Library hosts Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' on April 6

You know Shakespeare and are familiar with his plays. You have been exposed through media including “A Witch’s Tangled Hare” (1959) starring Bugs Bunny and Chancellor Gorkon in “Star Trek VI: Undiscovered Country” stating, “You’ve not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon.” While tongue-in-cheek, these examples illustrate the timelessness of this literature and how much it is a part of our culture. The Bard has influenced our knowledge of history and enriched our lives both consciously and unconsciously.

My first exposure to Shakespeare was in the classroom. I read it knowing I was supposed to appreciate it but I could not quite make out the seemingly outdated language. Fortunately, my teacher was able to bring the story to life and make it relatable to a high school freshman. Here is the truth: Shakespeare is not to be read silently. It is to be experienced visually and audibly. My first dramatic experience was the Zeffirelli film “Romeo and Juliet” (1968) coming to life at the Rodgers Theatre. This film made Shakespeare reachable for those living outside the metropolitan regions. It was no longer a requirement to fulfill an English credit. Perhaps for those of my generation was the enduring theme music by Henry Mancini, “A Time for Us.” This film production sparked the interest in more Shakespeare films including the highly acclaimed “Macbeth” produced in 1971 and directed by Roman Polanski. Fast forward to 1996 and “Romeo and Juliet” is made into a successful film and with Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes. While an adaptation integrating urban themes and modern twists, it appealed to a younger audience seeking to understand a playwright who has been dead for 400 plus years.

It is undeniable Shakespeare’s themes appeal to all and are relevant today. We have comedy and tragedy, plots unequaled by any television drama or movie. Satirical comedy influencing such shows as “Saturday Night Live,” and whimsical stories rivaling Harry Potter. Shakespeare covers the seven basic plots as all stories from the earliest oral storytellers to today’s modern writers. These plots are: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, The Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth.

On April 6, you have the opportunity to see “Macbeth” with all of its tragically ending manipulation and ambition rivaling George R. R. Martin’s “Game of Thrones.” Aspirations to the throne end with one assassination begun with another by Macbeth. This tragedy/history based in Scotland’s historical kingdom is a story not unlike what we see today. Greed and a thirst for power lead the kings to make one bad decision after another leading to their own demise.

In “Macbeth,” you hear quotes we continue to use in our daily language.

“What’s done is done.” (Act III, Scene II)

“I bear a charmed life.” (Act V, Scene VIII).

“Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” (Act I, Scene V).

“When the battle’s lost and won.” (Act I, Scene I). The famous witches’ scene

Shakespeare which may have seem to speak a foreign language to you is familiar.

Come to the library on April 6 and hear and watch professional actors enact a tragedy common to all of the ages. Experience Shakespeare’s story as it is meant to be.

Song of the Witches: “Double, double toil and trouble.”

(Speak this out loud. Feel the rhythms. Appreciate the language.)

“Double, double toil and trouble;

“Fire burn and caldron bubble.

“Fillet of a fenny snake,

“In the caldron boil and bake;

“Eye of newt and toe of frog,

“Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

“Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

“Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,

“For a charm of powerful trouble,

“Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

“Double, double toil and trouble;

“Fire burn and caldron bubble.

“Cool it with a baboon’s blood,

“Then the charm is firm and good.”

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Sue Crites Szostak is the director of the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library. Contact her at szostak@poplarbluff.org .