Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's shortest and most intense dramas. Its straightforward plot and its strong characterization make it appealing for actors, directors, and audiences alike. The following brief discussion looks at the various theatrical contexts of the play from Shakespeare's time to ours.
The theater in Elizabethan and Jacobean times was basically a courtyard, surrounded on three sides by tall raised balcony areas. Other buildings in London, specifically public houses (taverns) and bear-baiting pits, were similarly designed. In a famous contemporary engraving of London, the Globe theater — where Macbeth was performed in 1611 — is famously confused with the Bear-baiting pit. In this context, it is interesting to note Macbeth's lines (Act V, Scene 7) "They have tied me to a stake . . . but bear-like I must fight the course."
At the center and to the back of the courtyard was a raised stage, above which hung a depiction of the heavens — a blue roof, fretted with golden stars. The stage contained a trapdoor through which ghosts could appear and into which the souls of the damned could disappear. At the back of the stage was a curtain leading to the actors' dressing area — the tiring room.
