Macbeth
“A Strange Perfection”: Staging Bedlam in our Restoration Macbeth
Dramaturgical intern Sarah Lind previously introduced us to the historical Bedlam asylum, the setting for Folger’s current production of Macbeth. Today, she looks more closely at how the production uses Bedlam to explore this Restoration version of Shakespeare’s bloody tragedy, and…
Playlist: A Guide to the Music in Folger's Restoration Macbeth
Musical Director Robert Eisenstein provides insights on the music performed in Folger’s current production of Macbeth.
Bedlam and the “Theatre of Madness”
Dramaturgical intern Sarah Lind takes us on a tour of Bedlam’s history in anticipation of Macbeth’s first preview on September 4th.
Quiz: Shakespeare's Macbeth? Or William Davenant's 17th-century adaptation?
Take this quiz to see if you can identify lines from Shakespeare’s Macbeth or the Restoration-era version as adapted and amended by Sir William Davenant.
Leading ladies, missing characters, and singing witches: Three differences between Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' and William Davenant's adaptation
Adapted by William Davenant and first performed in 1664, the version of the Scottish play taking to the Folger stage in September was the most popular one well into the 18th century despite—or perhaps because of—the numerous departures from Shakespeare’s original…
Play on! Q&A: Migdalia Cruz on translating 'Macbeth'
From her work translating ‘Macbeth’ for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Play on! project, Migdalia Cruz shares reflections about ambitions, loyalty, the witches, and the porter scene.
Stephen Greenblatt on Shakespeare's Tyrants
Stephen Greenblatt’s new book Tyrant explores tyranny in Shakespeare’s plays. On this podcast episode, he discusses characters like Richard III and Macbeth; how societies allow tyranny to pop up; and how and why Shakespeare used its depiction in his work to stir the audiences of his time.
How Restoration playwrights reshaped Shakespeare’s plays to fit changing political norms and theatrical tastes
Restoration Shakespeare was a complex theatrical experience that integrated song, music, dance, and acting; indeed, music and dance, alongside stage machines and movable scenes, were central to the success of Restoration theatre more generally.
Proof print from the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery
As a couple of you guessed correctly last week, the June Crocodile Mystery is a proof for the Boydell Shakespeare Gallery print of Lady Macbeth illustrating Macbeth, act 1, scene 5.See the Collation post “Proof prints, part one” for more on the meaning of “proof”…
The Astor Place Riot
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 96 May 10 is the anniversary of the Astor Place Riot: the night in 1849 when fans of American actor Edwin Forrest rioted inside and outside New York’s Astor Place Opera House during a performance of Macbeth…
Excerpt: 'Macbeth' by Jo Nesbø
Read an excerpt from ‘Macbeth’, Norwegian detective crime novelist Jo Nesbø’s retelling of Shakespeare’s play, from the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
Orson Welles and Shakespeare
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 89 There was a time when Orson Welles was one of America’s biggest celebrities. In 1938, he made national headlines when the radio show he produced did a version of The War of the Worlds that was…