Cover of Macbeth

Drama · Fiction

Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

Prophecy and ambition accelerate a Scottish nobleman’s rise and collapse.

2 hr estimatedB1–B2 Linden levelRead now availability5 chapters

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Overview

About this book

A battlefield prophecy and a shared ambition pull Macbeth and Lady Macbeth toward regicide and political terror. Shakespeare compresses temptation, decision and consequence into a fast tragedy of images, interrupted sleep and unstable power.

First published
1606
Language
English
Copyright status
Public domain

English level

B1–B2 · Steady progress

Macbeth is calibrated from 18,327 sampled words across 5 chapters: sentences average 8.5 words, 8.3% exceed 24 words and 3% of words are nine letters or longer.

Explore the B1–B2 level →

Sentence rhythm

What the prose asks

Mostly compact sentences averaging 8.5 words in the sampled text

Vocabulary

What may slow you down

3% of sampled words contain nine or more letters and about 20.46 marked archaic terms per thousand words; names and period vocabulary still vary by chapter

Reading rhythm

One sitting

A few long sections make advance stopping points useful. About 4 calm 30-minute sessions.

Suggested approach

Read with momentum

Use chapter or section breaks to keep context while reading steadily

Best starting point

Begin with chapter one

The full text is ready with speech, lookup and saved progress.

CEFR-aligned Linden estimate · high confidence · sampled full text · Calibrated 2026-09-08 · Provisional, not an exam certification.

Table of contents

5 chapters

  1. 01Act I19 min
  2. 02Act Ii13 min
  3. 03Act Iii18 min
  4. 04Act Iv18 min
  5. 05Act V15 min
Portrait of William Shakespeare

Related author

William Shakespeare

An English playwright and poet whose comedies, histories and tragedies combine theatrical momentum with exceptional verbal range.

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