A tale of love and betrayal that never gets old

MANILA, Philippines – Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows a man’s obsession with power, which leads him to impulsively murdering those who are a threat to his throne. As Macbeth becomes more desperate in his attempts to retain power as king, he engulfs himself further in a world of rebellion, lies and delusion.

A tale of love, murder, betrayal and deceit. The Tragedy of Macbeth explores how powerful human emotions, when carefully manipulated, can lead us to perform unfathomable deeds. Macbeth was greedy, jealous and unhappy with his life. He was extremely vulnerable to pressure. Shakespeare managed to accurately depict many truths about the human race; many in modern society fit the role of Macbeth in one sense or another. Human nature hasn’t changed a great deal since Shakespeare’s time. Themes such as guilt, hierarchy, anxiety, paranoia, distress, vulnerability, jealousy, inferiority, manipulation, greed and murder — all are still sadly present in the society we are in today.

The foundation storyline of Macbeth still chimes with our modern audiences today because it is a story of ambition. It shows the depths to which we humans will sink to geth what others have for ourselves, even if it means sabotaging others. That’s something people can relate to today; hence it’s continued popularity.

Guilt may be the most prevalent theme in Macbeth. The tragic hero, Macbeth, shows this character flaw throughout the play because of his invidious deeds. Macbeth killed his king, friends, and innocent bystanders to gain power in Denmark. At first Macbeth thought he could handle the stress, but the guilt caught up with his conscience that is consumed his moral being.

Macbeth stars Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender (X-Men, 300) as Macbeth and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (Inception, Assassin’s Creed) as Lady Macbeth. Macbeth hits Philippine theaters starting Jan. 13.