Just Macbeth! facts for kids
Just Macbeth is a fun and different version of William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth. It was created by the Australian children’s author Andy Griffiths. This story was first performed as a play by Bell Shakespeare and then released as a book. It takes the classic tale and gives it a hilarious, kid-friendly twist!
Characters
Here are the main characters in Just Macbeth:
- Andy (played by Patrick Brammall)
- Danny (played by Justin Smith)
- Lisa (played by Pippa Grandison)
The Story
The story begins with three friends, Andy, Lisa, and Danny. They are practicing a scene from the play Macbeth. To make things more interesting, they decide to make a special potion. After drinking it, something magical happens! They are suddenly pulled right into the world of Macbeth.
After a big battle, Andy and Danny are walking when they meet three mysterious witches. These witches tell them some surprising news. They say that Macbeth will become a powerful leader called the Thane of Cawdor. They also say that Banquo's children will become kings. The witches then disappear. Andy and Danny soon realize they are actually in the play. Andy is now Macbeth, and Danny is Banquo!
A character named Lennox arrives and tells them that King Duncan is coming to Macbeth’s castle. The King plans to celebrate their victory and stay the night. When Andy (as Macbeth) returns to his castle, he finds that Lisa is now Lady Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth (Lisa) convinces Andy (Macbeth) to do something terrible: kill the King. When Andy goes to do this, he meets Danny and his son, Fleance. Andy then kills King Duncan while he is sleeping. Everyone is shocked when they find out the King has been killed. Since King Duncan's son is away, Macbeth is chosen to be the new king.
As king, Andy (Macbeth) starts to worry about Danny. He remembers the witches' prophecy about Banquo's children becoming kings. So, he hires two people to kill Danny and Fleance. They succeed in killing Danny, but Fleance manages to escape.
Later, at a big dinner, Danny's ghost appears and scares Macbeth. Macbeth runs away from the ghost in fear. The other people at the dinner can't see the ghost. They think Macbeth is going crazy!
Macbeth decides to visit the witches again. The witches call up some spirits. These spirits tell him that no man born from a woman can kill him. Andy (Macbeth) thinks this means he is safe. He believes no one can defeat him. He then uses a strange machine to get rid of many people.
A doctor and a nurse tell Andy that Lisa (Lady Macbeth) has become very unwell. She is sleepwalking and acting strangely. Andy starts to feel very guilty about all the bad things he has done.
A guard then tells Andy that Lisa has died. The guard also says that an army of gnomes is attacking from England! Still believing no one can kill him, Andy fights the gnomes.
Finally, a character named MacDuff fights Macbeth. MacDuff tells Andy that he was not "born of a woman" in the usual way. He explains that he was "untimely ripped" from his mother's womb. Right after saying this, MacDuff defeats Andy (Macbeth).
In the end, it is revealed that the whole play was just Andy, Danny, and Lisa's own version of Macbeth. They were acting it out the whole time!
The Book and Play
The Just Macbeth! book was released in June 2009. It includes fun drawings by Terry Denton. He also illustrates many of Andy Griffiths' other books. Some things were changed from the original play for the book. For example, the King sings a silly song. Also, a TV show called Happy Tree Friends is changed to "Axe Wielding, Blood-Sucking Freaks" in the story.
