In Shakespeare's great "tragedy of blood", we are plunged into the life of a brave soldier who has always been loyal to his king, until he hears a prophecy that he will be king. Macbeth's greatest weakness may not be his ambition but how easily he is swayed: first by the fortune-telling of the witches, then by Lady Macbeth's shaming him to keep his promise to kill the king and finally by his inner mind, which convinces him that he must do the next murder, and the next.

Inside this tense thriller, Shakespeare has also weaved a heartbreaking story of a relationship falling apart. The motivations of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth run from the desire to please each other and the need to be seen by the other as strong.

When Macbeth murders King Duncan, he causes the kingdom and the natural world to fall into disarray and puts his own life in disarray as well.

Unable or unwilling to stop himself, consumed by paranoia and unable to sleep, Macbeth continues down the escalating path of blood. He also becomes cut off from his wife. The more they need each other, the less they are able to communicate.

Did the agents of the spirit world actually do anything or was it only Macbeth’s belief in the witches that led to his undoing?

Were he and Lady Macbeth evil at the beginning of the play or did evil thoughts and actions change them, and then there was no way back to the people they could have been?

There has never been a heart-stopping thriller which was also such a deep character study. Here is a fresh and clear look at the murky themes with which we are all still dealing.