“That Scottish play!” One dare not speak its name backstage, yet Shakespeare’s Macbeth has fascinated and captivated audiences for centuries. The daring blend of murder, sex, witchcraft, and tyranny runs through our cultural bloodstream today, as the timeless Tragedy of Macbeth continues to occasion countless performances and adaptations; its lead roles are at the top of every actor’s bucket list. In this course, we explore the play through various lenses: The historical sources for the eleventh-century King Mac Bethad mac Findlaích; the practical realities of Renaissance Theater; the complexity of the protagonist’s character; the modern appeal to great actors as a touchstone of success; and the richness of the text itself—with its nuances, ambiguities, and literary devices—which has heightened the play’s impact, as a milestone in literary and theatrical history, and when viewed in the socio-political context of Jacobean London. Each session focuses on an act (or part thereof), with excerpts of films and video-recorded stage performances. Following each class (gratis to course registrants), there’s an optional ½-hour session, in which participants may perform (or just listen to) a dramatic reading of the part discussed in class.