Understanding Shakespeare--The Tragedy Series: Macbeth

The idea behind the Understanding Shakespeare series seems basically sound: mix scenes from the play with discussion by Shakespearean scholars and thereby enrich the viewer's appreciation of the Bard's classic tragedies. In practice, however, the results are so-so. We watched the video on Macbeth, Shakespeare's notably bloodthirsty Scottish social climber who hacked his way to the top and eventually lost his head. Following a brief introduction by an actor playing Shakespeare, we are treated to 20 dramatic vignettes from key parts of most scenes, with occasional bridging by a Spokesperson (in Macbeth, one of the witches serves this function). Following each chunk of the play, a trio of Shakespearean scholars (Dr. Susanne Collier, Dr. Michael J.B. Allen, and Dr. A.R. Braunmuller) and a moderator mull over the action and significance of what we've just seen and how it relates to other events in the play. However, anyone who has seen Shakespeare performed well will be unmoved by the amateur production here, and the scholarly banter--while never descending into the truly banal minutiae that is often the focus of contemporary Shakespearean scholarship--is choppy, yet occasionally insightful. In short, this is better than Cliff Notes but not as good as a fine performance of Macbeth with or without scholarly apparatus appended. An optional purchase. Other titles in the series are: Romeo & Juliet, Othello, and Hamlet. (R. Pitman)