“Fair is foul, foul is fair, through the fog and filthy air”

Macbeth is the brave and respected Thane of Glamis, and as he returns from battle with the Irish, he stumbles upon 3 witches who give him a prophecy. They tell him he has been made Thane of Cawdor and that he will become King. He believes the prophecy to be true as after he leaves the witches he is told that he has indeed become Thane of Cawdor. He tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, of this prophecy and she ruthlessly pushes him to murder the King so he can assume the throne because thats what the prophecy must mean. That night he kills the king in his sleep and the next day assumes the throne. This leads him and Lady Macbeth down a spiral of tyranny, paranoia, murder, and madness. Will anyone be able to stop his reign of terror?

Shakespere’s Macbeth is a shocking tragedy of murder and betryal. Although it is difficult to read it is his shortest play and you should definitely attempt to read it. It is full of cautionary lessons for those seeking power for their own sake and ideas about loyalty, guilt, innocence and fate.