Prepare for Macbeth
Here at ImprovEd Shakespeare, we firmly believe you should get to know the story before jumping into a Shakespeare play. Therefore, in honor of our spring production, we want to share some resources with you.
YouTube
If you like YouTube, then we have a playlist on our channel. While you are there, subscribe, and check out our original videos. In the meantime, for more information click Studies: Macbeth.
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Short written summaries
- No Fear Shakespeare – No Fear Macbeth – This website devotes itself to making the Bard of Avon less fearsome. Moreover, it has a useful modern translation alongside the original text. Although many Shakespeare academics barf at the modern paraphrasing, at the same time, however, that inflexibility makes some of us grin.
- Shmoop – Macbeth – Okay, some families will find this site agreeable, while others less so. In this case, Shmoop is very tongue-in-cheek. There are lots of subjective observations inserted into the summary. Additionally, a few “older” annotations also exist, for example, “PITA” and “WTF?” However, it’s entertaining for a quick overview of the story. And, yes, Shakespeare academics barf at this too.
- Royal Shakespeare Company Synopsis of Macbeth – Here, you will find a summary exploration into the main points of the play in their menu on the left.
- Absolute Shakespeare website – Macbeth
- Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb – So, this is an old as well as an old-fashioned book. In fact, the link above connects to one of those publishers who reproduced the out-of-print classics. We’re a bit annoyed because this particular publisher omits Mary Lamb’s name from the cover. To put it another way, it’s totally lame! Anyway, the book contains longer synopses of multiple plays, but with antiquated phrasing. Therefore, some Kids enjoy it whereas others don’t. You might be able to find one of the older versions used. Or, you can read it online for free. Click on the link above to view it. – Hamlet
- Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare Tempest by E. Nesbit – Another old-fashioned distribution, plus the printing situation is similar to the Lamb’s book described previously. Nesbit’s version is slightly more modernized than the Lamb version. And, it’s online for free too. Macbeth
- Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield – Although out-of-print, you can, however, find a used copy on Amazon or even at your local library.
- Tales From Shakespeare by Tina Packer – Another out-of-print presswork, but you can also find a used edition on Amazon, and again, at your local library.
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Alternative Versions
- Macbeth (No Fear Shakespeare Graphic Novels) by author SparkNotes, and illustrator Ken Hoshine. – A graphic novel version published by No Fear Shakespeare.
- Macbeth (Shakespeare Classics Graphic Novels) by author and Illustrator Gareth Hinds
- Macbeth #killingit (OMG Shakespeare) by Courtney Carbone – This is Hamlet diluted to 140 characters or less. YOLO, right?
- Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth by adapter Richard Appignanesi and Robert Deas, illustrator
- Brick Shakespeare: The Tragedies-Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar by authors John McCann, Monica Sweeney, and Becky Thomas – Shakespeare as told through LEGO bricks!
- Stick Figure Macbeth Comic by Mya L. Gosling on GoodTickleBrain.com – In fact, visit the entire Macbeth section on GoodTickleBrain. It’s well worth it!
- Macbeth: A Prose Translation (The Shakespeare Novels series) by Paul Illidge. – Here, Illidge created a line-by-line prose translation of the entire play.
- Tales from Shakespeare by Marcia Williams, author, and illustrator.
- Macbeth: For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun!) by Lois Burdett – Especially for the younger crowd, it contains illustrations by Kids and “modernized” into rhyming couples with quotes from the play peppered throughout.
Background
Springboard Shakespeare: Macbeth (Before, During, After) by Ben Crystal
Entire Play
- MIT has all of Shakespeare’s works available for free online – Macbeth.
- Or, visit your local library! As to the editions or publishers? It’s up to you, but:
- No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth – As we said above, we like No Fear for younger readers. Some people hate it because they feel the paraphrasing is inadequate. But, we think it’s highly readable if you quickly want the gist of the story.
- Arden Shakespeare: Third Series – Macbeth – Many actors like the footnotes found in the Arden editions.
- Folger Library Shakespeare – Macbeth Quite a few readers enjoy the annotation plus layout of the Folger editions. Additionally, many high schools use this edition.
- Simply Shakespeare – Macbeth – Similar to No Fear, this is a modern translation including the side-by-side with the original verse.
- Shakespeare Made Easy – Macbeth – Also included in this version, is a modern translation side-by-side with the original verse.
Film Versions
- Macbeth (1948) – Orson Welles’ version. Try your local library.
- Macbeth (1971) – Roman Polanski’s version.
- Macbeth (1978) – with Ian McKellan and Dame Judi Dench.
- Throne of Blood (1956) – Macbeth set in feudal Japan.
- Macbeth (2015) – Starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard – (R). Please see Common Sense Media’s review before sharing this with younger children.
- Macbeth (2010) – A BBC television version of Rupert Goold’s production starring Sir Patrick Stewart.
- Macbeth (2011) – Digital Theatre has a film version of Gemma Bodinetz’s, Liverpool Everyman production. It stars David Morrissey and available for rent or purchase.
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Conclusion
Finally, a short note about modern translations. Although serious Shakespeare academics and scholars feel that starting kids off with these versions is abhorrent, we disagree. At ImprovEd Shakespeare, we appreciate those fresh interpretations. In fact, we view them as a jumping off point. For example, sometimes you come across a phrase that just doesn’t make sense. Without being immersed in Shakespeare’s language, it can be hard to understand. A current rendering helps a-plenty. In other words, it helps you to appreciate the beauty of Shakespeare’s words.
In any case, there’s no one right way to approach Shakespeare. Indeed, the trick is to find what works for you.
We hope these resources are helpful to get you started on your journey with this play!
PERFORMANCES
Each fall and spring, ImprovEd Shakespeare develops a new production for live performance. In honor of the traditional Renaissance traveling troupe, during a period of a few weeks, we present Kid-friendly plays at various venues around town. Our Players, between 3rd-11th grade, gear themselves with playful, as well as engaging interpretations of works by the Bard of Avon. Suitable for all ages, each performance runs for about an hour.
Furthermore, these shows are always FREE. However, we gladly accept Donations! Additionally, visit ImprovEd Shakespeare, Shakespeare for Kids by Kids on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter. And don’t forget to click on our BLOG for the stories behind these videos.
