In graphic novel format, presents an adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tale about a man who kills his king after hearing the prophesies of three witches.
I'm going to go out on a limb a bit here and say that Macbeth is not only an amazing work, but it's an absolute masterpiece of the English language and might be the greatest work of literature ever written. And now I have to try and justify that. Oh boy.
Have you ever read a sentence that made you shiver and go "holy shit, that was some good words" and then you sort of have to repeat it to yourself a couple times to make sure you get all the depth of those words, the dire implications, the beautiful cadence and construction, the ties to the plot and characters and themes, the evocative imagery playing with the perfect setting and timing? Macbeth has a lot of those sentences. Even by Shakespearean standards, this play has some good fucking English in it. And I would rank this as one of …
I'm going to go out on a limb a bit here and say that Macbeth is not only an amazing work, but it's an absolute masterpiece of the English language and might be the greatest work of literature ever written. And now I have to try and justify that. Oh boy.
Have you ever read a sentence that made you shiver and go "holy shit, that was some good words" and then you sort of have to repeat it to yourself a couple times to make sure you get all the depth of those words, the dire implications, the beautiful cadence and construction, the ties to the plot and characters and themes, the evocative imagery playing with the perfect setting and timing? Macbeth has a lot of those sentences. Even by Shakespearean standards, this play has some good fucking English in it. And I would rank this as one of Shakespeare's easiest reads in spite of that; there isn't anything particularly strange going on with his turns of phrase and poetic structure, he's not using many tough or strange words by modern standards, and even his soliloquys are uncharacteristically straightforward. In spite of all that, there are some beautiful god-damn sentences in this play.
Moving on from how gorgeous the language is, the plot is basically all the great parts of Game of Thrones distilled into a few hours of book. Epic fight for the throne? Yes sir. Eerie prophecy looming in the background? Yeppers. Everyone you grow attached to seems to die in varied horrific manners? Mhmm. Awesome betrayals and twists with serious consequences? Oh god yes. Grotesque imagery that makes you think this is not only serious business, but it's also badass as all hell? MacDuff says oh yeah.
It's a relatively simple yet compelling tale of a good man, encouraged by superstition and his peers, to kill a lot of good people and slowly get driven insane by guilt and power. It's about lust for power, predetermination of fate, vengeance, consequence, and many more cool sounding themes. All of that it is rolled up into a distinct and interesting cast of characters, from the honest and loyal Banquo, the generous and gracious King Duncan, and the honourable and careful Malcolm to the lustful Macbeth, his conniving wife, the vengeful Macduff, and the manipulative witches. Even better, unlike some of Shakespeare's other plays, the cast is small and varied enough that you can tell everyone apart pretty easily! Bonus!
If I had any complaint about Macbeth, it's that my uncultured city only has a small handful of Shakespeare plays a year and I always miss Macbeth. Like, god damn it, if it's this good to read I want to see how amazing the play actually is.
