Macbeth: If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well

This clip was made for illustrative purposes and shared in this essay on how to get started enjoying Shakespeare. Search: Introduction to Enjoying Shakespeare [ shakespeareavclub.substack.com ] In this clip, we give an example of Shakespeare's inversion of language. In Act I Scene 7 of MACBETH he delivers a sentence in seven lines where the Subject Verb Object doesn't come until the last line: “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly: if the assassination Could trammel up the consequence, and catch With his surcease success; that but this blow Might be the be-all and the end-all here, But here, upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come.” Reading this can be challenging for Shakespeare newbies but in the hands of a master like Sir Patrick Stewart, we can easily follow what is being said. Starring Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood, directed by Rupert Goold, this performance of Macbeth was broadcast by BBC Four and PBS Great Performances in 2010. This short clip is for educational purposes and falls under Fair Use Doctrine.