Customer Reviews

Macbeth (Signet Classics)

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A search for the wonderful Signet edition of Shakespeare's works turns up a "Kindle edition".

It is not the Signet class with its criticism and notes. In fact, the lines are not numbered. Difficulty to use for teaching. Not what I think I was led to believe it was -- a Signet classic.

After four centuries of well-deserved adulation, "Macbeth" hardly requires further praise. It seems worthwhile, however, to single out the play as a particularly good introduction to Shakespeare. It is tightly constructed, brilliantly written, and relatively short. The memorable plot (drawn from Holinshed's Chronicles) has cast long shadows. The snowballing murders and eerily-fulfilled prophecies have become literary icons, yet have lost none of their power in their original form.

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's more gloomy plays. It is downright grim. It starts grim and only gets blacker... ...It is one of Shakespeare's better plays

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's more ambiguous main characters. Motivation is always a big question with him. Sure, he is hungry for power. Yet he also needs prodding from several quarters to take most of his actions.

Lady Macbeth is really no different. She comes off as eager for evil early on, but is utterly shocked by its repercussions. Her attempt to go against nature leaves her absolutely unhinged and thirsting after guidance--only to find despair. In this regard, Shakespeare anticipates the psychology of Dostoevsky.

Macbeth is also one of Shakespeare's most supernatural plays. Regardless of whether one wants to debate the reality of Banquo's ghost, there are forces at work in Macbeth that are often unseen, but which drive the plot. The witches and all the unnaturalness come up against the forces of nature (the trees) and the divinely appointed King.

The most remarkable thing about this play is, for me at least, that it becomes a true tragedy only in its last moments. Only when all the stuff has hit the fan, and he has realized his doom is eminent, does Macbeth show the courage and nobility of a true tragic hero.

Macbeth is a great place to start if you are new to Shakespeare. It is a fun place to return if you're not.

Great price of book and in good shape. This is for my son for school.

Thank you

Though Macbeth does have some very quotable lines--such as the Three Witches' infamous "Double, double, toil and trouble; / Fire burn and cauldron bubble"--it made for a confusing and rather unsatisfying read. I would only recommend this to the Shakespeare fans who want to grasp the full range of the bard's oeuvre.

The entire play seemed very disjointed, like there was a scene or even an act missing. This is one of Shakespeare's shortest plays, and it was published after his death, so it stands to reason that perhaps it was unfinished.

Macbeth and his wife aren't very convincing characters; at no point did I feel any sympathy for them, and their motivations seem predictable and flimsy. Both change throughout the play, but neither for the better.

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