"Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing." In feudal Scotland, a semi-barbaric country of rival clans and chieftains, politics is law, and supernatural forces seem to hold sway over man’s destiny. As witches prophesy mysteriously and storms rage, ambition and deceit converge; treacherous murder breeds uncontrollable violence. Written during the reign of King James I, Shakespeare’s Macbeth is an intense examination of the corrupting nature of power, the ability of humans to choose their own destinies, and the lengths to which people will go to satisfy their own desires. Its direct, driving plot carries us from homicide to chaos to war with incredible force and speed. To make Macbeth more accessible to the modern reader, our Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Edition includes a glossary of the more difficult words, as well as convenient sidebar notes to enlighten the reader on aspects that may be confusing or overlooked. In doing this, it is our intention that the reader may more fully enjoy the beauty of the verse, the wisdom of the insights, and the impact of the drama.