Macbeth heroes. The terrible curse of the play "Macbeth

In the obituary for Macbeth's death, his reign is called the "fertile seasons"; this metaphor among the ancient Celts meant that they did not starve.

A whole galaxy of English historians and politicians began a campaign to rehabilitate King Macbeth, claiming that he was unfairly denigrated by the brilliant William Shakespeare

A thousand years after the birth of the Scottish king Macbeth, whose name became a symbol of misfortune and religious prejudice, the highbrow islanders attempted to remove the stigma of a murderer from him. A group of renowned historians - led by New York City University's John Beatty, who sleeps and sees to declare this year "the year of Macbeth," convinced 20 Scottish MPs to campaign for his historic merit. They are firmly convinced that Shakespeare misrepresented him as an ambitious and ruthless tyrant who was also "under the thumb" of his wife, the notorious Lady Macbeth.

The real Macbeth was not a "butcher-killer and husband of an evil queen," but the wise ruler of a prosperous, unified Scotland in the 11th century. By the way, he in every possible way contributed to the spread of Christianity. Shakespeare's interpretation of the image of Macbeth is pure fiction and nothing more, writes the Daily Telegraph.

English historians believe that the legend of Macbeth, which Shakespeare used in his play, was created by Scottish bards. The bards, under the patronage of a clan that rival the Macbeth clan, distorted the deeds of Macbeth in order to cast a shadow over his entire family. Is not it?

It is believed that Shakespeare wrote this tragedy in 1606. Wanting to flatter the then King James (theater lover), the playwright turned to the legendary history of Scotland for a plot. In the tragedy, the author greatly elevated the character of the innocently murdered Banquo, the ancestor of the reigning monarch from the Stuart family. With Holinshed, Banquo was one of Macbeth's accomplices in regicide. In Shakespeare, he is the ideal of a man who is loyal to duty and friends, so that his high moral merit made him a bogeyman for the regicide Macbeth.

In the absence of true facts, Shakespeare uses semi-popular, semi-literary legends of "deep antiquity." He reads the Chronicles of Holinshed (Raphael Holinshed. Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland. 1577). Holinshed, in turn, was based on Hector Boethius' opus Scotorum Historiae (Boyce in English), which were first printed in Paris in 1526.

Macbeth did not kill King Duncan in his sleep, as the play says. He could have killed his rival for the throne, but that happened in 1040, at the Battle of Pitgaveny, current debunkers write. In turn, Macbeth was killed in battle with Duncan's son, Malcolm, in 1057. And in fact? The Chronicle is silent about where exactly Macbeth killed the Scottish king Duncan.

For his part, the poet ignores such facts: after that, Macbeth ruled the country well for 17 long years and no one tried to seize his throne while Macbeth was making a six-month pilgrimage to Rome. This is evidence that the situation in his kingdom was stable and Macbeth was respected by his subjects.

In the obituary for Macbeth's death, his reign is called the "fertile seasons"; this metaphor among the ancient Celts meant that they did not starve. “Macbeth ruled the country pretty well,” says Ted Cowan, professor of history at Glasgo University. "Some of the ancient Scottish clans mentioned Macbeth as the last great Celtic ruler of Scotland." Professor James Fraser of Edinburgh University believes that it is not proven that Macbeth was a tyrant who ruled a kingdom where he was hated, as it is written in the play.

Should gentlemen break spears? It is well known that a writer is free to resort to "poetic liberty" at his own discretion. Remember the famous "nail" of Dumas-father, on which he "hung his novels". Richelieu of The Three Musketeers is not at all the outstanding statesman of France, which he really was. Only an insane Gaul would take it into his head to documentary refute Papa Dumas. However, the trendsetters of the 19th century jealously lull their amour to the “simple shepherdess” from the village of Domremi.

According to the chronicle, Macbeth's cruelty against Macduff is motivated by the fact that the latter, violating his duty, began to deal with the enemies of the king. In the tragedy, Macduff just refused to come to the holiday. At Holinshed, Macbeth personally goes with an army against a rebellious vassal; in the play, he deals with his innocent family with the help of killers. It seems that Shakespeare himself forgot such a departure from the source, and at the end of Act IV, Rosset tells Macduff about the capture of his castle and the extermination of all his vassals, which, of course, was impossible for hired assassins.

In conclusion, a few words, or rather quotes. August Wilhelm Schlegel, in his Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature, is absolutely sure that Shakespeare wanted to portray an ambitious but noble man who succumbs to the devilish arts; all the crimes to which he is driven by the desire to secure the fruits of his first atrocity cannot erase from his image the stamp of innate heroism.

It is terrible to see how the former brave warrior, who looked directly into the face of death, now, out of fear of the afterlife, clings to his earthly existence. And yet, despite the disgust that his atrocities instill in us, we cannot deny him our sympathy. Shakespeare wants to show in his drama that the struggle between good and evil in this world takes place at the will of Providence.

In 1840, in his analysis of Griboyedov's comedy, the great Russian critic Belinsky defines the two main characters of this tragedy as follows: “Macbeth of Shakespeare is a villain, but a villain with a deep and mighty soul, which is why he, instead of disgust, excites participation: you see a person in him, in which there was the same possibility of victory as of falling, and who, in a different direction, could have been a different person. "

And second: "Macbeth" is one of the most ... monstrous works of Shakespeare, where ... reflected ... all the barbarity of the century in which he lived. "

How much deeper these statements are than the sophistication of gentlemen from History. Well, keep rewriting the Bible, Shakespeare, etc. The flag is in your hands!

D. Verdi opera "Macbeth"

Verdi's tenth opera became a landmark for him and at that time the main one. An atypical plot for Italian opera, a baritone in the title role, new principles of singing in individual arias, the intensity of passions, but not love ones, as the audience is used to, but the most profound and diabolical ones that a person has - thirst for power, revenge, envy, hatred. All this, coupled with excellent music, made Macbeth stand out from the many operas written by the composer in the 1840s.

Characters		Description
	baritone	Thane Glamis, Scottish general
Banquo	bass	general in Duncan's army
Lady Macbeth	soprano	Macbeth's wife
Macduff	tenor	Thane Fire, Scottish nobleman
Duncan	game without words	king of scots
Malcolm	tenor	his son

Summary

The action takes place in Scotland and on the Anglo-Scottish border in the middle of the 11th century. Macbeth is King Duncan's favorite and influential. The witches, met by Macbeth and Banquo returning from the battle, predict that Macbeth will become a Thane of Cavdor and a king, Banquo's descendants will also become kings. Soon the news comes from Duncan that for the victory in the battle Macbeth was given the title of Thane of Kavdorsky - the prophecy begins to come true. Macbeth's thoughts were captured by the second part of the prediction - about coming to power. He writes about this to Lady Macbeth, who is plotting the murder of the king, to which she persuades her husband. This plan is carried out as soon as Duncan stays overnight in the Macbeth castle - in the morning Macduff finds his torn body.

Macbeth becomes the Scottish king, but he is haunted by the words of the witches that Banquo's descendants should ascend the throne. He and his wife decide to kill Banquo along with the heir by the hands of mercenaries. The killers wait for their victim in the park, where he appears with his son. Banquo is killed and the boy escapes. At this time, Macbeth, as the new king of Scotland, hosts a reception for the aristocracy, to which the ghost of Banquo appears. The nobles begin to suspect that the new king has gained power illegally. Macduff supports them.

Macbeth again turns to the witches for prediction. They warn that he must be wary of Macduff, but he may not be afraid of anyone who is born a woman, and will also be invulnerable until the Byrnam Forest approaches the castle. Macbeth slaughters the Macduff family mercilessly. Furious with grief, he rises under the banner of Malcolm, the son of the slain King Duncan, who comes from England to fight the bloody Scottish ruler, covering his troops with tree branches. Lady Macbeth, under the yoke of what she had done, goes mad and dies. Macduff pursues Macbeth and kills him - this is how the last prophecy is fulfilled, because he was really not born, but cut out of his mother's womb.

   

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Interesting Facts

• Verdi spent his entire life looking creatively at various plays by Shakespeare. In the early 40s, he closely studied the plots of Hamlet and The Tempest, in the 60s he nurtured the idea of ​​King Lear. In the 50s, he even planned to write operas on all major Shakespearean tragedies. But it turned out that "Macbeth" was born, and only many years later, at the end of his career - " Othello" and " Falstaff"(Based on the plays" Henry IV "and" Windsor Ridiculous ").
• Together with F.M. Piave Verdi created 7 more operas: "Hernani", "Two Foscari", "Stiffelio", " Rigoletto», « La traviata», « Simon Boccanegra», « The power of destiny».
• One of the splendidly thought-out scenes of the opera is the arrival of King Duncan at Macbeth Castle. It takes place in complete silence to the sounds of a leisurely march, which the composer noted in the score as "country music".
• After Macbeth and his wife, Verdi called the "third leading role" of the opera the roles of witches, written for three choirs from 6 female voices - 2 from each register. Such an ensemble allowed the composer to express the demonic nature of music.
• The first Lady Macbeth M. Barbieri-Nini, in addition to "Two Foscari" and "Macbeth", participated in another world premiere of Verdi's opera. In 1848 she sang Gulnara in Le Corsaire.
• After the Paris premiere, some part of the press fell upon Verdi - both for the non-musical plot, and for the fact that he did not understand the meaning of Shakespeare's tragedy. The composer was determined to appear publicly in the same newspapers to substantiate his position. “Perhaps I did not manage to express everything in Macbeth, but it is unfair to say that I do not understand or do not feel Shakespeare,” he wrote to the French publisher and publicist Léon Escudier. - "I love him very much and constantly re-read, never letting go from my earliest youth."
• On December 7, 1952, La Scala opened the season with Macbeth, where Maria Callas first performed the role of Lady Macbeth. Exactly 45 years later, in this role, Milan was conquered by the Russian singer Maria Guleghina.

• The opera premiered at a time when the liberation movement was gaining momentum in Italy. The final chorus of the Scottish exiles in Macbeth was often perceived by the public as a manifesto against tyranny; it became a direct successor to the choirs from Nabucco and Lombard, full of regrets about the lost homeland. In the 1865 version, as the events of the risorgimento drew to a close, the new chorus had already addressed human suffering in a broader sense.
• Verdi compared his hard work in the 1840s to the work of a slave in galleys - during this decade, 13 of his operas were written and staged - exactly half of those that he wrote in 54 years of his work. Among some quite ordinary and even unsuccessful works for Verdi, there are undoubted achievements, the main of which are “ Nabucco"And" Macbeth ".

Popular arias

"Pieta, rispetto, amore" - Macbeth's aria (listen)

"Vieni t'affretta" - Lady Macbeth's aria (listen)

"Ah, la paterna mano" - Macduff's aria (listen)

History of creation and performances

To create an opera based on Shakespeare's tragedy had long been Verdi's desire, and by 1846 he was increasingly thinking about Macbeth. The maestro rewrote the plot of the future opera in prose and invited Francesco Maria Piave to write poetry. They were not only familiar with the librettist, but understood each other well, having behind them the experience of creating two joint operas. Piave knew the high exactingness of the maestro and sometimes rewrote scenes many times, making them fit the composer's intentions. In September 1846 Verdi sent his adaptation of Macbeth to the co-author, writing that this tragedy is the greatest ever created by people. He asks Piave to be laconic - poems should be extremely concise to express what is happening in order to achieve the greatest effect. Verdi also notes that in the speech of the witches, he would like to see strange and original nuances that distinguish them from other heroes.

Verdi entrusted the title role to one of the best baritones of those years - Felice Varese. The letters that have survived indicate how much the composer explained to the singer not only the nuances of music, but also all the psychological movements of the hero, working with him practically as a director.

If in Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth is only a catalyst for her husband's evil intentions, then in Verdi she is a direct instigator and equally a full participant. Her brilliantly written part for a dramatic soprano is as important as the title part.

Macbeth opened a new page in Italian opera - it was he who made the final transition from the era of bel canto to the era of realism. The composer made many key arias not vocal, but recitative with orchestral accompaniment - such is Macbeth's monologue before the murder of Duncan, such is the scene of his wife's somnambulism. It is no coincidence that these are two scenes that Verdi considered key in the entire opera. Such a presentation speaks of the author's intention to focus not on the music as such, but on the authenticity of the characters and the accurate rendering of the plot.

The premiere took place at the La Pergola Theater in Florence on March 14, 1847. The part of Lady Macbeth was performed by Marianne Barbieri-Nini, it was her second work at the Verdi premiere - three years earlier she sang the main female part in "Two Foscari". After the first performance, despite a warm welcome, the opera was criticized by both experts and the public - how could it be, not a single decent tenor part and no love affair. At the time, both of these elements were mandatory in opera. However, Verdi ignored this tradition - he was interested not in a love story, but in the study of the psychology of power.

That is why, before the 1848 production in Naples, he rejected the idea of ​​inviting the outstanding singer E. Tadolini - a beautiful woman with a magnificent voice - to play Lady Macbeth. The composer needed an artist who was able not so much to sing as to bring to life an unpleasant and evil heroine with a dull, harsh and gloomy timbre. Verdi was looking for a devil, not an angel. That was Barbieri-Nini, but not Tadolini.

"- Hey, what's your name?
- You know - you will shudder.
- No, even if the name is worse
They don't know in the underworld!
- I am Macbeth. "

The Mystery of "Macbeth"

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. The first production took place in April 1611 at the Globe Theater in London, and the performance has not left the stage for four centuries. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were once played by such famous theater actors as Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. The play was filmed dozens of times, including by Roman Polanski and Akira Kurasawa. Like most classics, Macbeth has become a subject for operas and ballet. However, of all the most famous Shakespearean plays, only a few, including Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth, were taken by rock musicians to write story songs or concept albums.

But why Macbeth? I think the play itself will answer this question. It has everything: mysticism, the mystery of fate, crimes, cruelty, repentance, revenge, sadness. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are some of the most complex and controversial characters in literature. Macbeth, despite his cruelty, does not disgust the reader, but, on the contrary, sympathy and, possibly, sympathy. After all, in the end it turns out that fate simply laughed at Macbeth, as Banquo had warned him. Each reader in his own way can see and feel the inner world of the main characters of the play, understand their actions, what feelings drive them. It is this personal vision that is reflected in the songs of the bands "Rebellion" and "Jag Panzer".

Historical Macbeth and Shakespeare's Macbeth - two completely opposite personalities. Shakespeare described Macbeth as an insidious, cruel murderer and tyrant. In fact, as proved by the research of historians, King Macbeth was a wise and noble ruler.
Let's figure it out.

Macbeth's path to the throne of Scotland
(Historical sketch)

Initially, in Scotland there was a seigneurial principle of succession to the throne, that is, the eldest in the family inherited the crown, which was the reason for constant civil strife in the struggle for the throne, until Malcolm II ascended the throne in 1005. It is he who is credited with establishing inheritance by birthright. Also in those days there was a practice of alternating representatives of different branches of the royal family on the throne. At the time of the reign of Malcolm II, Scotland had two branches of the royal family descended from King Malcolm I (his reign: 943 - 954).
First Branch: Duff (reign: 962-967), Kenneth III (reign: 997-1005)
Second Branch: Kenneth II (reign: 971-995), Malcolm II (reign: 1005-1034)

Malcolm II became king by killing his predecessor Kenneth III. He ruled the country for 29 long years. Malcolm had only daughters: Bethok, Donada, the name of the third daughter is unknown. After his death, he bequeathed the throne to the son of his eldest daughter - his grandson Duncan. But it is worth noting that the most legal rights (according to the rule of alternation) to the throne after the death of Malcolm II belonged to the son of Kenneth III's granddaughter - Lulah. But Lulach was still too young, so Duncan I became king unhindered in 1034.

Macbeth was born in 1005. His father was Findleh mac Ruedri, a Mormar (title of the highest aristocracy) of the region of the Seas in Scotland, and his mother, presumably the second daughter of King Malcolm II, is Donada. Findlech died in 1020, and power in Morey passed to Macbeth's cousins, Malcolm and Gillecomgan. After the death of Malcolm in 1029, and in 1032 of Gillecomgan, Macbeth became the ruler of Morey. He soon married Gillecomgan's widow Gruoh, the granddaughter of Kenneth III and Lulah's mother.
The early reign of King Duncan is called unprecedented, possibly due to his youth (at the time of accession to the throne, Duncan was about 33 years old). In 1939, the British attacked the kingdom of Strathclyde, which is part of Scotland. In revenge, King Duncan raided the English city of Durham in 1040. The raid turned into a complete failure and the shameful flight of Duncan's army to their homeland, which led to the discontent of the Scottish nobility and another civil strife, as a result of which, in the same year, Duncan I invaded Moray and died in the battle of August 14, 1040 at Botnagovan. Whether Duncan I was killed directly by Macbeth in battle is not known for certain.

After the death of Duncan I, Macbeth rightfully became king of Scotland. (inherited the throne from his wife). Duncan has two young sons left: Malcolm and Donald, but they were taken out of Scotland - most likely to their mother's homeland, England. Unfortunately, little is known about Macbeth's reign and what kind of ruler he was. It is known that in 1050 the king made a six-month pilgrimage to Rome, where he became famous for his generous donations. This fact suggests that the country was calm, and the king was respected by his subjects, otherwise he would hardly have been able to leave the country for such a long period. In some early (late 11th century) historical chronicles Macbeth is called a generous, noble ruler. There is even a short description of Macbeth's appearance: "tall with golden hair." In the obituary for the death of King Macbeth, his reign is called “the fertile period,” for the ancient Celts this metaphor meant that they did not starve. Macbeth ruled for 17 years.

In 1054, a distant relative of Duncan I - Siward - led the English army and invaded Scotland in order to restore the power of King Malcolm III (the eldest son of Duncan I). Siward defeated Macbeth's army and captured the Dunsinan fortress. However, the Anglo-Saxons then also suffered heavy losses, and the eldest son of Siward, Osbern, was killed. Three years later, on August 15, Macbeth was killed by Malcolm at the Battle of Lumfanan in Aberdeen. Macbeth was succeeded by his stepson Lulah, who was not very intelligent, ruled only one winter and was killed. After Lulakh, the eldest son of Duncan I, Malcolm III, ascended the Scottish throne.
By the end of the 14th century, the life story of Macbeth and Duncan was almost legendary. Historians and chroniclers of that time were already based on legend, and, perhaps, it was then that the version of the planned assassination of King Duncan by Macbeth in order to gain the Scottish throne arose.

Macbeth
(Brief retelling of the plot of the play)

Main characters:

Duncan - King of Scotland

Malcolm - Duncan's eldest son
Donalbane - Duncan's youngest son
Macbeth - nobleman, general of Duncan's army
Lady Macbeth is his wife
Banquo - nobleman, general of Duncan's army
Flins - son of Banquo
Macduff - Scottish nobleman
Siward - Earl of Northumberland, leader of the British army
the younger Siward is his son
Lennox, Ross, Mentis, Angus, Caithness - Scottish nobles

During a storm in the steppe, Macbeth and Banquo met three witches. The first witch glorified Macbeth with the Glamissian tan (a title of nobility, which he already possessed by origin), the second witch glorified him with the Kavdor tan (title), the third said: "May Macbeth be famous, the coming king!"... Banquo, they predict: "You are not a king, but you will give birth to kings.".

As soon as the witches have disappeared, the nobles sent by King Duncan appear on the field. They tell Macbeth that for his valor in battle, the king appropriated the Kavdor tan to him. Macbeth is amazed: the first prediction came true, and he involuntarily already mentally sees himself as a king. Banquo warns a friend: "Often, in order to plunge us into trouble, the instruments of darkness predict the truth and with honesty deceive in trifles, so that it is all the easier to deceive in an important matter."

Macbeth writes a letter to his wife in which he talks about the predictions of the witches. Reading the letter, Lady Macbeth is both happy that her husband will become king and upset. After all, Macbeth, although he strives for greatness, and lust for power is not alien, but he disdains villainy, he wants "be honored, stay clean, play fair, win by deception"... Having learned from the servant that Macbeth is returning home, and the king is traveling with him to spend the night, Lady Macbeth decides to kill Duncan, and thereby guarantee the throne to her husband.
During a feast arranged for the king, Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to commit regicide in every possible way. She says that she thought of everything: she will treat the servants of the king with strong wine so that they sleep soundly, and "we will do as we please with the defenseless king, blaming the drunkards-servants the responsibility for our crime"... Ultimately, Macbeth agrees - now he is determined to commit the atrocity.

At night Macbeth and his wife sneak to the king's chambers. The lady complains that if the king had not been so similar to her father in a dream, then she would have done everything herself. Macbeth takes the daggers from Duncan's sleeping servants and enters the chambers. Coming out after a while with bloody daggers, Macbeth is so shocked by what he has done that he is unable to act further. Then Lady Macbeth takes it upon herself - she puts daggers on the sleeping servants and smears their faces with the blood of the king.

Lennox and Macduff arrive early in the morning. Macduff says that the king ordered him to be raised early, and Macbeth escorts him to the king's chambers, where Macduff discovers Duncan's corpse. In a fake rage, Macbeth kills the servants without giving them the opportunity to justify themselves. Fearing for their lives, Duncan's sons decide to flee in secret: Malcolm to England, and Donalbane to Ireland. Upon learning of their flight, the nobility considered that they were guilty, and proclaimed Macbeth king.

King Macbeth is increasingly worried and burdened by the witches' prediction that Banquo's descendants will sit on the throne: "And on my forehead - a barren crown, in my right hand - a useless scepter. It will not be given to my son, but it will be torn out by an alien hand. So, it means that I ruined my soul for Banquo's grandchildren, killed Duncan good for them."... Macbeth hires assassins to kill Banquo and his son during their walk. The assassins reported to the king that Banquo was dead, but his young son Flins fled and escaped.

During the feast, the ghost of Banquo appears in the throne room and sits down in the seat reserved for Macbeth. No one except Macbeth can see the ghost, and therefore the guests are disturbed by the strange behavior of the king. Lady Macbeth tries to calm everyone down, saying that he has had this since childhood, the attacks are short-lived and in a minute he will come to his senses again. Banquo's ghost disappears and reappears until King Macbeth completely loses control of himself. The feast ended ahead of time, the guests left. Macbeth decides to go back to the witches the next day.

Meanwhile, Scottish nobles are gradually beginning to suspect Macbeth of the murders of Duncan and Banquo, and that "for insolent speeches and for refusing to come to the feast, Macduff fell out of favor with the tyrant."... Lennox tells the Lord that Macduff fled to England to the eldest son of Duncan who found shelter there. "to ask the war-loving Siward and Northumberland to come to our aid and with their support, with the permission of the Lord, we again found the opportunity to eat bread at a meal, sleep at night, not be afraid of dagger feasts and not pay dishonor for differences, in short - to live.".

Macbeth goes to the witches' cave. The witches summon three ghosts, each of them warns Macbeth: "Macbeth Fear Macduff", "Macbeth is invulnerable for those who are born a woman", "May neither conspiracy nor indignation instill confusion in you: until the Birnam Forest sends trees to Dunsinan Hill, Macbeth is indestructible."... Macbeth is reassured, because the forest cannot move on a campaign, and who can be born not a woman?

Upon learning of Macduff's escape to England, Macbeth, wanting revenge, sends assassins to Macduff's castle. They kill his wife and sons. In England, Ross tells the sad news to Macduff. Grieving heavily, Macduff wants to fight Macbeth himself. The troops are ready, and he and Malcolm move to Scotland.

Dongxinan Castle. The lady of the courtyard and the doctor are watching Lady Macbeth, who has not been walking in her sleep for the first night. She constantly rubs her hands, trying to wash them of blood, saying: "Away, damn spot, away, I tell you! An hour or two - now it's time to get down to business! What? It's dark in hell? Be ashamed, husband! You're a warrior! Don't be shy! Why should we be afraid that they will find out about this! Power will be ours , and no one dares to call us to account. Well, who would have thought that there is so much blood in the old man! Will these hands never become clean? ... "... Hearing what the queen is talking about in a dream, the doctor concludes that my lady needs a confessor, not a doctor, that she is sick at heart.

Not far from Dunsinan, near the Birnam forest, Malcolm, old Siward, his son, Macduff and the Scottish nobles, who had rebelled against the tyrant Macbeth, gathered with an army. Malcolm suggests: "Let the warriors chop the branches off the trees and carry them over them, so that the shadow of the foliage hides our numbers and confuses the scouts."
Dongxinan Castle is also preparing for battle. Macbeth took the news of his wife's death coldly and irritably: "So that she would die at least a day later! I have no time for the sad news today."... And the agitated messenger reported to Macbeth that the Byrnam forest had moved to the castle. “My resolve wavered. I see that the demon lied to me with an ambiguous truth:“ You are safe as long as the Birnam forest is not on Dunsinan. ”- And now the forest went to Dunsinan! it does not matter where to expect the end - here or there. "

Shakespeare drew information for writing some of the historical plays from Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (published in 1587). Holinshed, in turn, may have been based on a 16th century Latin opus by the Scottish historian Hector Boethius (or Boyce), A History of Scotland.

Shakespeare largely "embellished" the deeds of Macbeth, portraying him as a cruel tyrant. Have Holinshed Macbeth is described as a wise and just ruler who cared about the people and was benevolent towards the Scottish feudal lords. (It should be noted that in the feudal era it was very difficult to be a king, and in order to sit on the throne for more than 10 years, the king had to have a strong, flexible mind and character and all qualities in order to be respected, first of all, among feudal lords, in order to control them, preserving the unity of the kingdom, while trying not to infringe on the interests of each feudal lord. This is a modern view of history, which coincides with historical research about King Macbeth.)

There are other significant differences as well. For example, according to historical chronicles, the assassination of the king is committed by sent servants, and Banquo was also Macbeth's accomplice in regicide.
Shakespeare, most likely, deliberately elevated Banquo's character, endowing him with moral qualities, dignity and nobility.
Also in Holinshed's case, the murder of Banquo occurs after a feast in Macbeth's castle - in Shakespeare, as we know, Banquo is killed on the way to a feast to King Macbeth.

Macbeth's cruelty towards Macduff, according to historians, was caused by the fact that Macduff, violating his duty, began to closely communicate with the enemies of the king, and Macbeth personally led an army against his rebellious vassal. In the play, Macduff angered Macbeth by fleeing to England, and the king, in revenge, sends assassins to deal with the innocent Macduff family.
The image of Lady Macbeth is also an absolute invention of the playwright.

One way or another, but Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" immortalized the name of King Macbeth, albeit endowing him with dubious qualities, and subsequently had a tremendous impact on culture.

Inspired by Macbeth

Scottish tragedy in an Italian way

The Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, who admired the work of the great English playwright, in 1845 began work on the creation of the opera "Macbeth" based on the play of the same name. He was the first composer who decided to transfer Shakespeare's drama to the stage of the opera in a version close to the original. Before him, composers only relied on Shakespearean plots, or even used material that became the primary source for Shakespeare's plays. For example, Gioacchino Rossini in 1816 wrote the opera Othello based on Giraldi Chintio's novella The Venetian Moor, and Bellini, in 1830, based on Mateo Bandello's Romeo and Juliet, wrote his opera Capulet and Montecchi.

Verdi approached the work with all responsibility and zeal. The most difficult stage in the work for Verdi was the writing of the libretto, because it was necessary to set out the main plot line of the play, while avoiding the frequent change of scenes and scenery, which is usually unacceptable in operas: "... The only reason that keeps me from taking up Shakespeare's plots more often lies in this need to change the scenery every minute. When I visited the theater more often, this change of scenery made me I am present at the performance with a magic lantern.The French have found the only correct solution in this matter - they build their dramas in such a way that only one set is required for each act; thanks to this, the action moves forward without any obstacles and without that to distract the public's attention. "(from a letter from Verdi, 06/29/1853)

Giuseppe himself writes the full text of the libretto in prose, dividing it by scenes and numbers. Librettist Piave had only to translate the text into poetic form. Some scenes were finalized by the Italian poet and translator Andrea Maffei. Writing music and libretto went in parallel.

When the music and libretto were ready, rehearsals began. In the first place, Verdi put not the vocal capabilities of the singers, but their acting and dramatic performance. He thoroughly explained to the singers (especially Felice Varesi, who played the role of Macbeth) with what intonation you need to sing in a particular episode, how to reflect what is happening with the help of facial expressions and gestures: "... The scene depicts a cave in which witches are engaged in witchcraft. You enter and ask them a question (short recitative), then ghosts appear. You only have a few words at this time, but as an actor you will have to accompany everything that happens expressive mimic scene ... "(From a letter from Verdi to Varesi, end of January 1847).

It is also interesting how the composer saw Lady Macbeth. She seemed to him ugly and ugly, as the personification of her cruelty and lust for power. This is how he wanted to see the singer: unattractive, but dramatically gifted with a harsh, muffled and gloomy voice. This singer was Marianne Barbieri-Nini. The most important dramatic scenes in the opera Verdi considered the scene of the duet between the lady and Macbeth in the first act, when she incites her husband to commit murder, and the scene of the queen's somnambulism in the fourth act: "... If these moments are lost, the opera has failed."(from Verdi's letter dated 11/23/1848)

Giuseppe Verdi was extremely demanding in rehearsals, he exhausted the actors, requiring them to play certain scenes over and over again, bringing them to the desired perfection. According to Marianne, the great duo in the first act "Fatal mia donna"("My fatal woman"), during which Macbeth commits the murder of King Duncan, rehearsed for an unbearably long time - and all for that "to achieve, as the maestro said, the feeling of speech rather than singing"... There is a legend that when the exhausted Felice told Verdi that they had already sung this duet one hundred and fifty times, Giuseppe angrily remarked: "So this will be one hundred and fifty-first".

Giuseppe was demanding not only of the actors, but also of the impresario of the Pergola theater Alessandro Lonari, especially when it came to fantastic scenes with the participation of ghosts and witches. He asked Lonari not to skimp on fantastic scenes, ignoring the impresario's remarks that the abundance of otherworldly phenomena did not quite correspond to the character of the Italians. The composer gave great importance to the shadow of Banquo, symbolizing the torment of conscience of King Macbeth. Verdi insisted that the same actor who portrayed Banquo in the first act should play the role of the shadow. "... He should appear behind an ash veil, very rare, thin, barely visible; Banquo's hair is disheveled and wounds on his neck should be visible. I received all this information from London, where the tragedy has been going on continuously for more than two hundred years ..."(from a letter from Verdi to Lonari dated 12.22.1846)

Giuseppe's scrupulous attitude to the production of the opera, the playing of the orchestra, actors, scenery and other things was not in vain - the premiere of Macbeth took place at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence on March 14, 1847 and was a resounding success.

17 years later, the Lyric theater in Paris invited Verdi to supplement the opera with new music. As a result, Giuseppe redid almost the entire score and wrote an insert ballet. The composer also changed the finale of the opera: in the first version, it ended with the death of Macbeth, and in the second, with a chorus glorifying the victory over the tyrant and the new king. The second version of the opera turned out to be better and better musically. The premiere of the new version of Macbeth took place on April 21, 1865, and this opera became more popular than the first version.

At the moment, Giuseppe Verdi's opera Macbeth is one of the most famous and popular in the world. It is periodically staged in famous theaters, including the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky.
On my own behalf, I would add that Verdi's opera itself is certainly good and of high quality, but still too pompous and colorful, which does not fit in any way with the Shakespearean picture and the atmosphere depicted in the play.

"Macbeth" Flea

Shakespeare's tragedy of the Scottish king prompted not only Giuseppe Verdi to create the opera of the same name, but also the Swiss-Jewish composer Ernest Bloch. It was Bloch's only opera and was written between 1904 and 1910. “I composed Macbeth in the Swiss mountains and forests, I was 25. For a year I immersed myself in a poem with my head. on one impulse, it took much more time to correct and throw out unnecessary things. Some scenes gave me great joy, but often I remained dissatisfied. Sometimes it seemed to me that I achieved the perfect combination of music and poetry, and sometimes I was disappointed on the contrary. My task was to accurately convey Shakespearean spirit and at the same time remain yourself. "(from Bloch's memoirs).

The libretto was written by Edmond Fleg, a famous writer of the time.

From an excerpt from Bloch's letter to Edmond Fleg, one can clearly see what role music and text played for Bloch in the opera, how he saw and perceived the characters, how he understood the essence of his creation:
"... Macduff for me was not dramatic. By himself, he is nothing - a wrapper without a gut, a second plan. He personifies something, his task is to be a symbol, and only this is expressed. With Banquo the same story. His essence lies in the manner speak or in the secondary side (his fate). Lady Macbeth, on the contrary, has three themes, three sides of character. And Macbeth is above all a warrior. Much more important are the themes that make the characters act - fate, power, ambition, righteousness. (. ..)
This in no way means that music is losing its weight - on the contrary. But its search is directed primarily at the heart of the drama, at the heart of the characters, and does not focus on the text itself - the text is a conduit. Thus, the musical reflection of the drama, what should be expressed, what is the exclusive privilege of music - the human side, the inner meaning, the spirit - and not the text.
My themes express the states of minds of the characters, and what requires drama in them. There are other themes, but these are the main ones: the belligerence of Macbeth, the mystery of fate, as Banquo sees it, thoughts of crime. And therefore it is difficult for me to give names for the motives of Macbeth.
So: exceptional flexibility and viscosity of topics. They change shape not according to the demands of music, but according to the demands of drama and psychology. You can also say that the themes converge into one big stream, which gives them life. Macbeth is not so much a drama of ambition as they are accustomed to seeing as a drama of conscience. It seems to me that my task is not to show the development of events, but the psychological reaction to these events.
Here is a man of honor, driven by ambition, commits crimes. Where will he come? Here's the problem. In the end, everything happens around this, and as you can see, my musical concept - now it is completely clear to me - is precisely in this. We can say without hesitation that the characters and their musical significance, and the themes that characterize them - depend on this concept. "

The premiere of Macbeth took place in Paris at the Opera-Comique on November 30, 1910. The opera was performed in French. Bloch's work was warmly received by the audience, unlike critics. Only a few positively assessed the opera, including the Italian composer Ildebrando Pizzetti and the Parisian critic Pierre Lalo, who expressed his point of view in the newspaper Vremya on December 31, 1910:

"Macbeth, presented at the Opera-Comic, despite minor flaws, has deep virtues: the character of a real dramatic and powerful musician. Mr. Fleg's transcription of Shakespeare's drama is as faithful and respectful as possible. The action is more concentrated. , develops faster and looks even more cruel.It's like a condensation of tragic horror.
Macbeth (the play) is closely related to music with the sense of terror, mystery and evil rock with which it is filled, and the poetic and lyrical spirit of Shakespeare. This is the merit of music. The music composed by Ernest Bloch has two characteristics and two merits: the similarity - and even accurate reproduction - of Shakespeare's poem, and the vividness of the drama's expression. Bloch, it seems, so took possession of the thoughts of Shakespeare himself that he expressed them in music. In scenes where his composition looks absolutely realistic, he reached the truth, which directly conveys Shakespeare's tragedy. We perceive the flow of passions of the characters, we hear the meaning of their words and the play of voices, they are right in front of us, conveyed by music in the very meaning of existence ... him, as I saw in reality. Hence the depth of his feelings and their dramatic expression. This is the drama that Bloch wished to express: he met her face to face, he grappled with her in a fight, not hesitating for a second. "

Despite the fact that Bloch and Fleg were Jews, in 1938 "Macbeth" was staged in fascist Italy, although only three performances took place. After the war, already in 1953-1963, Bloch's opera was staged in Milan, Rome, Brussels, Geneva and Israel. The opera "Macbeth" was performed once on a concert stage in Great Britain in 1975. In 2004 it was delivered in Frankfurt. On the 50th anniversary of the death of Ernest Bloch, on 23 March 2009, with the help of the University College London Music Society Opera Company and Orchestra conducted by Charles Peebles, Macbeth was premiered in the UK at London's Bloomsbury Theater.

"Macbeth" Bloch is an undeservedly "forgotten" opera, the majority do not even know about its existence. It did not become an outstanding opera of its time, but it is worth hearing it at least once. After listening to Bloch's opera, one can feel the atmosphere of medieval Scotland, the drama and mysticism of the play itself.

"Macbeth" in rock music

Jag panzer

In 2000, Colorado-based heavy metal / power band Jag Panzer released the concept album Thane To The Throne, based on the play Macbeth. According to the musicians themselves, the group worked with the material day and night, often remaking songs and completely rewriting the lyrics. The work on the album went on for exactly one year.
Overall, the album is very good both musically and lyrically. "Jag Panzer" set out the main scenes of the play, supplementing them a little with their personal vision of Macbeth's inner world. The only thing that was not included in the concept of the album is the scene of the queen's somnambulism. Unusual, perhaps, in the album "Thane To The Throne" are short instrumental compositions, especially the violin composition "The Prophecies", written in the style of the times of Vivaldi and influencing the Spanish motives "The Downward Fall". And the final song "Tragedy of MacBeth" is, in my opinion, the best orchestration of the whole album.

Album "Macbeth":
1. Preludium
2. Agnus Dei (Acropolis)
3. Wutach Schlucht
4. Die Zeit
5. Ohne Geld
6. U.S.A.
7.10.5.1941
8. Expectans Expectavos
9. Coincidentia Oppositorum
10. Wolfis
11. Agnus Dei (Exil und Tod)

"Macbeth" in the cinema

In 1971, Roman Polanski filmed Shakespeare's Macbeth. The music for the film was written by the British band "The Third Ear Band". Their music, medieval, folk and at times psychedelic, perfectly complemented the film, creating the atmosphere of 11th century Scotland and conveying a mood of mystery and mysticism. I would like to draw special attention to the song "Fleance", which is performed by young Fleins during a feast at Lord Macbeth. A beautiful and very sad song sounds against the background of general fun and joy, as if preparing for the upcoming sad events.
A year after the release of the film "The Third Ear Band" they recorded the album "Music from Macbeth", which included all these compositions. And in the same 1972 the group was nominated for a BAFTA in the category "Best Music for a Film".

Music from the film "Macbeth":

1 Overture
2 The Beach
3 Lady Macbeth
4 Inverness: Macbeth "s Return-The Preparation-Fanfare-Duncan" s Arrival
5 The Banquet
6 Dagger And Death
7 At The Well -The Princes "Escape-Coronation-Come Sealing Night
8 court dance
9 Fleance
10 Grooms "Dance
11 Bear Baiting
12 Ambush - Banquo "s Ghost
13 Going To Bed-Blind Man "s Buff-Requiescant-Sere And Yellow Leaf
14 The Cauldron
15 Propheсies
16 Wicca Way

I am sure that the dark and tragic Shakespearean story of King Macbeth will more than once inspire the creation of a musical, and not only, work.

Olga North

Notes:

This section contains the most popular versions, but it is not worth claiming their absolute authenticity. In different chronicles, genealogical sequences, chronological dates and historical events are presented in different ways.

Macbeth is an abbreviated version of the name Mac Betad Mac Findleich. Also in some sources there is a variant of the name of Maelbet.

Robert II Stewart (March 2, 1316 - April 19, 1390) - King of Scotland since 1371, founder of the Stuart dynasty on the Scottish throne.

Operetta is a theatrical performance in which individual musical numbers alternate with dialogues without music.

In the original, the monologue reads as follows: "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. "

(c) Saga of Metal

The tragedy of William Shakespeare Macbeth is one of the most famous plays by the greatest English playwright. However, since the first production of Shakespeare's Globe in 1611, the play has grown into notoriety. The number of performances in the leading theaters of the world was extremely limited; the play was practically never performed on the provincial stage.

In Russia, the staging of such a famous play was banned at the official level until 1860. After the ban was lifted, the play was not staged for another two years, and only in 1860 the Englishman Aldriezh, touring with the troupe of the Maly Theater, decided to stage the play on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.

Quite often one hears the confessions of the actors about their passionate desire to play the main character of another Shakespearean tragedy "Hamlet". But how often did you hear about the desire of someone to play the role of Macbeth? Few have heard such a confession in their life. What is the reason for such a strange attitude to the world famous play? In the shortest presentation of the play, "Hamlet" and "Macbeth" are mirror twins. They tell about the struggle between good and evil, during which the main characters kill the current king and die in an unequal battle with the forces of their opponents. However, there is a clue in the "mirroring" of the images. Hamlet stands on the side of the forces of good, trying to restore the established order, by which, first of all, Shakespeare understands the legitimacy of the ruling dynasty. Macbeth, obsessed with a thirst for power and glory, on the contrary, kills the legitimate king, takes the throne and tries to kill his former comrade in arms, whose descendants, according to the prediction, will become kings.

Both plays are imbued with mysticism through and through. Here is the shadow of Hamlet's father, and three sorceresses-soothsayers in Macbeth. Let us note for ourselves that this topic is by no means a Christian one. In general, the use of mysticism was included in the literary traditions of the late Middle Ages. Soviet scientists interpreted the use of spirits and witchcraft as an additional artistic method. But was this how Shakespeare himself felt?

Many doubt that the great playwright was a “good Christian”. His family was considered to belong to Catholicism, which was prohibited in England at that time. In 1606, the playwright's daughter Suzanne was included in the official list of those who did not arrive for Easter Communion, and in those days people took such things extremely seriously. Many researchers believe that Shakespeare was seriously interested in the occult, and possibly black magic. There are persistent rumors that real witchcraft texts have been inserted into the replicas of the characters in the play "Macbeth". It is known that magic texts, when translated into other languages, partially change their content and direction. Moreover, in magical texts, the most important component is often not the general meaning, but mystical combinations of certain symbols, perhaps even from different words. It is this feature that determines the refusal of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to switch to modern languages. Apparently, the same reason explains the fact that the play in theatrical circles of other countries, which does not stand out in any way, received the status of a cursed in England.

After the very first production of Macbeth, the boy-actor who played the role of the usurper's wife died right behind the scenes. In 1672, music was composed for the play. Sixty-five years have passed since the play was written, but the music mystically strengthened the "curse" of the tragedy. Even humming these tunes was considered extremely dangerous. The tragedies that constantly happened to the workers of the theaters in which Macbeth was staged, who were not even involved directly in the play, as well as the horror of the audience, who perceive the magic rituals on the stage as real witchcraft, led to the fact that the play left the stage and was almost forgotten on a hundred years. The terrible storm of 1703 that struck London accompanied the last production.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, various theaters began to stage the play again, and for a long time nothing particularly terrible happened - so, minor troubles. Either the troupe's fees are stolen, the leading actor falls into the orchestra pit, or the scenery falls on "Lady Macbeth." However, a 1937 production by the Old Vic Theater in London sparked a new wave of rumors about the "damned play". And it is not surprising. The founder of the theater, who did not take part in the performance itself, died of a mysterious illness. The famous actor Laurence Olivier, who was in the play and the director, miraculously escaped death during the rehearsal - the heavy scenery collapsed a few centimeters from him. The actress, who played the supporting role of Lady Macduff, crashed in a car.

There is a strong opinion among theatrical actors about the "bad" play. An actor will never name a play according to the author's version - the phrase “That play” has become a common substitute. Music written in 1672 is never used in our time. The lines are changing, and even the edition of the fourth act is changed. All equipment used during the setting is checked many times…. But the tragedies continue.

In 2001, the English medium and "high priest of the British coven of white witches" Kevin Carlyon promised to remove the curse from the play. He was going to use two "white witches" to challenge the spirit of the real Scottish king Macbeth, who was killed in 1057. The procedure was supposed to take place in the ancient castle "Kounndor", which the king visited several times. However, Carlyon did not fulfill his promise. The owners of the castle categorically denied him admission, motivating their decision with a Christian worldview.

Scene 1

Wasteland. Storm. The three witches agree to meet in the heather at the end of the fight, where they plan to see Macbeth before dark.

Scene 2

Camp near Forres is the residence of King Duncan of Scots (between Fife, the site of the battle and Inverness, the seat of Macbeth). The bloody sergeant who saved Duncan's son Malcolm from captivity tells the king how the brave general Macbeth cut in half the mad MacDonald, who had advanced the Irish troops against the Scots. Cousin Duncan's victory was brilliant, but short-lived. The Norwegian king, taking advantage of the moment, moved his regiments to the Scots. Macbeth and Duncan's second general, Banquo, had to fight with a vengeance. The sergeant is weakened from the wound. He is sent to the doctor.

Scottish nobleman Ross brings news of the defeat of the Norwegians: King Svenon asked for peace and handed the Scots ten thousand dollars. Duncan confers on Macbeth the title of the traitor he defeated - the Kavdor Thane.

Scene 3

Steppe overgrown with heather. With a thunderclap, three witches appear on her. They discuss their antics: the baiting of pigs by the second witch, the sinking of the ship - the first. At the sound of the drum, the witches close the magic circle three times, three times, casting a spell on Macbeth.

Banquo asks the strange looking old women, is it far from Forres? Macbeth asks who they are? Witches praise the future king. Banquo asks to tell about his fate. The first witch says that he is lower than Macbeth, but higher, the second - that he is more unhappy, but happier, and the third predicts that he will become the founder of a new royal family. Macbeth does not believe witches. The prophets disappear. Banquo begins to doubt what he saw.

Scottish nobles Ross and Angus thank Macbeth on behalf of the king and say that from now on he bears the title of Cavdor Thane. The commander does not want to take the rank of a still living person, but Angus explains that the Kavdor tan is a traitor and he has very little left to live.

Macbeth begins to believe in witches. Banquo warns him against a possible mistake.

Scene 4

Palace in Forres. Malcolm informs his father about the execution of the Kavdor tan. Duncan happily greets Macbeth and Banquo. The king appoints Malcolm as his successor and elevates him to the rank of Prince of Cambridge. Duncan and his retinue are planning to visit Inverness. Macbeth realizes that he will have to kill the prince.

Scene 5

Lady Macbeth reads a letter in which her husband tells her in detail about the meeting with the witches. Knowing the noble character of her husband, she decides to instruct him on the path of villainy in order to easily get the crown predicted by the prophets.

A servant brings news from a runner sent by Macbeth about the king's night arrival. Following him is the commander himself. Lady Macbeth asks her husband to be nice to Duncan.

Scene 6

Lady Macbeth meets the King of Scotland with his retinue.

Scene 7

Macbeth regrets that it is impossible to commit a villainy with one blow, punishment for which can overtake a person during his lifetime. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband that everything will work out: it is enough just to get the king drunk with his retinue, and then blame the murder on the drunken servants.

Act II

Scene 1

In the courtyard of Macbeth's castle, Banquo asks his son what time it is. Fleens says it's past midnight. Macbeth appears with a sword. Banquo gives him the diamond given by the king for Lady Macbeth. As Banquo and Fleens leave, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger in the air. Hearing the ringing of the bell, the commander departs.

Scene 2

Lady Macbeth appears in the courtyard. She worries about what her husband has to accomplish.

Macbeth tells his wife that Duncan has been killed. In his hands he holds bloody daggers. Lady Macbeth asks him to return to the hall and put them on the servants. The commander admits that he cannot do this. Lady Macbeth herself throws daggers at the alleged murderers and smears their bodies with blood.

There is a knock at the gate. Macbeth and his wife go to the bedroom to wash the blood off their hands and assume the appearance of people who have just woken up.

Scene 3

The gatekeeper lets Macduff and Lenox into the castle. Macbeth comes out to meet the guests. Macduff goes to wake the king. Lenox tells Macbeth about the terrible storm that raged at night. Macduff raises the alarm over Duncan's murder.

Lady Macbeth and Banquo learn about the death of the king. Lenox tells Duncan's sons that their father's killers are most likely servants whom he and Macbeth found with bloody daggers and wild looks.

During the conversation, it turns out that Macbeth killed the servants. Lady Macbeth becomes ill. Malcolm and Donalbyn do not trust any of those present: the first decides to leave for England, the second - to Ireland.

Scene 4

Scottish nobleman Ross discusses with a seventy-year-old man the strangeness of the past night, in which the royal horses went berserk, and of the current day with the dying sun. Macduff tells him that the servants bribed by the escaped royal sons are recognized as the murderers of Duncan. Having learned about the coronation of Macbeth, Ross goes to the ancient Scottish castle Skone.

Act III

Scene 1

Palace in Forres. Banquo suspects that Macbeth became king in an unclean way, but the fulfilled prediction gives him hope that he will become what he was destined to be - the founder of the royal family.

Banquo and Fleens drive off. Macbeth tells how the "bloody nephews" muddy the waters abroad. Left alone, the newly-minted king reflects on the fact that he ruined his soul for the sake of Banquo's heirs.

Macbeth discusses the deaths of Banquo and Fleens with the two assassins.

Scene 2

Lady Macbeth asks her husband to throw away all sorrows and worries. The commander hints to his wife about the commission of a new villainy.

Scene 3

The two murderers are joined by a third, unknown to them, whom they decide to confide in, since he possesses the same information as they do. Before dinner in the palace park, the assassins eliminate Banquo. Fleens manages to escape.

Scene 4

One of the assassins reports to Macbeth about Banquo's death and Fleens' flight. Returning to the table, the king notices the bloody ghost of the slain in its place. Lady Macbeth explains to those present that her husband has been suffering from seizures since childhood. She does not see the ghost of Banquo and asks the king to come to his senses, then reproaching him, then calming him. When the vision fades, Macbeth takes his place. At the mention of Banco's name, the ghost reappears. Macbeth challenges him to battle. Lady Macbeth asks forgiveness for the spoiled feast and invites the nobles to leave. Macbeth notices Macduff's absence from the party.

Scene 5

Steppe. Thunder. Hecate reprimands three witches for daring to introduce Macbeth to the mysteries of death without her knowing. She explains to the prophets that the king is doing evil for his own triumph. This is of no benefit to the spirit of evil, and therefore must be corrected.

Scene 6

Palace in Forres. Lenox shares with the lord his suspicions about Macbeth's involvement in Duncan's death. The latter says that Malcolm found shelter with the English king Edward. He was joined by Macduff, who decided to ask for help from the commanders of Siward and Northenberland (father and son).

Act IV

Scene 1

A cavern with a cauldron boiling in the middle. Thunder. Enter three witches. They throw witchcraft ingredients into the cauldron and brew a magic potion. Hecate appears. She thanks the witches for their help and leaves. Macbeth enters the cave. He says he came for answers. Witches are interested in who he wants to get them: from them or from the fears? Macbeth chooses the elders. Witches call ghosts one by one: the first, in a helmet, advises the king to be wary of Macduff, the second - a bloody baby says that Macbeth is not afraid of anyone born by a woman, the third - a child in a crown with a branch in his hand predicts success to the former commander until Dunsinan Hill will go hiking Birnam forest. Macbeth tries to find out from the witches whether the Banquo clan will sit on the throne. The ghosts of eight kings appear in the cave. The latter holds a mirror in his hand. Banquo follows the kings. Macbeth understands that these are his descendants. The witches dance to cheer the king and then disappear.

Lenox tells Macbeth about the arrival of the messengers who brought the news of Macduff's flight.

Scene 2

Fife. Macduff Castle. Lady Macduff complains to Cousin Ross about the unreasonableness of her husband, who left his home, wife and children.

Macduff's little son is trying to figure out if his father is alive or not?

An unknown messenger warns Lady Macduff of mortal danger. He says that the woman should immediately flee the castle with the children.

The first killer takes the life of Macduff's son. Lady Macduff runs away screaming. The assassins are after her.

Scene 3

In front of the royal palace in England. Malcolm doesn't trust Macduff. He does not understand the reasons that made him leave his wife. At the same time, Duncan's son is afraid to return to Scotland, since he does not consider himself worthy to take the royal throne. Malcolm believes that he is full of vices, in the face of which all the baseness of Macbeth loses its meaning. Macduff convinces Malcolm that Scotland will gladly satisfy his passion for women and wealth, but he cannot come to terms with the belligerence of the heir. Duncan's eldest son says that he took on vain in order to test the nobility of Macduff. He is ready to return to Scotland to recapture his throne with Siward's support.

Ross, who arrived in England, tells that Macbeth is gathering troops. He informs Macduff of the murder of his wife, children and all the castle servants. Malcolm consoles a companion, asking him to save his anger for battle.

Act V

Scene 1

Dongsinan. A room in the castle. The lady-in-waiting tells the doctor about Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking. The latter sees how the queen, with open eyes and blind gaze, walks around the room, rubs her hands, talks to her husband, mentions the murdered Banquo. The doctor advises the lady of the court to hide all sharp objects and call a confessor to Lady Macbeth.

Scene 2

Not far from Dunsinan, Mentis, Catnes, Angus and Lenox discuss the British advance to Byrnam Forest led by Siward, Malcolm and Macduff. They call Macbeth a tyrant and argue that people obey him out of fear, and not out of conscience.

Scene 3

Macbeth is furious at the flight of his soldiers, but does not lose heart, believing in the prophecy of ghosts. A servant brings him the news that ten thousand Englishmen have approached Dunsinan. Macbeth grieves over the absence of friends and summons Seighton, one of the scouts of the Scottish kings, to whom he orders to give armor. Macbeth gives the doctor an order to cure his sick wife. The doctor says that medicine cannot do it.

Scene 4

Not far from Byrnam Forest, Malcolm orders soldiers to pick branches and hide behind them in order to mislead the enemy about the number of the advancing troops.

Scene 5

Macbeth orders Seyton to display banners on the walls of Dunsinan. A female scream is heard. Seyton leaves to find out what happened, while the king talks about his own fearlessness. Returning squire reports on Lady Macbeth's death. The king notices how uncomfortable this news is now that he needs all his courage to defeat the enemy. A messenger brings the news that Byrnam Forest is moving towards the castle.

Scene 6

In front of Dunsinan, Malcolm's soldiers throw off their cover from the branches and openly attack the Scots.

Scene 7

Macbeth awaits death on the battlefield. In battle, he kills young Siward.

Macduff does not want to fight ordinary Scots: he is looking for Macbeth.