London), 5 July 1884.
22
. Review in
Blackwood
’s
Edinburgh Magazine
, September 1911.
23
. J. L. Styan,
The Shakespeare Revolution: Criticism and Performance in the Twentieth Century
(1977), p. 150.
24
. Michael Mullin,
Macbeth Onstage: An Annotated Facsimile of Glen Byam Shaw
’s
1955 Prompt-book
(1976), p. 184.
25
. Mullin,
Macbeth Onstage
, p. 185.
26
.
James Agate, “Macbeth” in his
Brief Chronicles: A Survey of the Plays of Shakespeare and the Elizabethans in Actual Performance
(1943, repr. 1971), pp. 225–28.
27
. Audrey Williamson, “Shakespeare and the Elizabethans,” in her
Theatre of Two Decades
(1951), pp. 264–89.
28
. J. C. Trewin,
Observer
, 15 June 1952.
29
. Joseph Thorp,
Punch
, 10 May 1933.
30
.
The Times
(London), 8 June 1955.
31
. Irena R. Makaryk, “Shakespeare Right and Wrong,”
Theatre Journal
, 50 (1998), pp. 153–63.
32
. Stanley Wells,
Shakespeare: A Dramatic Life
(1994), p. 213.
33
.
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, p. 133.
34
. Gareth Lloyd Evans, “Macbeth: 1946–80 at Stratford-upon-Avon,” in
Focus on Macbeth
, ed. John Russell Brown (1982), p. 76.
35
. Stephen Wall,
Times Literary Supplement
, 16 April 1982.
36
. Roger Warren,
Shakespeare Quarterly
, 34 (1983).
37
. Wall,
Times Literary Supplement
, 16 April 1982.
38
. Warren,
Shakespeare Quarterly
, 34 (1983).
39
. Suzanne Harris, “Macbeth,” in
Shakespeare in Performance
, ed. Keith Parsons and Pamela Mason (1995).
40
.
Macbeth
, Shakespeare in Production, p. 133.
41
. Jonathan Pryce in interview with Matt Wolf,
City Limits
, 1–13 November 1986.
42
. Sinead Cusack, “Lady Macbeth’s Barren Sceptre,” in Carol Rutter,
Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare’s Women Today
(1988).
43
. Michael Billington,
Guardian
, 13 November 1986.
44
. Irving Wardle,
The Times
(London), 12 November 1986.
45
.
Macbeth
, RSC Education Pack, 1993.
46
.
Macbeth
, RSC Education Pack, 1993.
47
. Charles Spencer,
Daily Telegraph
, 17 November 1999.
48
. Susannah Clapp,
Observer
, 21 November 1999.
49
. Fergal Keane, “Where violent sorrow seems a modern ecstasy,” RSC program,
Macbeth
, 1999.
50
. Gordon Williams,
Macbeth
, Text and Performance (1985), p. 77.
51
. Quoted, Joanna Bourke, “Shell Shock during World War One,”
www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/shellshock_03.shtml
.
52
. Jonathan Pryce in interview with Lesley Thornton,
Observer
, 9 November 1986.
53
. Wardle,
The Times
, 12 November 1986.
54
. Eric Shorter,
Daily Telegraph
, 13 November 1986.
55. Cusack, “Lady Macbeth’s Barren Sceptre.”
56
. Billington,
Guardian
, 13 November 1986.
57
. Wardle,
The Times
, 12 November 1986.
58
. Cusack, “Lady Macbeth’s Barren Sceptre.”
59
. Interview with Peter Lewis,
The Times
(London), 16 December 1993.
60
. Derek Jacobi, “Macbeth,” in
Players of Shakespeare
4, ed. Robert Smallwood (1998).
61
. Irving Wardle,
Independent on Sunday
, 19 December 1993.
62
. Jacobi, “Macbeth.”
63
. Jacobi, “Macbeth.”
64
. Jacobi, “Macbeth.”
65
. Williams,
Macbeth:
Text and Performance (1985), p. 119.
66
. Michael Billington,
Guardian
, 18 December 1993.
67
. Cusack, “Lady Macbeth’s Barren Sceptre.”
68
. Cusack, “Lady Macbeth’s Barren Sceptre.”
69
. Paul Taylor,
Independent
, 18 December 1993.
70
. John Gross,
Sunday Telegraph
, 21 November 1999.
71
. Paul Taylor,
Independent
, 18 November 1999.
72
. Michael Billington,
Guardian
, 17 November 1999.