Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

[clementine]

At my first Intro to Shakespeare conference, my TA made us all go around and say what our favourite Shakespeare play is, and why. I didn't even have to think about my answer: I told everyone that Macbeth is my favourite, because it has insanity, witches, and murder. My TA laughed and said, "Everything you look for in a play," and I was like, "Well, YEAH," because... well, YEAH.

A lot of people know that I love Macbeth. Love love love. I first read it in the fall of 2009. At the time I hated the teacher, but looking back, he taught it so well that it made it immensely enjoyable to me. Over three years later, there are still huge chunks of dialogue that I know very well.

I'm not a Shakespeare buff. This we have established. I enjoy some of it, some of it's okay, some of it leaves me cold. I'm sort of in the middle. I'm Shakespeare apathetic. But I will sing the praises of Macbeth very, very loudly. And constantly. Because I just think it's such a goddamn good time. It really does have everything you could possibly want: witchcraft, prophecies, insanity, lots and lots of murder, a decapitation, a walking forest, a ghost... I mean, COME ON. It's just so ridiculously great.

I also love the language of this play. There are particular sections of it that I really enjoy reading slowly and carefully, soaking up the metaphors and allusions and meanings that aren't immediately clear. Basically everything Lady Macbeth says is the best ever.

It's just a goddamn great play, okay? And I will forever hold any and all Shakespeare I read up to its standards, which probably isn't fair, because I was taught it really well and part of that included seeing, like, seven different versions, including one live in Stratford, Ontario (a town renowned for its Shakespeare festival and also the fact that it created Justin Bieber). But, whatever. Macbeth is forever my measure of excellence. Because it is freaking excellent.