Skip to main content
Folger Teaching Homepage

Macbeth

Explore resources related to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Overview

In 1603, James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne, becoming James I of England. London was alive with an interest in all things Scottish, and Shakespeare turned to Scottish history for material. He found a spectacle of violence and stories of traitors advised by witches and wizards, echoing James’s belief in a connection between treason and witchcraft.

In depicting a man who murders to become king, Macbeth teases us with huge questions. Is Macbeth tempted by fate, or by his or his wife’s ambition? Why does their success turn to ashes?

Like other plays, Macbeth speaks to each generation. Its story was once seen as that of a hero who commits an evil act and pays an enormous price. Recently, it has been applied to nations that overreach themselves and to modern alienation. The line is blurred between Macbeth’s evil and his opponents’ good, and there are new attitudes toward both witchcraft and gender.

Most Popular Resources

Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient

Teaching Resource

Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient

Two Juicy, Interactive Lessons for Your Next Class!

Teaching Resource

Two Juicy, Interactive Lessons for Your Next Class!

Macbeth Without Ambition with Dr. Adam Zucker

Teaching Resource

Macbeth Without Ambition with Dr. Adam Zucker

Free resource

Reading Macbeth 1.3 with Art

Teaching Resource

Reading Macbeth 1.3 with Art

Comparing Shakespeare to His Source, Holinshed: The Witches in Macbeth 3.1

Teaching Resource

Comparing Shakespeare to His Source, Holinshed: The Witches in Macbeth 3.1

Free resource

Choral Reading: Rena from August Wilson’s Jitney and Lady Macbeth from Macbeth

Teaching Resource

Choral Reading: Rena from August Wilson’s Jitney and Lady Macbeth from Macbeth

Macbeth in the First Folio: Sisters or Witches?

Teaching Resource

Macbeth in the First Folio: Sisters or Witches?

Students get up close with the 1623 First Folio to solve a textual mystery about the witches in Macbeth.

Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient

Teaching Resource

Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient

Two Juicy, Interactive Lessons for Your Next Class!

Teaching Resource

Two Juicy, Interactive Lessons for Your Next Class!

Macbeth Without Ambition with Dr. Adam Zucker

Teaching Resource

Macbeth Without Ambition with Dr. Adam Zucker

Free resource

Folger Community Conversation: Teaching Literature During COVID-19

Teaching Resource

Folger Community Conversation: Teaching Literature During COVID-19