Skip to main content

Why should you read "Macbeth"? - Brendan Pelsue

  • 3,087,912 Views
  • 52,630 Questions Answered
  • TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

There’s a play so powerful that an old superstition says its name should never be uttered in a theater. A play that begins with witchcraft and ends with a bloody, severed head. A play filled with riddles, prophecies, nightmare visions, and lots of brutal murder. But is it really all that good? Brendan Pelsue explains why you should read (or revisit) "Macbeth."


Customize this lesson870

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Brendan Pelsue
  • Director Silvia Prietov
  • Senior Animator Jenaro Gonzalez, Diego Doncel, William Cifuentes
  • Producer Julian Andrés Sánchez
  • Compositor Julian Andrés Sánchez, Ricardo Arias
  • Animator Daniela Rueda, Ingrid Solano
  • Storyboard Artist Mauricio Vargas
  • Art Director Ronald Reyes
  • Designer Ronald Reyes
  • Sound Designer Alejandro Uribe-Holgin
  • Composer Manuel José Gordillo
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Adrian Dannatt
Additional Resources for you to Explore
For a good edition of Macbeth, consider either the Arden or Folger editions of the play. Both have great introductions and annotations that make the plays easier to understand.

Here is a list of films inspired by Macbeth:

Throne of Blood––Macbeth transposed to feudal Japan.
Scottland, PA––Macbeth set at a small town fast food restaurant.
Shakespeare Must Die––A riff on Macbeth inspired by contemporary Thailand.
Makibefo––a Macbeth-like story set in a fishing village in Madagascar.
Joe Macbeth–a British film which sets Macbeth in the criminal underworld.

For more about Shakespeare’s life and the times in which he lived, considered reading Will in the World, by Stephen Greenblatt.


Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Brendan Pelsue
  • Director Silvia Prietov
  • Senior Animator Jenaro Gonzalez, Diego Doncel, William Cifuentes
  • Producer Julian Andrés Sánchez
  • Compositor Julian Andrés Sánchez, Ricardo Arias
  • Animator Daniela Rueda, Ingrid Solano
  • Storyboard Artist Mauricio Vargas
  • Art Director Ronald Reyes
  • Designer Ronald Reyes
  • Sound Designer Alejandro Uribe-Holgin
  • Composer Manuel José Gordillo
  • Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Adrian Dannatt

More from Reading Between the Lines