Macbeth
Macbeth,a tragedy by Shakespeare , probably written and first performed at the Globe in 1606 , but not printed until the first folio ( 1623 ). The text is an unusually brief one, and has often been thought to contain some non-Shakespearian material, probably by Middleton . Two songs certainly by him were added to the play. It may have been performed before James I , who had a strong interest in witches and was supposedly a descendant of Banquo .
Macbeth and Banquo , generals of Duncan, king of Scotland, returning from a victorious campaign against rebels, encounter three weird sisters, or witches, upon a heath, who prophesy that Macbeth shall be thane of Cawdor, and king hereafter, and that Banquo shall beget kings though he be none. Immediately afterwards comes the news that the king has created Macbeth thane of Cawdor. Stimulated by the prophecy, and spurred on by Lady Macbeth , Macbeth murders Duncan , who is on a...
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