Macbeth

Macbeth (1964) by William Shakespeare – J. M. Dent

ISBN: None
Condition: Good
Published: 1964
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when becoming King of Scotland involved considerably more than winning an election, making extravagant promises about public expenditure or securing the endorsement of a particularly influential newspaper. Occasionally, it required murdering the existing monarch, eliminating several inconvenient acquaintances and taking professional advice from three suspicious women encountered on a windswept heath.

Welcome to Macbeth, William Shakespeare’s magnificently bloodthirsty exploration of ambition, guilt, supernatural interference and the unfortunate consequences of allowing one’s wife to become excessively involved in career planning.

Our hero, Macbeth, begins the proceedings as a respected Scottish general, admired for his courage and military achievements. Unfortunately, an encounter with three witches introduces the possibility that he might one day become king, an idea that proves considerably more attractive than continuing in his existing employment.

Lady Macbeth, displaying the sort of executive determination that would eventually become fashionable in corporate management, encourages her husband to accelerate the succession process through the discreet assassination of King Duncan.

Naturally, everything goes splendidly wrong.

What follows is a spectacular descent into paranoia, betrayal, hallucination and increasingly desperate attempts to preserve a throne acquired through methods that would scarcely withstand scrutiny by a parliamentary standards committee.

There are ghosts at dinner, mysterious prophecies, inconvenient heirs, sleepwalking, imaginary bloodstains and enough murder to keep the Scottish criminal justice system occupied for several generations.

Shakespeare’s genius lies in transforming this catalogue of unpleasantness into one of the most compelling tragedies ever written. Beneath the supernatural spectacle lies a devastating examination of how ambition can corrupt judgement, how guilt can destroy peace of mind, and how power acquired through violence tends to require an exhausting amount of additional violence to retain.

This 1964 J. M. Dent edition is an appealing vintage presentation of the celebrated tragedy, dating from an age when Shakespeare was still regarded as essential reading rather than something requiring an explanatory smartphone application and a compulsory trigger warning.

Condition: Good. A respectable vintage hardback showing noticeable signs of age, handling and previous ownership. Its dark blue cloth binding, decorative spine and worn extremities give it the unmistakable appearance of a book that has survived several generations of literary appreciation, compulsory education and possibly some rather enthusiastic classroom performances.

Naturally, there is no ISBN. In 1964, the international numbering system had yet to become established, and books were identified through such primitive arrangements as titles, authors and publishers.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where literary tragedy is appreciated, ambitious monarchs are treated with suspicion, and customers are assured that no witches have been consulted regarding the asking price.

An excellent addition to any collection of Shakespeare, vintage literature or classic tragedy.

A timeless reminder that excessive ambition, questionable career advice and murdering one’s employer rarely constitute a sound long-term strategy.

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