Macbeth
opera · melodramma in quattro parti
Composer Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist Francesco Maria Piave
Synopsis
Returning from a victorious battle, the generals Macbeth and Banquo meet witches who hail Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and king hereafter, and promise Banquo a line of kings. The first prophecy comes true at once, and Lady Macbeth, reading of it in her husband's letter, resolves to drive him to the throne.
Versions
Key facts
- Premiere
- 14 March 1847, Teatro della Pergola, Florence
- Acts
- 4
- Language
- Italian (it)
- Setting
- Scotland, chiefly at Macbeth's castle, and the border between Scotland and England.
What's different
The original, written for the Teatro della Pergola in Florence. It ends with Macbeth dying on stage after a final aria, which the 1865 revision removed.
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Macbeth A general in King Duncano's army. | baritone | Felice Varesi |
| Banco A general in King Duncano's army. | bass (profondo) | Nicola Benedetti |
| Lady Macbeth Macbeth's wife. | soprano | Marianna Barbieri-Nini |
| Dama di Lady Macbeth A woman in attendance on Lady Macbeth. | mezzo-soprano | Faustina Piombanti |
| Macduff A Scottish nobleman, Lord of Fife. | tenor | Angelo Brunacci |
| Malcolm Duncano's son. | tenor | Francesco Rossi |
| Medico A doctor. | bass | Giuseppe Romanelli |
| Domestico di Macbeth A servant of Macbeth. | bass | — |
| Sicario A murderer. | bass | Giuseppe Bertini |
| Araldo A herald. | bass | — |
| Prima apparizione The first apparition. | baritone | — |
| Seconda apparizione The second apparition. | soprano | — |
| Terza apparizione The third apparition. | soprano | — |
| Duncano King of Scotland. | silent role | — |
| Fleanzio Banco's son. | silent role | — |
Key facts
- Premiere
- 19 April 1865, Théâtre Lyrique Impérial, Paris
- Acts
- 4
- Language
- French (fr)
- Setting
- Scotland, chiefly at Macbeth's castle, and the border between Scotland and England.
What's different
Verdi's revision for the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, sung in a French translation by Charles Nuitter and Alexandre Beaumont. He added a ballet and a closing chorus, rewrote Lady Macbeth's second-act aria entirely, reshaped much of the third act, and replaced Macbeth's final aria with a death off stage. The revision was first sung in Italian at the Teatro alla Scala in the autumn of 1865, and it is that Italian translation of the Paris text, rather than the French original, that modern productions stage. Primary here because it is the text the opera is now performed in, whatever the language.
Translator Charles Nuitter, Alexandre Beaumont
Dramatis personae
| Role | Voice | Created by |
|---|---|---|
| Macbeth A general in King Duncano's army. | baritone | Ismaël |
| Banco A general in King Duncano's army. | bass (profondo) | Bilis-Petit |
| Lady Macbeth Macbeth's wife. | soprano | Rey-Balla |
| Dama di Lady Macbeth A woman in attendance on Lady Macbeth. | mezzo-soprano | Mairot |
| Macduff A Scottish nobleman, Lord of Fife. | tenor | Montjauze |
| Malcolm Duncano's son. | tenor | Huet |
| Medico A doctor. | bass | Guyot |
| Domestico di Macbeth A servant of Macbeth. | bass | — |
| Sicario A murderer. | bass | Caillot |
| Araldo A herald. | bass | — |
| Prima apparizione The first apparition. | baritone | — |
| Seconda apparizione The second apparition. | soprano | — |
| Terza apparizione The third apparition. | soprano | — |
| Duncano King of Scotland. | silent role | — |
| Fleanzio Banco's son. | silent role | — |
| Ecate Goddess of night. | silent role | — |
Source
- Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1606)
Written from
- Budden, J. (1978) The operas of Verdi. Volume 1: From Oberto to Rigoletto. New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 267-312.
- Wikipedia (2026) Macbeth (Verdi). (Accessed: 28 September 2026). The English article.
- Piave, F. M. (1847) Macbeth: melodramma in quattro parti. Milan: Tito di Gio. Ricordi. (Accessed: 28 September 2026).
- Wikipedia (2026) Macbeth (opera). (Accessed: 28 September 2026). The Italian article.