From the Royal Shakespeare Company - a modern, definitive edition of Shakespeare's great drama of ambition, desire and guilt. With an expert introduction by Sir Jonathan Bate, this unique edition presents a historical overview of Macbeth in performance, takes a detailed look at specific productions, and recommends film versions. Included in this edition are three interviews with leading directors - Rupert Goold, Gregory Doran and Trevor Nunn - providing an illuminating insight into the extraordinary variety of interpretations that are possible. This edition also includes an essay on Shakespeare's career and Elizabethan theatre, and enables the reader to understand the play as it was originally intended - as living theatre to be enjoyed and performed. Ideal for students, theatre-goers, actors and general readers, the RSC Shakespeare editions offer a fresh, accessible and contemporary approach to reading and rediscovering Shakespeare's works for the twenty-first century.

The first edition of Macbeth developed by and for the RSC, with unique material including a new introduction from Jonathan Bate and interviews with important RSC directors

IntroductionAbout the TextKey FactsThe Tragedy of MacbethTextual NotesScene-by-scene AnalysisMacbeth in Performance: The RSC and BeyondFour Centuries of Macbeth: An OverviewAt the RSCThe Director's Cut: interviews with Rupert Goold, Gregory Doran and Trevor NunnShakespeare's Career in the TheatreShakespeare's Works: A ChronologyFurther Reading and ViewingAcknowledgements and Picture Credits