Description
“By the pricking of my thumbs,/ Something wicked this way comes!” says one of three witches, expecting Macbeth to appear. He will, and they’ll incite him to murder and beyond, in a tale of ambition coupled with violence, love, madness, and some of the most beautiful and memorable language in Shakespeare’s plays. It might be Lady Macbeth, sleepwalking, unable to wash the blood from her hands: “Out, damned spot, out, I say!” Or Macbeth, facing the emptiness of life, “a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing.” And why the witches? Perhaps because James I, the reigning monarch, believed in them! We’ll read and discuss the play in its historical context, watching film clips, and reading aloud as we go. No experience necessary. No homework the first session, and then one act a week until done. I’ll be using a print version of the Folger edition (ISBN 9781451694727), which is also available free online, but any good edition of the play should be fine.
Cammy Thomas’s most recent book is Odysseus’ Daughter (Parkman Press, 2023), poems in response to the Odyssey. She has three full-length collections published by Four Way Books. Cathedral of Wish received the Norma Farber First Book Award from the Poetry Society of America. Tremors received 2022 Poetry Honors from the Mass Book Awards. A fellowship from the Ragdale Foundation helped her complete Inscriptions. She teaches literature to adults, and lives in Bolton, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.cammythomas.com.
