Macbeth Skit

Macbeth Skit
Written by	George Bernard Shaw
Date premiered	unperformed
Original language	English
Subject	Macbeth is perplexed by his wife's poetic language
Genre	satire

Last updated April 21, 2019

Macbeth Skit (1916) is a short comic skit by George Bernard Shaw on Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth's relationship with Lady Macbeth.

George Bernard Shaw Irish playwright, critic and polemicist, influential in Western theatre

George Bernard Shaw, known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 1880s to his death and beyond. He wrote more than sixty plays, including major works such as Man and Superman (1902), Pygmalion (1912) and Saint Joan (1923). With a range incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory, Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation, and in 1925 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Origin

According to the manuscript, it was written in 1916 for performance by Lillah McCarthy and Gerald du Maurier, actors who had recently appeared in productions of Macbeth. There were many Shakespeare tributes in that year, as 1916 was the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. McCarthy and du Maurier were both appearing a production called A Tribute to the Genius of William Shakespeare.

Lillah Emma McCarthy was an English actress and theatrical manager.

Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier was an English actor and manager. He was the son of the author George du Maurier and brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. During 1902, he married the actress Muriel Beaumont with whom he had three daughters: writers Angela du Maurier (1904–2002) and Daphne du Maurier (1907–1989), and painter Jeanne du Maurier (1911–1996). His popularity was due to his subtle and naturalistic acting: a "delicately realistic style of acting that sought to suggest rather than to state the deeper emotions". His Times obituary said of his career: "His parentage assured him of engagements in the best of company to begin with; but it was his own talent that took advantage of them."

However, Shaw's work remained unpublished and unperformed during his lifetime. In a note written by Shaw in the manuscript, he says du Maurier refused to put on the skit. Shaw wrote, "Gerald would not burlesque himself. Probably he considered himself an ideal Macbeth."^[1]

It was published in 1960, edited by Shaw scholar Bernard Dukore.^[2] The manuscript is untitled. The name "Macbeth Skit" was used for the 1960 publication.

The skit takes lines from Act 1 scenes 5 and 7 of Shakespeare's Macbeth . Lady Macbeth typically retains Shakespeare's lines, while Macbeth speaks in modern colloquial English, often expressing confusion about what she is saying.^[3] In Shaw's version, Macbeth is transformed into a "maundering nincompoop".^[1]

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare; it is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake. Of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James I, who was patron of Shakespeare's acting company, Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwright's relationship with his sovereign. It was first published in the Folio of 1623, possibly from a prompt book, and is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy.

Plot

Lady Macbeth soliloquises about her husband's letter describing his encounter with the witches. Macbeth arrives and says he's very impressed by his wife's poetic way of speaking. Lady Macbeth says that he should kill Duncan, emphasising that he should appear to be wholly innocent in public. But Macbeth takes literally her Shakespearean imagery — such as trying to resemble a flower after his wife tells him he should "look like the innocent flower" when Duncan arrives. He's also perplexed by the reference to "the poor cat in the adage", having no clue what cat appears in what adage, and is totally defeated by the suggestion that the "receipt of reason shall be a limbec only". Eventually he works out what her plan is and agrees, but as soon as he misunderstands her line about his "terrible feat" as a derogatory comment on his feet, Lillah McCarthy as Lady Macbeth steps out of character in despair and says "Gerald: come off it. I shall never make a Shakespearan actor of you."

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References

1 2 Roby, Kinley, "Arnold Bennett, Shaw's 10 O'clock scholar", Shaw and Other Matters, Susquehanna University Press, 1998, p.54.
↑ Bernard Shaw and Bernard F. Dukore, "Macbeth Skit", Educational Theatre Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, Shakespearean Production (Oct., 1967), The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 343-348.
↑ Braunmuller, A.W. (ed), William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Cambridge University Preess, p.46.

External links

Original 1960 publication of Macbeth Skit via JSTOR

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[as-1] 1 2 Roby, Kinley, "Arnold Bennett, Shaw's 10 O'clock scholar", Shaw and Other Matters, Susquehanna University Press, 1998, p.54.

[2] Bernard Shaw and Bernard F. Dukore, "Macbeth Skit", Educational Theatre Journal, Vol. 19, No. 3, Shakespearean Production (Oct., 1967), The Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 343-348.

[3] Braunmuller, A.W. (ed), William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Cambridge University Preess, p.46.