A
poster from an 1884 American production of
William Shakespeare's
The Tragedy of Macbeth, a tale of
regicide and its aftermath. Starting anti-clockwise from top-left, we see
Macbeth and
Banquo meet the witches, Macbeth just after the murder of
King Duncan, Banquo's ghost, and Macbeth dueling with
Macduff. Over the centuries, the play has attracted some of the greatest actors in the roles of Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth. The play has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, comic books, and other media. Shakespeare borrowed the story from several tales in
Holinshed's Chronicles, a popular history of the
British Isles, although the story itself bears no relation to the actual history of
Macbeth of Scotland.
Lithography: W.J. Morgan & Co.; Restoration: Adam Cuerden