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    Macbeth
    Macbeth
    Macbeth
    Audiobook1 hour

    Macbeth

    Written by William Shakespeare

    Narrated by Alan Cumming

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Tony Award winner Alan Cumming in his riveting solo interpretation of Shakespeare’s tragedy.

    Star of stage, film and television Alan Cumming delivers a virtuoso performance playing every role in the National Theatre of Scotland’s bold presentation of Shakespeare’s chilling tale of desire, ambition, and the supernatural.
         This radical reimagining of one of Shakespeare’s most deeply psychological plays is set in a psychiatric unit in which Cumming is the lone patient. Channeling the story of Macbeth, he is inhabited in turn by each of the characters of the drama, including some of Shakespeare’s most complex and troubled creations.
         Cumming’s one-man interpretation of Shakespeare’s Scottish play comes to audio directly from acclaimed limited stage engagements with the National Theatre of Scotland in Glasgow and at New York’s Lincoln Center. Directed for audio by the stage production’s renowned directors, this exclusive studio recording of Cumming’s dazzling solo performance captures the excitement, passion and poetry of a wildly original tour-de-force that is destined to become theatrical legend.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJul 3, 2012
    ISBN9781442355941
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

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    Reviews for Macbeth

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Overall I felt the book was very entertaining. I enjoyed the added detail about the witches, which I felt was very well done. It made me think about that era's belief in witchcraft, and helped give more life to the characters w their interactions.Macbeth the play vs Macbeth the novel, what a concept.I like the historical info such as that the kingship of Scotland was by merit during this period, and that it was not unusual to whack the old king to get some fresh blood in to the position. Not sure if it is historically accurate, but the book plays it that Duncan wanted to name his son heir, and break tradition. Historical Macbeth was a respected king, and he gets a bad rep by his portrayal in the play. Considering that all knowledge that most people know is the Shakespeare version, he really get's the short stick.Still my very favorite Shakespeare play, but have to bust out the Holinshed? and get more info.
    • 3/5
      Some of the other reviews here are clearly for the wrong book. This is not a re-write or anything like that. It's the play, performed by a solo actor. The play is amazing and Cumming is amazing but I feel like he lacked direction in some parts and the performance often feels a little rushed. Also, being a play in audio format there are many parts that just don't come across effectively. This is where some more sounds and music could have helped. A great play with a great actor, sadly not utilized to the fullest.
    • 1/5
      Audible had a sale a little while ago in which ten editors each chose ten books to sell for $4.95. I got the email saying "books from your wishlist are on sale!" but the link didn't take me to any of them, so I ended up clicking through the ten pages to see what was out there. And when I landed on one page that featured Macbeth: A Novel and hailed it as "The Perfect Audiobook", I closed the tab without looking further. If this person thinks that is the perfect audiobook, our tastes are clearly incompatible. "Inspired by 'The Bard' + written exclusively for audio + Alan Cumming narrating" – yes, these are the reasons it should have been great. How could it go wrong? In so many ways. In so, so many ways. You may have heard the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? The Scottish play really was not broken. But, boy did A.J. Hartley and David Hewson feel they needed to "fix" it. By "fix", meaning "reword the language that has endured and flourished for over four hundred years and add superfluous information"… There's got to be a better way to morph a play into a novel.Take the wyrd sisters' first prophecies: First Witch: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis!Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! They say little more than that, and then are gone, leaving upheaval as if they'd hurled a boulder into a still pond. There's nothing more needed. Yet these authors felt the need to put more in. A bunch more. They broke up the rhythm of Shakespeare's words, and padded the hell out of the scene, and … why? Don't get me wrong – it's a fine, fun idea, the novelization of Shakespeare; obviously, I was intrigued – I bought it. I listened to [part of] it. But it feels like all opportunities are completely missed. There's nothing new here. The same holds true of Duncan's choice to declare an heir. Especially when the actor in the role fills the bill, the scene in the play is powerful. Throwing more and more words at it just dilutes it. The converse is also true – I realized that a couple of passages from the play actually use more words than these authors, and their editing resulted in a dumbing down. Shakespeare used verse very specifically. To take a passage he related in verse and hammer it down into the prosiest of prose, without in any other way ramping up the drama of the moment, leaves it toothless. I've read a handful of adaptations of Jane Austen, swiveled POV's and whatnot, and the main problem most of these pose is that the new writer's writing is placed in direct comparison to Jane's, much to the present–day writer's detriment. It takes a certain amount of skill to handle a retelling or expansion while avoiding the comparison. And if comparison to Jane is hazardous, how bad an idea is it to hold your writing up against … William Shakespeare's? I mean … William bloody Shakespeare. Example time:THEIRS: "Sleep tight, Duncan," he thought, "for this is a knell that summons you to heaven … or to hell." ("Sleep tight"? Really?) HIS: I go, and it is done; the bell invites me.Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knellThat summons thee to heaven or to hell. THEIRS: "Tragic in the present yet glorious in the future…You shall beget kings, though never reign yourself"HIS: First Witch: Lesser than Macbeth, and greater.Second Witch: Not so happy, yet much happier.Third Witch: Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none:So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! THEIRS: "I could have done the deed. I will if need be."HIS: …Had he not resembledMy father as he slept, I had done't. Shakespeare did a damn fine job getting the points across: Macbeth adores his wife. These guys seem to think no reader will ever get that without being beaten about the head with it. So that was the language as compared to the original. If you're going to do a takeoff on Shakespeare, brace yourself for the fact that you will be compared (unfavorably) to Shakespeare. The writing in and of itself is not impressive, even without that contrast. There's a good and solid reason Shakespeare didn't show Macbeth murdering Duncan. It's not necessary. It has more impact offstage. The same goes for Lady M's followup; the same goes for Malcolm and Donalbain realizing they've been set up; the same goes for … oh, just about every scene added. It's padding. It all serves to emphasize how lean and pared down the play is. The shortest of Shakespeare's plays, it says what it needs to and – no more.As for the content … They placed a very large order with Captain Obvious, and another with Anachronisms R Us. There may have been four-poster beds in Scotland around the year 1000, but – put it this way: I don't trust the authors, so I automatically doubt anything that seems even slightly off. They mention a "sideshow prop"; according to the etymology website I usually refer to, "sideshow" dates to 1855. Someone tells someone "Don't look so glum": from Middle English gloumen (v.) "become dark" (c.1300). The authors also received a substantial delivery from the Cliché Closet – "The quiet before the storm" "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat" – and these are not, afaik, sayings Shakespeare came up with. ("Victory" seems to date from the 1800's.) Macbeth: "A man of the people!" This Duncan is a cross between Shakespeare's vision (who was necessarily saintly, due to James VI) and the historical image – corrupt and selfish and swiving with a veneer of holiness. Oh, look, he just raped a 12-year-old girl. These authors didn't seem to want anyone in the play to be worth the air they breathe. I'm not fond of the idea of not liking Banquo. And I don't like this Banquo. Part of the power of the play is that Banquo, a good and honest man and a dear old friend of Macbeth's, is a sacrifice to the situation. The clarity of it, the straightforwardness of it, is important. And Macduff's wife is a shrew? Wonderful idea. Oh, AND Malcolm and Donalbain are "little liked", and "vicious, striving younger versions of their father". Malcolm is a sadist who tortured Cawdor. So… Maccers is the hero, eh? The attack on the Vikings right at the beginning, killing them basically in their sleep, sets the stage for Duncan's fate. What's hilarious is that Macbeth is made to say, "I've never murdered a sleeping man before, let alone a king."tugs on Maccers's sleeve Uh, yer thaneship? Vikings? Belladonna? Hellloooo? What is this with "picking apples straight off the tree", as if it was something unusual and only found in exotic places? Apples grew in Scotland. And what is this with using the little boy Ewen to poison the guards?! That's horrible. The kid is smart – you don't think he's going to put two and two together? "The child was not your fault" – uh, yeah he was. Entirely. "Hey, kid, see this wine? It's the most awesomest wine there ever was! It's wonderful! It's liquid sunshine! It's magical! You can't have any!" Yeah, never saw that coming."It was the shriek of a woman, loud and anguished" – way to dilute the impact of the "cries of women" later. Woops, there goes Lady Macbeth, humming a little tune and scrubbing at her hands. Oh please.Lady M is given a name. So, if Lady Maccers is Skena ("Skena Macbeth" just … no), what's HIS name? Hm? His wife (even in bed) and his best friend, a friend since childhood, call him simply "Macbeth". Hmph. The girl has a tattoo of three salmon in woad on her front. She also has small, perfect, white teeth like a child's. Know how I know this? I was told. Three times. In great, repetitive detail. From her POV, from Macbeth's, and from Lady M's. Three times in two and a half hours. Too much. If it was just itself, it might be fine; it's hard to tell. The writing isn't dreadful, just … error–ridden. And so very not Shakespeare. Don’t get me wrong: I wouldn't ever expect Shakespearian quality – just good. There is no added depth provided for any of the characters, no exploration of a setting only sketched in in the play, no new elements which aren't ludicrous, and the writing is mediocre at best. Basically, there's no reason for this book.I wanted this not only because it's based on the Bard, and I love Macbeth, but also because of Alan Cumming who is awesome. He was a – no, the major selling point for this book, and he was the only reason I made it as far as I did. ("But it's Alan Cumming!") However … Samhain is pronounced "Sam hane" Oh, Alan Cumming. That hurts, man. (For the record, I've always heard that it was correctly "Sowen", though now I find it should perhaps be "Savahn". (I think it depends on where you're at.)) No matter – "Sam Hane" is not correct. Altogether dreadful. I only wish I'd listened to it in time to return it on Audible.
    • 5/5
      Highly enjoyed this book. The language was delightful, the characters well thought and fleshed out, and the story hard to put down.
    • 5/5
      Great narration by Alan Cumming on this expanded version of the "Scottish Play"I completely enjoyed this in any case, but having Alan Cumming narrate it with a Scottish burr kicked it into 5 star territory for me. Some may not see the point of a novel-sized expansion to Shakespeare's "Scottish Play," but I found Hartley's & Hewson's to be both respectful of the original material and inventive in its enhancements.There is a whole long prelude of the war with Norwegian King Sweno (actually Svein Knutsson in history) before we even get to Act 1 Scene 1 with the witches on the heath. The witches are portrayed as three very different types ranging from young teenager to crone. Lady Macbeth gets her own name at last ("Skena") and is less the villainess. King Duncan is more of a hideous depraved lecher who is rather deserving of his fate. The porter (with much fewer jokes) doubles as the lead murderer (which is a nice nod to how the actual Shakespearean actor probably had to double up on roles), Banquo's and Fleance's tie in to the later Stewart kings of Scotland is greatly expanded on. etc. etc. Most of the best lines of the play are quoted in their original context, but the borrowing is kept to a minimum.It all had me researching the historical basis for the characters, cross-checking against the play, and greatly adding to my enjoyment. A very well done job!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed reading this adaptation of Shakespeare's play of the same name. I liked how they developed the characters, particularly Lady Macbeth, offering more detail than a playscript could and for me keeping them as I mostly imagine them. I became weighed down with the actual fighting/battles and for me these brought my rating down to 4 stars. It was certainly a bloody novel though, their ability to describe is excellent. I'm very pleased I have read it, I wouldn't say it is an easy read but it is very well written and once into it, it becomes easier to fly through the small chapters/sections. Definitely one I'd recommend for those who already know the story and equally for those approaching Macbeth for the first time.
    • 4/5
      There seems to be a run of Shakespearean adaptations in fiction of late. In addition to this one, I recently reviewed Iago by David Snodden for LTER, and I'm just about done with another LTER book, [I, Iago] by Nicole Galland. Macbeth: A Novel is the collaborative creation of British crime writer A. J. Hartley and David Hewson, a professor of Shakespeare who writes thrillers in his spare time. Although I'm not a reader of either genre, I am a Shakespearean and know the play very well. I wasn't quite sure what to expect of Macbeth: The Novel; after all, no one can improve upon Shakespeare, and many of the adaptations I've read are either laughable or maddening. So I was pleasantly surprised and even enjoyed this one--perhaps particularly because I listened to the audiobook, wonderfully read by Alan Cumming, who for once was free to revel in his glorious Scottish accent.Hewson and Hartley stick pretty closely to the bare bones of the plot that we are all familiar with, but they take free reign in filling in the "offstage" details. For example, the first third of the book puts readers right in the middle of the civil rebellion and Norse invasion that have been going on as the play opens. We see Macbeth and Banquo fighting in the field; we see Macbeth's capture of the rebel Macdonwald, the blow-by-blow fight to his bloody death preceded by a verbal exchange that prefigures Macbeth's own treacherous acts. Shakespeare, on the contrary, perfunctorily has messengers deliver the news of Macbeth's victories to King Duncan. Back on the home front, the authors give Lady Macbeth a name of her own (Skena). They provide an answer to the oft-asked question, "Where are Lady Macbeth's children?" And they give us plenty of chat between the couple that helps us to understand the powerful forces between them. Interior flashbacks also flesh out the Macbeths' individual biographies, and frequently we're made privy as to what is going on in their minds. Hewson and Hartley imaginatively--but not fantastically--fill in the blanks: why exactly Macbeth turns on Banquo, what happens to Fleance after his father's murder, who the weird sisters are and how they came to be witches, what daily life is like at Macduff's castle before the assassins arrive, and more.I won't be recommending this book as a classic, or even a must-read. The style is probably better suited to crime novels and thriller: a bit too 'colorful' and 'overwrought,' shall we say, for my taste. Yet it fits just fine with the story of Macbeth. This was a fun piece to breeze through at the end of the semester, which is always a stressful time for me. If the idea of a thriller-crime novel version of Macbeth, read in a charming and authentic Scottish accent by a fine actor, appeals to you, I say, go for it!
    • 4/5
      Macbeth by Hartley and Hewson is a new interpretation of Shakespeare's play in novel form written in contemporary language. It is a tale of witches and kings, thanes and commoners, castles and compounds, love and treachery, loyalty and rebellion, reality and illusion set in Scotland in the 11th Century. Macbeth is a thane, a feudal lord who holds land and performs military service for the king. Macbeth loves Scotland and is loyal to King Duncan but is upset by the king's corrupt rule of the land. Macbeth's wife Skena believes a more just man should be king and schemes to push her husband to take over the royal position. The only legal way to do this is to await the death Duncan and hope Macbeth is selected by Council from the list of thanes to become king. Skena plots to kill Duncan in Macbeth's compound when Duncan and his son Malcolm visit on the king's normal inspection rounds of his kingdom.Three witches play key roles in the novel, more so than in Shakespeare's play. The youngest witch, a beautiful young girl with a pattern of interconnecting salmon (symbols of the sustenance life in Scotland) tattooed on her front torso is the most articulate of the three. An older large masculine witch and a very old crone witch on crutches back up the young witch and make taunting comments to the mortal characters. The young witch makes predictions to Macbeth and his friend from childhood Banquo that Macbeth will be king. She also states that Banquo's son Fleance will be king. Duncan has other plans, wanting his own son to inherit the throne. It is not an accepted procedure in the 11th Century to have royal bloodlines, but the idea is appealing not only to Duncan but also to Banquo. It is not at all good for Macbeth because his son died tragically in childhood partly due to Duncan's actions. Macbeth just wants to be appointed king by the council. He is obsessed with the question, how can the witches be correct when the predictions seem so contradictory?Skena's plot to kill Duncan goes awry even though it results in Macbeth becoming king. Once a deed is done and blood is spilled, the guilt cannot be undone. Macbeth and Skena must continue to try to beat the conflicting fate foretold by the witches. As with many worthy ambitions, Macbeth's desire to replace a corrupt king and his wife's ambition for him deteriorate into murder, revenge, treachery, treason, civil war, and regret. Death negates all human passion and high-mindedness. The witches cackle and taunt as they watch the folly of men played out on rocky land in a social era that severely limits the human world view.This is an interesting novel, full of action and it is realistic in its depiction of people living in much more difficult situations than the members of our current developed societies. The themes of the book may apply more closely to countries experiencing civil war and passionate rebellion today. The story is, however, a witches' brew of implications for all current political situations and an indictment of humanity's repetitive cycles of folly based on illusion.
    • 3/5
      I love the idea of the story, and the narrator was great. I love the whole "good man falls" theme and I felt it strongly with this book. I don't know how many times I thought, "Oh, Macbeth, no!" while reading it. A lot. Not sure how it compares to Shakespeare's Macbeth, because I haven't read that one. I did find this version slow at times, confusing at other times. But there were also parts I really felt the emotion. All in all, pretty good. Would recommend to people who either love Macbeth, or Scotland, or lots of battle scenes :)
    • 4/5
      I quite like this way of presenting the Macbeth story. It feels strange to re-visit the story years after having read the play by Shakespeare and the novel 'Macbest' by Pratchett, though it is well written and easy to read.
    • 5/5
      This was abridged (read along to the Folger edition for as complete idea of how much was cut out) but Alan Cumming was fantastic.
    • 4/5
      This book surprised me by living up to the challenge of expounding on Shakespeare's tale.

      Of course, this is the tradition Shakespeare worked in, where stories belonged to no one, and the point was: Does your telling of the story we all know entertain us or teach us something?

      The Macbeth and Lady Macbeth of this novel are brutal, sad, tormented souls, realized in a way a novel does, and not simply novelized. Well done.
    • 5/5
      This is a superb novelization and audio presentation of the Shakespeare play Macbeth. The witches are given a more prominent role, and the action scenes of battle are almost visual. The more familiar you are with the play, the more you will find to like about this version. The atmosphere is dark. The tragic nature of the story has the moving inevitability of a bad dream. This is an adult version, powerful and disturbing. Highly recommended!
    • 3/5
      The best thing about Macbeth is that it would eventually lead to Kurosawa's adaption: Throne of Blood.

      So much better than Bill's version.
    • 5/5
      The great Scottish play. A few things for non-Scottish readers: - Thanes are similar to lords, a lot of the locations still exist as do regions of Scotland. The real Macbeth was totally different from Will Shakespeare version. And yes Alistair Maclean probably did use the line 'The Way to Dusty Death' as a book title.
    • 5/5
      This Barnes & Noble edition is really helpful. Great notes and textual explanations. Highly recommend it if you're new (or rusty) to reading Shakespeare. Only $7.95.
    • 5/5
      Well, seldom has an author taken a few lines out of Hollingshead, and a bare mention in The Anglo Saxon Chronicle and spun a classic play from them. This play is one of the core Shakespeare Great Plays. Read it, then read it again, see it on stage, on film, read it aloud with a group of friends, just live with it for the rest of your life. You'll feel better for doing so.
    • 3/5
      So...MacBeth.

      Weird that I knew so very little about this particular play, considering it's one of those ones that comes up a lot.

      And while it's suitably tragic, this one—and perhaps it was the players in this rendition, I don't know—this one didn't grab me. Lady MacBeth deserved to die, she was a foul, foul woman. But for me, I think it was the fact that this MacBeth guy, a major war hero, is so easily and stupidly thrown into this tragic self-fulfilling prophecy, and how he's easily and stupidly led into murder by his foul wife, and then he's stupid at the end.

      Very tragic, and yet again, I'm struck by how many phrases are still heard today by a four hundred year old play ("Lay on MacDuff" and the whole "boil and bubble, toil and trouble" witches' chant stand out). But overall, not one of my favourites.
    • 4/5
      Classic that has influenced so many stories. Definite must read.
    • 3/5
      This was the first one I read. I was astounded by the beauty of his language.
    • 5/5
      The moral to the story. "Lie with Dogs and you will wake up with fleas"
    • 5/5
      RSC production at the Barbican theatre, with Christopher Ecclestone as Macbeth. Possibly the best staging of the play I've seen with a superb central performance, bringing layers to the role that I hadn't noticed before.
    • 3/5
      LATW audio production of the Scottish play. All of the cast are adequate but none of actors really stand out (sadly not even James Marsters) - although my opinion may have been coloured by almost the entire cast using American accents. The sound effects used for scenes with the witches are excellent and add just the right tone of weirdness that these scenes require. Not a bad version of the play but not one I'd recommend as a way to experience the narrative for the first time.
    • 4/5
      I found the audio version by L. A. Theatre Works entertaining. I would prefer to watch the play, but that's difficult to do when driving on the highway. This audio version kept me entertained. I've seen other versions of the play and prefer other voices for some of the roles, but once I had the characters sorted, I was able to follow along with this classic work which is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. (5 stars for the play; 3.5 for the performance)
    • 5/5
      This full cast production of Macbeth was excellent. Joanne Whalley was particularly good as Lady Macbeth.
    • 4/5
      I have no spur
      To prick the sides of my intent, but only
      Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
      And falls on the other.

      Last winter I heard a report on NPR about Stalin's dacha in Sochi. Such featured some curious design features including a bulletproof sofa with extended headrests that prevented his head being exposed from behind to an assassin. The curtains were also shorter in length from the top to prevent someone from hiding from behind them. As I drove I mused as to what sort of world-view would emerge from someone's sense of self and safety?

      The Bard's tale chooses not to address the policy of Macbeth but rather allows him only time to address his version of destiny in such a spirited supernatural environment. Macbeth is a rushed affair. It lacks the splendid pacing of Hamlet. Apparently Fortune favors the breathless as the narrative steps are sprinted and obstacles leaped like some wonky Wuxia. Despite all the gore, there isn't a great deal of introspection or even calculation. Such is strange but not so much as some things one finds on the Heath.(postscript: I just watched the Patrick Stewart led PBS film version: it was simply an avalanche.)
    • 5/5
      I can't believe I hadn't read this sooner and hope to see a production of it one of these days. I must say I have a soft spot in my heart for the three weird sisters.
    • 5/5
      I got in a massive reading slump as I was into the 3rd act of this wonderful and short tragedy, so it took me a bit more to finish the book. The last 2 acts are packed with action and emotions and the characters are iconic to say the least: Lady Macbeth, the epitome of the power-hungry, manipulative and seemingly emotionless woman, she's the victim of her own humanity, her husband Macbeth whose mortal enemies are his doubtfulness and his mania for control, proof that misunderstanding or underestimating something can be truly fatal. Macduff and his pain are masterfully crafted and we can appreciate his weakness when he's with Malcolm and doesn't hide his feelings of despair and his strength when he faces Macbeth, the cause of his grief. It wasn't the easiest or quickest read I have done, but most definitely worth it. The intro by Cedric Watts is a nice addition as well.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorites! Macbeth's corruption, Lady Macbeth's savage ambition, the deliciously spooky menace of the witches... It's just such fun! And perfect late October reading (I could pretend that I fell behind in my “All Shakespeare in a Year” reading just so Macbeth would fall at the right time of year.)I've read this quite a few times before – my kids acted in an adapted version when they were small, in which “the Curse” was demonstrated when our Macbeth tripped and split his forehead on the edge of the cauldron, and my daughter was the cutest little witch ever – and, as with most great literature, the play just gets better with each reading. This time I supplemented my reading with Garry Wills's “Witches and Jesuits,” which, while perhaps a bit overstated in its claims, is interesting and pointed me to some aspects I'd previously missed, and also Marjorie Garber's wonderful chapter on the play in her “Shakespeare After All.” The Arkangel recording, with Hugh Ross and Harriet Walter (and David Tennant as the porter!) is marvelous, and, as a fun “extra” I watched the Shakespeare Retold version, in which Macbeth is a very ambitious head chef in a popular restaurant. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Dark and supernatural, Macbeth is one of my favorite of Shakespeare's tragedies. One of the biggest questions I always ask is, "Would the weird sisters' prophecies come to pass even if Macbeth hadn't gone all murder crazy?"Macbeth is a great cautionary tale of the dangers of ambition, especially when it comes to power. Shakespeare explores what lengths men will go to for power, especially when they believe it is owed them.Adding this copy to my Little Free Library in hopes that someone in the neighborhood can learn something from it, especially as certain phrases remind me of the current political climate and I know the way my neighbors tend to vote.