The Tragedy of Macbeth
Author: Shakespeare
I first read this play in high school, which was sheer torture. Then suffered through it again in a Shakespeare class taught by the most boring, horrid professor I ever had. His class consisted of him reading the works of Shakespeare out loud to us in a droning monotone, then giving ridiculous multiple choice quizzes as tests. I came to loathe Shakespeare after an entire semester of Prof Monotone.
But, The Scottish Play contains some very memorable scenes and quotes -- quotes I use, despite my lack of enjoyment in previous endeavors regarding Shakespeare. When I saw this audiobook available for review, I decided to clean the slate and give William's works another go. It fits in with my quest to read whatever strikes my fancy and to revisit things I read earlier in life to see if my opinion in my 50's remains the same.
When it comes to literature, I always go all in. I grabbed up an annotated ebook edition of the play, found a film version online to stream, and queued up the audio book. I read a scene and its annotations on my kindle, then listened to the scene, and finally watched actors perform it. And....
I have changed my mind. I do not hate Shakespeare....merely the way in which his plays were presented to me in a school setting.
This play is wonderful! Heroic Macbeth descends into unchecked ambition, evil and madness. Human nature run amok....all started by 3 witches telling him what his future holds. But....he doesn't listen to all they say....just the part where he will be king. #mistake.
The audiobook (by DreamScape Media) is just short of 2.5 hours long. It's full cast and has some great narrators, including Scott Brick (one of my favorites!). It's definitely high quality audio and very entertaining. All of the narrators are top notch!
I'm glad I decided to give this play another go....my opinion is completely changed. I think I will re-visit Hamlet next....then Othello! Great stories that I never really gave a fighting chance due to circumstances that had nothing to do with the plays themselves.
The video performance I watched stars Judi Dench and Ian McClellan -- it is most excellent!
**I listened to a review copy of this audio book from DreamScape Media. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. No kings were stabbed during the writing of this review. Advice: Do not listen to prophesies spoken by weird old hags....it can have lasting consequences.**
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