Episode 60 - Macbeth

Macbeth may be Shakespeare's second most famous play after Hamlet, and for good measure. The speeches and quotes have been seared into English-speaking culture, the phrase "Lady Macbeth" denotes all sorts of things (depending on your point of view), and it may be our most durable parable for the dangers of too much ambition. It's also one of Shakespeare's shortest plays (and the shortest tragedy), with numerous well-received film adaptations over the years to help keep it in the public consciousness.

We were lucky enough to be joined by returning fellow Shakespeare nerd (and David Lynch fan) Brittany, who brought a much needed third perspective on some of the key themes and character discussions of this play: is Lady Macbeth to be understood as a woman, or a unsexed would-be male competing in a man's world? Are the central pair a good couple? And a return to our old question: what does this play have to tell us about what makes a good king? We talk about all that and more in this episode!

Notes:

We discussed a number of film adaptations, including:

• The 2015 Justin Kurzel and Michael Fassbender version
• The 1971 Roman Polanski and Jon Finch version
• The 1957 Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune adaptation "Throne of Blood"

Ancient Bickering:

Just like your high school English class discussion on this play, we were looking at the timeless question of: "Did Macbeth choose to commit his acts of heinous violence, or was it destiny as foretold by the witches?"