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Text of Play

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The first folio. The first of them all. Every aspect of the play must be observed to see truth and let light shine forth. This section shall go over the changes of the play and this writing of it.

Macbeth was most likely written between 1603 and 1606. Some critics feel that references in Macbeth about James I were added after the play was written and perhaps as early as 1599.

A few parts of Macbeth were added. The scene with Hecate is one of the more obvious. It includes material from Thomas Middleton's play The Witch and traditionally assumed he wrote part with Hecate. But some scholars believe another unknown writer was involved due to the different style.

Macbeth was 1st published in the First Folio in 1623. It is the shortest of the tragedies and is believed that it was cut considerably before publication. As the only old text available, the Folio has been teh basis of all editions of Shakespeare's plays. Macbeth