Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Having read Hamlet and having started Shakespeare's histories I read thru MacBeth the other night. I enjoyed it but did not find that I cared for it like I did Hamlet. Another tragedy we learn of Macbeth who in visiting a witch, who tells fortunes, that he will become not just advanced in his career but eventually King he changes course on what had been an honorable life and sets out to make that happen.

Of course as with all future telling the question is does the fortune teller know he will murder to make it happen or had he not murdered would it still have happened. That is in knowing the future does he hasten in an unnceccesary way. After having killed the King and set the plot so that his sons will be blamed he then moves on to kill Banqueo who knows his deed.

A sense of invincibility takes over MacBeth as his soothsayer witch now tells him that no man born of a woman can kill him. Taking this to heart he fears nothing and when MacDuff whose family MacBeth has had set upon and killed returns to take revenge he has no fear. As they spar MacDuff tells MacBeth that he was not born but ripped out of his mother due to a problematic childbirth. The prophesy no longer protecting him MacBeth falls to the sword and dies.

A good story, an entertaining one and still proving the point that despite the language interpretation we may have the stories hold well and the messages are universal. Greed and power hunger comes across the centuries. It has not changed.