Shakespeare's stark tale of a tormented nobleman driven into a murderous plot by his ambition to assume the throne of Scotland has made Macbeth one of the Bard's most-studied works. The Scottish play is a ruthlessly economic drama, marked by continuous eloquence and gripping storytelling. Students will find in this new edition of concise critical essays a plot summary of the play, an introduction by master scholar Harold Bloom, an annotated bibliography, and an index to assist in research.