Macbeth Study Guide - Folger Shakespeare Library

Macbeth
Folger Theatre
Co-Conceived & Co-Directed
by Teller and Aaron Posner
Magic Designed by Teller
February 28-April 13, 2008

Synopsis
Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, has just
bravely defeated a rebel faction led
by the Thane of Cawdor. Receiving
news of Macbeth’s heroic feats
from a wounded soldier, Duncan,
King of Scotland, immediately
sentences the Thane of Cawdor to
death and confers that title upon Macbeth. Unaware
of the King’s actions, Macbeth and his fellow soldier,
Banquo, withdrawing from the battlefield, encounter
three weird sisters. The mysterious creatures predict
that Macbeth will become both Thane of Cawdor and
King of Scotland and that Banquo’s children will be
kings. Before Macbeth and Banquo can question the
sisters further, they vanish. Scottish lords then arrive
to inform Macbeth of his new title, thus confirming the
weird sisters’ prophecy. Soon after, Duncan proclaims
his son, Malcolm, heir to the throne of Scotland and
announces his intention to visit Macbeth’s castle at
Inverness. Macbeth sends word to his wife about his
new title and his encounter with the weird sisters.
At Inverness castle, Lady Macbeth reads a
letter from Macbeth describing how the weird sisters
predicted his new title. She calls upon spirits to
empower her and ensure that Macbeth ascends the
throne -- at any cost. The news that King Duncan
plans to stay the night at their castle strengthens her
resolve to murder him and clear the way for Macbeth
to become King. Macbeth seems to agree to her plan
initially, but as the evening progresses, he seems
more reluctant to proceed with the murder. Sensing
his hesitation, Lady Macbeth deliberately questions
her husband’s manhood and courage, and in doing
so convinces Macbeth to go through with the bloody
deed. She explains to him the strategy she has devised
to frame the King’s guards for the murder.
Macduff, Thane of Fife, arrives at Inverness
early the next morning to wake King Duncan. After
being let in by a drunken Porter, Macduff discovers
the body of the murdered King. In the ensuing
chaos, the King’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain flee.
Suspicion falls upon them for the murder. Macbeth is
therefore the successor to the throne. Once he is king,
Macbeth becomes obsessed with the prophecy that
Banquo’s children will succeed him, so he dispatches
murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. The
father and son are ambushed and Banquo is killed,
but Fleance manages to escape unharmed. That
night, Macbeth holds a banquet, and during the feast
the ghost of Banquo appears before the new King
Macbeth. This disturbing vision forces Macbeth to act
strangely in front of his guests, and so Lady Macbeth
urges them to leave quickly.
Desperate for more knowledge of the future,
Macbeth seeks out the weird sisters again. They
summon three spirits. The first tells Macbeth to
beware of Macduff. The second assures him that
“none of woman born” can harm him, and the third
predicts that Macbeth will never be defeated until
Birnam Wood comes to his castle at Dunsinane. The
weird sisters then show Macbeth a line of eight kings,
descended from Banquo, who will succeed him.
Realizing that Macbeth’s rule has become
a reign of terror, Macduff flees to England to raise
an army against him. Learning of this, Macbeth
sends murderers to Macduff’s castle to slay his wife,
children and all members of his household. Tortured
with guilt, Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, reliving the
night of Duncan’s murder and revealing the foul deed
to a doctor and gentlewoman.
Accompanied by Macduff and an army from
England, Duncan’s son, Malcolm, returns to win back
his father’s kingdom. The soldiers break off branches
from trees in Birnam Wood to use as camouflage as
they march towards Dunsinane. Macbeth learns from
a servant that his wife is dead. A messenger tells him
that many of his followers are deserting him and that
“the wood began to move.” Confident that he cannot
be harmed by anyone born of woman, Macbeth arms
himself and confronts
the approaching army.
Macduff reveals that
he was not born,
but “untimeyly
ripped” from his
mother’s womb. He
kills Macbeth and
pronounces Malcolm
as the new King of
Scotland.
The opening page of
Macbeth in the First Folio
edition of Shakespeare’s
plays, 1623.

Who's Who in
The Royal Family
Teller and Aaron
Posner’s adaptation
of Shakespeare’s
Macbeth
Malcolm
Duncan’s Eldest Son
Scott Kerns*
Duncan
King of Scotland
Dan Olmstead*
Donalbain
Duncan’s Second Son
Peter Vance
King Duncan's Army
Lady Macduff
Macduff’s Wife
Karen Peakes*
Macduff
A Thane
Cody Nickell*
Banquo
A Thane
Paul Morella*
Macbeth
Thane of Glamis
Ian Merrill Peakes*
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth’s Wife
Kate Eastwood Norris*
Young Macduff
Ben Cook
Fleance
Banquo’s Son
Benjamin Schiffbauer
Commanders
Soldiers
Ross
A Lord
Noel Velez*
Lennox
A Lord
Evander Duck, Jr.*
Caithness
A Lord
Andrew Zox
Mentieth
A Lord
Cleo House, Jr.
Sergeant
Jeremy Brown
The Weird Sisters
The English Army
Andrew Zox
Cleo House, Jr.
Eric Hissom*
Siward
English General
Dan Olmstead*
Young Siward
Siward’s Son
Jeremy Brown
In the Macbeth Castle
Angus
Macbeth’s Attendant
Joe Isenberg
Gentlewoman
Karen Peakes*
Doctor
Eric Hissom*
Seyton
Macbeth’s Page
Peter Vance
Servant
Paul Morella*
Murderer
Eric Hissom*
Murderer
Cleo House, Jr.
Porter
Eric Hissom*
Teller and Aaron Posner-Co-Conceivers & Co-Directors
Teller-Magic Design
Jeremy Skidmore-Assistant Director
Daniel Conway** -Scenic Designer
Thom Weaver**-Lighting Designer
Devon Painter**-Costume Designer
Kenny Wollesen-Composer
Karin Graybash-Sound Designer
Frank Ippolito-Mask/Effects Designer
Dale Anthony Girard-Fight Director
Matthew Holtzclaw-Magic Consultant
Kate Olden*-Production Stage Manager
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
** Member of United Scenic Artists.

Shakespeare's Macbeth
In 1603, at about the middle of Shakespeare’s career as a playwright, a new
monarch ascended the throne of England. He was James VI of Scotland, who then
also became James I of England. Immediately, Shakespeare’s London was alive
with an interest in things Scottish. Many Scots followed their king to London and
attended the theaters there. Shakespeare’s company, which became the King’s Men
under James’s patronage, now sometimes staged their plays for the new monarch’s
entertainment, just as they had for Queen Elizabeth before him. It was probably
within this context that Shakespeare turned to Raphael Holinshed’s history of
Scotland for material for a tragedy.
In Scottish history of the eleventh century, Shakespeare found a spectacle of
violence—the slaughter of whole armies and of innocent families, the assassination
of kings, the ambush of nobles by murderers, the brutal execution of rebels. He
also came upon stories of witches and wizards providing advice to traitors. Such
accounts could feed the new Scottish King James’s belief in a connection between
treason and witchcraft. James had already himself executed women as witches.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth supplied its audience with a sensational view of witches
and supernatural apparitions and equally sensational accounts of bloody battles in
which, for example, a rebel was “unseamed . . . from the nave [navel] to th’ chops
[jaws].”
It is possible, then, that in writing Macbeth Shakespeare was mainly intent
upon appealing to the new interests in London brought about by James’s kingship.
What he created, though, is a play that has fascinated generations of readers and
audiences that care little about Scottish history.
In its depiction of a man who murders his king and kinsman in order to
gain the crown, only to lose all that humans seem to need in order to be happy—
sleep, nourishment, friends, love—Macbeth teases us with huge questions. Why
do people do evil knowing that it is evil Does Macbeth represent someone who
murders because fate tempts him Because his wife pushes him into it Because
he is overly ambitious Having killed Duncan, why does Macbeth fall apart,
unable to sleep, seeing ghosts, putting spies in everyone’s home, killing his friends
and innocent women and children Why does the success of Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth—prophesied by the witches, promising the couple power and riches and
“peace to all their nights and days to come”—turn so quickly to ashes, destroying
the Macbeths’ relationship, their world, and, finally, both of them
In earlier centuries, Macbeth’s story was seen as a powerful study of a
heroic individual who commits an evil act and pays an enormous price as his
conscience—and the natural forces for good in the universe—destroy him. More
recently, his story has been applied to nations that overreach themselves, his
speeches of despair quoted to show that Shakespeare shared late-twentieth-century
feelings of alienation. Today, the line between Macbeth’s evil and the supposed
good of those who oppose him is being blurred, new attitudes about witches and
witchcraft are being expressed, new questions raised about the ways that maleness
and femaleness are portrayed in the play. As with so many of Shakespeare’s plays,
Macbeth speaks to each generation with a new voice.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in about 1606 or 1607. It was published in the
First Folio in 1623.
Adapted from the New Folger Library Shakespeare edition, edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul
Werstine. © 1992 Folger Shakespeare Library.
Top to bottom:
Sarah Siddons as Lady Macbeth.
Oil painting, ca.1790-
1810
Henry Fuseli. Macbeth consulting
the vision of the armed
head. Oil on canvas, 1793.
Richard Westall. Lady
Macbeth walking in her sleep.
Watercolor, 1797

Superstition & the Supernatural
Both within the story and throughout its performance history, Macbeth is
a play that evokes thoughts of superstition and the supernatural. At the time that
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, Scotland was caught up in a cultural phenomenon
of witch craze. King James I himself was avidly interested in witchcraft and was
thought to be the instigator of a witch hunt in 1590. Under his rule, many harsh
laws were passed against the practice of witchcraft. The time seemed right for
Shakespeare to write a play about witches, magic, and the power of evil.
Many people believe that evil transcends the story and that the play itself
is cursed; there is a fear that uttering its name in the theatre will bring about
bad luck. Thus, Macbeth is often referred to as ‘The Scottish Play,’ ‘MacB,’ or
even ‘The Comedy of Glamis.’ Legend has it that if the word “Macbeth” is even
spoken inside the theatre, the offender must exit the theatre, turn around three
times, and spit or curse, which then eliminates the effects of the curse. The origin
of the ‘curse’ is unclear. Some say that the spells that Shakespeare used in his
original production of Macbeth were taken directly from an actual black-magic
ritual and were thus unlucky to use out of context. Others link it to the overall
sinister nature of the play, it being the only one of Shakespeare’s to rely on black
magic and witches as primary plot devices.
James Stow after Richard
Westall. Macbeth. 1.3. The
Three Witches. Engraving.
1798.
Even though it is certain that the witches are a catalyst to the circumstances in Macbeth, it is debatable
whether or not the events that follow are carried out by Macbeth through an act of fate or his own personal
choice. Upon reading Macbeth’s account of the witches, Lady Macbeth muses that she will persuade her
husband to do whatever must be done to become king, “which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have
thee crowned withal” (Macbeth, 1.5.32-33). This suggests that, for at least Lady Macbeth, some supernatural
power had inevitably predetermined Macbeth’s rise to the throne as part of his destiny. However, the role of
the witches may also be seen merely as ‘tricksters’ who can only tempt others toward recklessness. This view
leaves Macbeth responsible for his own actions and his decisions as acts of free will.
Shakespeare seems to leave the role of the witches deliberately unclear, and the question of fate versus
choice is open-ended. What do you think Do the witches hold power over the circumstances of Macbeth’s
life, or are they merely tricksters Who is responsible for the actions of the characters in Macbeth
From the Directors
Keep these thoughts by co-directors Teller and Posner in mind
as you watch the play. How have the co-directors brought their
thoughts to life on stage in this production
“Macbeth was a magic show about dripping hot blood. It filled
me with shudder and joy” (Teller, Program notes, Folger Theatre).
Ian Merrill Peakes and Kate Eastwood Norris as
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, at Folger Theatre.
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
“… Macbeth might well be a great play, with complex political
intrigue, acute psychological insights, and engaging moral and
spiritual dilemmas … but the reality is you don’t put three creepy
androgynous witches, a cauldron boiling over with bat wings and
snake guts, mad kings, crafty killings, sleep-walking murderesses,
beheadings, battle scenes, bumbling porters and some seriously
twisted individuals all into the same play unless you are trying
to create quite a wild, entertaining thrill ride” (Aaron Posner,
Program notes, Folger Theatre).

Shakespeare is a master of imagery (words that create a picture in your head),
and the imagery he uses in Macbeth not only intensifies the horrific incidents that
occur, but also allows us to fully experience the power of ambition coupled with
the influence of evil. Although there are many elements of imagery in this play,
two of them, Darkness and Blood, standout in this production.
Dark Night Strangles the Travelling Lamp (2.4)
Light is typically a symbolic image of goodness, hope and purity while night, and
the darkness it ushers, is associated with despair, wickedness and hidden terrors.
Kate Bateman As Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare employs the use of “night” as a tool to frame the ill-conceived plot
Lithograph. 1875.
of the Macbeths, providing an atmosphere of darkness in which evil can thrive.
“Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, / Whiles night’s black agent to
their preys do rouse” (3.2). Allusions to the unsettling and odd occurrences during the night and its ensuing
darkness set a tone of lawlessness and ever-present evil:
Aware of its daunting power, Lady Macbeth in her incantation evokes the night, “Come thick night / And pall
thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, / That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, / Nor heaven peep through
the blanket of the dark / To cry ‘Hold, hold!” (1.5), further substantiating the mood Shakespeare has established.
The use of night as imagery transports us into the world of the play. We experience the potency, feel the
control and taste the vileness of night.
Strange Images of Death (1.3)
The night has been unruly. Where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i’ th’ air, strange screams of death,
And prophesying, with accents terrible,
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatched to th’ woeful time. The obscure bird
Clamored the livelong night. Some say the earth
Was feverous and did shake (2.3).
Imagery in Macbeth
Shakespeare’s use of blood is one of the dominant elements of imagery in this play. The shedding of blood in
acts of violence has tremendous impact on our psyche. Shakespeare capitalizes
on this point by coloring blood as a life source and an agent of mercy. When Lady
Macbeth petitions, “Make thick my blood. / Stop up th’ access and passage to
remorse.” (1.5), she is requesting that all that symbolizes life in her cease so she
will be capable of cold-blooded murder. Later, she says of Duncan, “Yet who
would have thought the old man / To have had so much blood in him” (5.1). We
have a clear image of Duncan’s blood flowing from his body, and Lady Macbeth
being powerless to stop it or remove it from her conscience. Macbeth becomes
obsessed with blood. “It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood” (3.4).
It is the potency of blood that ultimately plagues the Macbeths. Macbeth says, “I
am in blood / Stepped in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as
tedious as go o’er (3.4). And Lady Macbeth can see it on her, but is incapable
of washing it away. So blood is also being used as a device to unveil guilt. Gail
Paster writes that, “blood’s power to blazon guilt…lies behind Macbeth’s fear that
‘all great Neptune’s ocean’ will not ‘wash this blood clean from my hand” (65).
From The Body Embarrassed: Drama and the Disciplines of Shame in Early Modern England, Gail
Paster, Director, Folger Shakespeare Library. Cornell University Press Ithaca, New York, 1993.
Caricature of Mr. Henry Irving As
Macbeth. Colored engraving. ca.
1888.

Nothing Is But What is Not
Macbeth is filled “from
the crown to the toe…” (1.5) with
themes. One is the peril of ambition.
Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s lust
for power and the crown causes them
to commit the brutal murders of the
King of Scotland and all those who
may prevent them from retaining the
crown. This blood bath ultimately
ends in their demise. Another theme
is the burden of guilt. Even before
Macbeth starts on his murderous
rampage, his conscience bites at
his thoughts. As the ruthlessness of
their deadly deeds gnaws at them,
they both lose the ability to sleep,
“… Cawdor shall sleep no more.
Macbeth shall sleep no more” (2.2).
Deception is also a theme in the play.
Macbeth, planning to use hospitality
to cover his homicidal agenda,
comments that Duncan is “… here in
double trust” (1.7).
However, one of the most
ubiquitous themes in Macbeth is
“nothing is but what is not.” The
witches line in 1.1, “Fair is foul, and
foul is fair,” sets into motion a story
Mrs. D. P. Bowers as Lady
Macbeth. Photogravure.1887.
that is rich with antithesis.
Throughout the play,
Shakespeare interweaves
language in a way that
makes us question what we
see and hear, for example,
when Macbeth, prior to
encountering the witches,
observes, “So foul and fair
a day I have not seen” (1.3). Macbeth
questions the validity of the prophecy he
receives from the weird sisters, “Cannot
be ill, cannot be good” (1.3). Lady
Macbeth urges her husband towards his
deadly deed, “ … look like the innocent
flower, but be the serpent under’t” (1.6),
prompting Macbeth to observe that,
“False face must hide what the false
heart doth know” (1.7). Much to his
discredit, even Macbeth’s appearance
in his royal attire bares falseness,
“Now does he feel his title/Hang loose
about him, like a giant’s robe /Upon a
dwarfish thief” (5.2). Ultimately, belief
in false appearances catches up with
Macbeth. The weird sisters tell him
that he cannot be harmed by anyone
not of woman born, and that, “Macbeth
shall never vanquished be until /Great
Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill /
Shall come against him” (4.1). Driven
and overpowered by ambition, Macbeth
takes these prophecies literally. Had he
examined them more carefully, he would
have understood that “nothing is but
what is not.”
Pre-Performance Activities
8. Macbeth rarely speaks directly of killing Duncan. Instead he uses less brutal language, or euphemisms. As
a class read the speech in 1.7.1-28 underlining all the words which refer to the murder of Duncan (there are
at least 12). Then split the class into 2 groups: 1st group: Read speech as written; 2nd group: Every time one
of the underlined words is said, whisper “MURDER.” Why do you think Macbeth avoids using the words
“murder,” “kill,” etc What does this tell you about Macbeth’s state of mind at this stage of the play What
value would this activity offer as a rehearsal piece (creating atmosphere, establishing character, etc.)*
9. Read Macbeth 3.1.1-41 as a class. Discuss what is happening at this point in the play. (Macbeth is
questioning Banquo about his movements in the full knowledge that he, himself has ordered Banquo and his
son to be killed.) Underline every word or phrase where Macbeth is being insincere or lying (e.g. “Fail not
our feast”, etc.), then split class into 2 groups. Group 1 reads lines 1-41 slowly. Group 2 allocates each of the
underlined sections to different speakers. As these lines are read by Group 1, have students shout out “That is
false,” and have speakers say what they think is really on Macbeth’s mind. Discuss the relationship between
Macbeth and Banquo. Is it based on genuine respect and friendship at the beginning of the play How is it
affected by the prophecies of the witches Does Banquo ever doubt Macbeth’s loyalty to his country, king, and
fellow soldiers What other factors contribute to their increasing distrust of one another Find evidence in the
text to support your answers.*
*Adapted from Macbeth, Cambridge Schools Edition, 2005.

Pre-Performance Activities, cont.
1. The picture on
the cover of this
study guide is from
LIVING DEAD:
Inside the
Palermo Crypt.
Frank Ippolito,
mask and effects
designer, used
the picture as
inspiration for the
witches’ masks in
this production of
Macbeth. To the
left is one of the
masks. Why do you think Ippolito chose that picture
as inspiration What does the mask imply about who
the witches are
5. There are many well known lines in the play.
Look at the following. What images do these lines
bring to mind How might these images be expressed
using sound and movement In small groups, select
one of the examples below and create a tableau that
expresses the idea contained in the line(s).
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair …” (Witches, 1.1.12).
“So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (Macbeth, 1.3.39).
“Yet I do fear thy nature;
It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness” (Lady Macbeth).
“Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand” (Macbeth, 2.2.44-5).
“We have scorched the snake, not killed it” (Macbeth, 3.2.15).
“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble” (Witches, 4.1.10-11).
2. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth, “We will proceed no
further in this business” (l.7.34), meaning that he will
not kill King Duncan. Yet, by the end of the scene,
just some 60 lines later, he is resolved to commit
murder. How does Lady Macbeth convince him to
kill Duncan Read the scene aloud and note how
Lady Macbeth counters Macbeth’s arguments.
3. Draw a picture or create a collage that illustrates
an image in the play that you find both interesting and
unsettling. Present it in class, citing the lines from
the play that serve as the source for your drawing or
collage.
4. Shakespeare introduces the Porter in 2.3. How do
you see the Porter’s role in the play Does he provide
comic relief Is he a messenger of sorts Does his
character serve some other function In some productions,
the Porter’s part is omitted from the play.
What effect do you think leaving the Porter out has
on the play
Read the Porter’s part aloud by having each student
read to an end mark of punctuation. Add in the
sound effects of knocking as they are called for in
the Porter’s speech. How does it help to clarify the
meaning of the Porter’s lines How do you expect
the Porter’s role to be portrayed in this production of
Macbeth
See the Folger edition of the play, pp. 221-23, for
more well known lines and phrases.
6. Are there any historic or modern comparisons
that can be drawn between Lady Macbeth and other
notable female figures
7. One of the most well-known soliloquies in all of
Shakespeare’s plays is the one delivered by Macbeth
in Act 5 after learning of Lady Macbeth’s death. It
includes the following lines:
Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Who is Macbeth talking to (himself, the audience,
Seyton) What is Macbeth saying in this speech
What is Macbeth’s state of mind at this point in the
play How would you suggest an actor deliver these
lines (tone of voice, physical movement, etc.)

Ian Merrill Peakes as Macbeth and Paul Morella as Banquo in
Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Folger Theatre. Photo by T. Charles
Erickson.
1. Was your expectation of the Porter fulfilled in this
production Why or why not
2. Discuss the portrayal of Macbeth and Lady
Macbeth. Consider 1.7 and the exchange between
the two characters. Is it fair to look at either character
as being stronger than the other As having more
ambition than the other What do you make of their
relationship
3. Lighting is an effective device in creating mood
or tone (atmosphere) on stage. How effective was the
lighting in creating the mood or tone of the play
Additional Resources
Ian Merrill Peakes as Macbeth (center) with murderers Cleo
House, Jr. and Eric Hissom at Folger Theatre. Photo by T.
Charles Erickson.
Post-Performance Activities
4. Now that you have seen the production, did the
magic designed by Teller enhance your understanding
and appreciation of the play or detract from it
Explain.
5. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most popular
plays. Teller wrote that he has been looking forward
to directing it for almost 40 years. Why do you think
Macbeth is such a popular play
6. What implications does the play have for today’s
world where tyrants and dictators cause chaos in their
countries Think of ways a director could “politicize”
a production (use of crowd scenes, uniforms,
national flags, etc.).
• Scott, Reginald. Discovery of Witchcraft. Dover modern edition, 1989.
• Macbeth: Texts and Contexts. Ed. William C. Carroll, Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 1999.
• Huggett, Richard. The Curse of Macbeth. Great Britain: Picton Publishing, 1981.
• Shamas, Laura. We Three, The Mythology of Shakespeare’s Weird Sisters. New York: Peter Lang Publishing,
2007.
• http://www.bartleby.com/213/0521.html (Cambridge History of English and American Literature)
• http://staffweb.peoriaud.k12.az.us/smhs_library/CLASSES/LA/Macbeth.htm (good site for teachers)
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/macbeth.shtml (site on Scottish history)
• http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/moray.htm (Macbeth’s genealogical chart and photo of Dunsinane)
• http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/macbeth001.html (historical sources of Macbeth)
• http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/plays/Mac.html (Internet Shakespeare Editions)
• http://dewey.library.upenn.edu/sceti/advancedSearch.cfmauthor=Holinshed,_Raphael,_d._1580&Collection
ID=furness&visited+furnessAuthor (digitized sections of Holinshed’s Chronicles with specific passages about
Duncan and Macbeth that can be printed from the web)
• http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/libraries/rare/witchcraft/witchcraft.html
All Images in this study guide are from the Folger Shakespeare Library collection. For more information,
please visit our website at www.folger.edu.