Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Shakespeare’s Macbeth combines the themes of ambition, assassination, guilt, and the supernatural in ways that continue to provoke questions about political legitimacy, the construction of national and personal identities, and the role of violence in defining masculinity.This insightful and informative volume will appeal to both seasoned Shakespeareans and beginning teachers. Part 1, “Materials,” introduces the most helpful scholarly and critical background works on Macbeth. Part 2, “Approaches,” addresses the play from many perspectives: among other subjects, essays examine how film adaptations, videos, novels, and memes inspired by the play explore ideas of authority and leadership. The topics traced in the volume—the uncanny and the ideological, trustworthiness and deception—point to the play’s continued relevance in classrooms today.