MACBETH by
William Shakespeare - FULL AudioBook - Theatrical
Play Reading -
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in
Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the
Scottish lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide to become king and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war
. In the end, he loses everything that gives meaning and purpose to his life, before losing his life itself.
The play is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably
Shakespeare's play is April 1611, when
Simon Forman recorded seeing such a play at the
Globe Theatre. It was first published in the
Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book. It was most likely written during the reign of
James I, who had been
James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the
English throne in 1603.
James was a patron of Shakespeare's acting company, and of all the plays
Shakespeare wrote during James's reign, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with the sovereign.
Macbeth is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become
King of Scotland.
Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders
King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. The bloodbath swiftly takes Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth into the realms of arrogance, madness, and death.
Shakespeare's source for the tragedy is the account of
King Macbeth 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
.
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". Over the course of many centuries, the play has attracted some of the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, comic books, and other media.
The events in the play are very different from the history of the real
Macbeth, King of Scotland. (Summary adapted from wikipedia.org - Attribution:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index
.php?title=Macbeth&action;=history)
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Chapter listing and chapter length:
0 --
Dramatis Personae -- 00:03:05
1 -- Act 1 -- 00:28:34
2 -- Act 2 -- 00:21:13
3 -- Act 3 -- 00:27:36
4 -- Act 4 -- 00:28:17
5 -- Act 5 -- 00:22:52
Cast:
Duncan --
Joshua B. Christensen
Malcolm -- mb
Donalbain --
Ellis Christoff
Macbeth --
Mark F.
Smith
Banquo --
Simon Larois
Macduff --
John Lieder
Lennox --
Mirza
Ross -- Rosalind
Wills
Menteith, Son of Macduff, and
First Apparition --
David Lawrence
Angus,
Second Apparition, and
Third Murderer -- Annoying Twit
Caithness,
Lord,
Sergeant, and
Soldiers --
David Nicol
Fleance --
Aaron Elliott
Siward --
Brian Edwards
Young Siward, Gentlewoman --
Laurie Anne Walden
Seyton,
Old Man --
Paul Williams
Lady Macbeth --
Elizabeth Klett
Lady Macduff -- LC
Hecate --
Ruth Golding
First
Witch --
Jennifer Stearns
Second Witch --
Kristin Hughes
Third Witch --
Charlene V. Smith
Doctor --
Eric M. Johnson
Servant and Attendant --
Anna Simon
Porter --
David Leeson
Third Apparition -- Fionn Jameson
First Murderer -- hefyd
Second Murderer --
Anna Roberts
Messenger -- Ezwa
Stage Directions --
J. M. Smallheer
Total running time: 2:11:37
Audio edited by J. M. Smallheer
This is a Librivox recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain.
For more info or to volunteer visit Libirvox.org.
- published: 19 Nov 2012
- views: 166676