Part of: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare) Macbeth

Shakespeare’s Macbeth explores questions of fate, free will, and tyranny. This edition comes from the 1916 Oxford University Press edition of all of Shakespeare’s plays and poems.

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Citation

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (The Oxford Shakespeare), ed. with a glossary by W.J. Craig M.A. (Oxford University Press, 1916).

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Christopher Marlowe (Author)

Marlowe and Shakespeare were the top two poets and playwrights of their day. They referenced one another’s work and competed with and inspired each other.
Geoffrey Chaucer (Author)

The greatest English writer before Shakespeare, Chaucer pioneered the use of English, rather than French or Latin, for serious literary works. He also brought all classes of society onto the page together, particularly in his masterwork, The Canterbury Tales.

Alexander Pope (Author)

A great poet in his own right, Pope also edited Shakespeare’s work, regularizing and “smoothing” it to accord with 18th century aesthetic judgements.
John Dryden (Author)

One of the great English poets and playwrights who followed Shakespeare, Dryden is similarly interested in portraying the importance of English history for English audiences. Dryden was also deeply interested in establishing the theater as a legitimate art form rather than just a popular entertainment.

Critical Responses

The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys attended a performance of Macbeth in 1666 and found it a “Most excellent play in all respects.”

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Connected Readings

Website

The Holinshed Chronicles

One of the most frequent sources for Shakespeare’s plays is the Holinshed’s Chronicles, a collaborative history of England. The source material for Macbeth comes from later in this description of the reign of Edward the Confessor, during the thirtieth year of his reign.

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Journal Article

Invisible Shakespeare: Shakespeare in Adam Smith

Sarah Skwire

Macbeth may be one of the sources for Adam Smith’s conception of the invisible hand.

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Audio

The Foger Shakespeare

Listen to some selections from a performance of Macbeth at the Folger Shakespeare Library.

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