Macbeth: an Undoing

by Zinnie Harris

This story will be told, the way it has always been told. What else use is it otherwise? The hags on the heath. The woman who went mad. The man who became a tyrant.

When her husband returns victorious from the battlefield with a prophecy that he will become king of Scotland, Lady Macbeth vows to make their darkest ambitions a reality. So far, so familiar. But then the story fragments.

Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth is ruthless and driven, unstoppable in her pursuit of power, yet she quickly descends into madness and despair. Zinnie Harris's thrilling new version undoes the narrative we know, and remakes it, examining Lady Macbeth's trajectory and asking if we have really heard the whole story.

This edition includes an afterword by Dan Rebellato, Professor of Contemporary Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Macbeth (an undoing) premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in February 2023.

Genres: Plays, Shakespeare

Paperback

Published February 16, 2023

About the author

Zinnie Harris is an award-winning British playwright, screenwriter and director currently living in Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Callum Morris-Horne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down.

Harris’ adaptation of Aeschylus’ ‘Oresteia’ was one of my favourite books of that year, so suffice to say I was buzzing for this and even preordered it. Being a fan of how Harris reimagines and subtly/reverently modernises classical tragedy—here, with the subtitular ‘(an undoing)’ referring both to the Macbeths’ anagnorisis of “what’s done cannot be undone”, and the playwright’s very dismantling of the drama itself—for the first half of this I was a bit underwhelmed with how close this hewed to Shakespeare’s original (albeit phenomenal) text; beyond, say, adding more avian symbolism, a few metatheatrical moments and individualising the witches. I see why this was done; so that when it’s ‘undone’, the effect is more pronounced, and indeed, the latter acts are captivating and surprising in their alterations (even if the feminist reversal seemed a bit ham-fisted/heavy-handed in places).

[Aled · Rating 4 out of 5]

bills itself as a feminist re-imaging of Macbeth but actually so much more than that. In the bonus chapter by Dan Rebellato, it discusses how Macbeth is ultimately a play about closure, or at least the lack of it, that haunts Macbeth and the other characters in the play. Like Gatsby’s green light, this is never quite reachable. The opening lines of the play ‘when shall we three meet again?’ to the closing scene, as a new king looks to shore up support, closure is something that both the characters, and Scotland, always finds elusive. tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow indeed 👍

[Amaranta mWolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every bit of this. I have based my dissertation on contemporary feminist retelling of Macbeth and this play was perfect. I’ve seen many hurt critics, what a coincidence that they were all male, who don’t seem to understand the concept of “adaptations”. Yes, it is obviously not going to be the original, it’s not going to follow the same plot and the ending and characters development will be different. That’s the beauty of it, Lady M addressing the audience and breaking the fourth wall, asking herself why she always needs to end up mad and consumed with guilt after having been such an empowered woman. Her downfall doesn’t make sense. One moment she is in control of the story’s plot, next minute she disappears and when she comes back she is a completely different character, sleepwalking and committing suicide. Zinni Harris talks about the possibility of a missing part of Macbeth and she toys with the idea of what might have happened in order to get there. I loved every part of it, so gutted I could not see the live performance. Would recommend 100% unless you are a male traditionalist.

[Sara Raftery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful to read after seeing it staged. Helped me picked up on themes I couldn't quite get ahold of in real time. As a text, it does really intriguing stuff around the power of story and the role of women.

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[laura nicholson · Rating 3 out of 5]

meta-ception

[Kimberley Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this at the theatre while seeing the production.

For anyone reading - its one of those plays which performs much better than it reads - although still an interesting read. (I'm a theatre reviewer who sees 180-200 shows a year - so can verify a good show).

Well worth seeing and eventually to consider producing - excellent women's roles.

Was lucky enough to briefly meet the author - and for an Australian to see an interpretation of the Scottish play in Scotland was a special treat.

This will be produced in Melbourne in 2024 - hopefully could end up in Perth eventually.