This Week in Literary History: William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is Performed for the First Time (Probably)
This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Literary History newsletter—sign up here. The earliest existing eyewitness account of a performance of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth comes to us from the astrologer Simon Forman, who saw the play at the Globe Theater on April 20,
The earliest recorded performance of William Shakespeare's Macbeth took place at the Globe Theater on April 20, 1611, according to astrologer Simon Forman's account. However, many sources believe that the play was likely performed earlier, possibly for King James and his brother-in-law King Christian of Denmark at Hampton Court Palace on August 7, 1606.
It wasn't printed until 1623, seven years after Shakespeare's death, in the First Folio, which included 18 other previously unpublished plays. Since then, Macbeth has been performed and adapted numerous times for stage and screen, with notable performances by Laurence Olivier, Ian McKellen, Peter O'Toole, Orson Welles, Denzel Washington, Michael Fassbender, Alan Cumming, Toshiro Mifune, and others.
The title role and Lady Macbeth have both been portrayed by a variety of celebrated actors throughout history.
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