Can Shakespeare still teach us a lesson today?

Last year, several upper form classes were captivated by the compelling performance of Hamlet staged at the Landestheater Innsbruck. This year, it was the turn of our 7th and 8th graders to once again step into the realm of Shakespeare.

They embarked on a journey through the dark world of Macbeth, presented to them by Vienna’s English Theatre. A talented quartet of young actors from England skilfully unfolded Macbeth’s ambition for the Scottish crown, his inner conflicts, his meteoric rise and his tragic descent into the abyss. The question that was eagerly discussed in the English class afterwards was whether this ancient tale is still relevant for us today. Here are some insights into our students’ opinions:

Seduction and deception
The play has several themes that represent today’s society. One of them is how easily one can be influenced, especially by those around you. I found it interesting how simple it was for the witches to plant a seed in Macbeth’s mind that determined his future path. However, if it hadn’t been for his wife who was greedy for power, he probably wouldn’t have done it. (Marie Haslinger)
Seeking power
This ancient story speaks to us because it touches on themes like ambition, the corrupting influence of power, and the suffering of innocent people. It's like swapping old things for new: ‘blades become bullets, kings turn into presidents, and courts become boardrooms.’ This shows that the problems and consequences of seeking power haven't changed much over time. Macbeth reminds us that uncontrolled ambition and bad choices can cause a lot of harm, and it warns us about how powerful people behave in our world today. (Laura Aigner)
The greed for more
At the very first read, the exposition reminded me of the quote ''There are no ethical billionaires''. […] The connection that can be made to the play, and the exposition in particular, is that power, nowadays mostly in the form of money, but also political influence, can corrupt people and make them abandon their personal beliefs and ethics in favor of more, more, more (money). (Finn Salcher)
The over-ambitious pursuit of goals today
I can see parallels between the play and today’s society in that we also strive to achieve our dreams and these ambitions can leave behind everything human and kind-hearted in us because we only think about these goals. This is how we destroy ourselves and those around us, which is why, in my opinion, it is always the most important thing that we dream big, but that we never forget reality and sometimes accept when something doesn't go our way. […] In my opinion we have to be a little crazy to pursue our goals, but we should never hurt anyone or mean anything bad. (Clara Pinggera)
Our responsibilities
While reading Macbeth I thought it probably wouldn't teach me a lesson but then I stumbled upon this quote by Banquo: "For every powerful man who's grown rich you'll find the innocents face down in a ditch". And it made me realize that this play might still be pretty relevant in today's society. Power and its abuse are big topics. […]  Very truly "the story keeps repeating" but if we want to change that from happening then we should not spend hours interpreting this play but look around and start right here and now. (Emely Kramer)
Knowing one’s priorities
As far as I'm concerned, it's crucial to be ambitious but there are so many politicians who start a war because of their desire for power. We should always know which people have our backs and we shouldn't move away from our real friends as Macbeth did with Banquo. I am convinced that these days our priorities should be love, a healthy work-life balance, peace and happiness that we can share with somebody such as friends and family. (Mirjam Berger)
Quotes are taken from Duncan, Clive: Macbeth. Vienna’s English Theatre Schooltours.

Text and photo: Prof. Ingrid Lechner