Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre at Blenheim Palace

Macbeth

Macbeth is bloody, fast-paced, action-packed and psychologically tense. Populated by witches and haunting apparitions, it tells the story of over-reaching ambition, a toxic marriage, a kingdom in crisis and a man’s encounter with his darkest self.

Returning victorious from battle in the service of King Duncan of Scotland, Macbeth and Banquo encounter three witches who prophesy that Macbeth will become King of Scotland, while Banquo’s descendants will be kings. Consumed by ambition and spurred on by his wife, Macbeth embarks on a murderous path to secure his position and confront his own fears.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

In Athens, Hermia is in love with Lysander, but betrothed to Demetrius – who Helena is in love with. One night all four set out into the woods, where the fairy king and queen, Oberon and Titania, are arguing. When Oberon decides to resolve matters by using the juice of a magic flower, much confusion and comedy ensue.

Richard III

The Duke of Gloucester has his eyes firmly fixed on the crown. Eliminating his obstacles one by one – wooing the woman whose husband and father-in-law he has killed, having his two young nephews murdered in the Tower of London – he is finally crowned King Richard III.

But his tyranny does not go unopposed. The night before the Battle of Bosworth Field, the ghosts of Richard’s victims appear in a dream to curse him. The following morning Richard is killed and the new Tudor dynasty assumes the throne, uniting the warring Houses of Lancaster and York, promising a new era of peace for England.

Romeo and Juliet

A long-standing feud between two noble families, the Montagues and the Capulets, means that when Romeo Montague and the Capulets’ only daughter, Juliet, meet and fall passionately in love, they know that their love is forbidden. Soon after marrying in secret, another brawl between the warring sides erupts on the streets and Romeo is exiled.

Attempts to unite the ‘star-crossed lovers’ lead to tragic consequences…