Macbeth is a successful soldier and
has done excellent service for his
King. He has been rewarded by being
made a Thane (a sort of Scottish
lord) and expects further rewards
- especially after a meeting with
three ‘weird sisters’, or witches, who
prophesy all sorts of things for him,
including calling him
a man that: ‘ would be king hereafter’.
Naturally he writes to his wife - a
woman with ambition in her veins instead of blood and she decides
to hurry this idea on a little. So, when King Duncan comes to stay
with the Macbeths, she persuades Macbeth to kill him in his sleep.
Well, they’ve been disappointed by the King appointing his own son
Malcolm as his successor, instead of Macbeth, so obviously they’re
a bit put out!
One murder leads to another, until, as Macbeth says himself, he
is ‘so steeped in blood’ that it would be as ‘tedious to return’ as to
continue. Bad dreams and fears of eternal damnation follow - and of
course in the end, everyone hates him, his castle is besieged, he has
a final fight and is beheaded.
The moral of this jolly tale being: even if you’re guaranteed
promotion and a rosy future in your entrepreneurship, don’t rush into
things; don’t expect your rewards too soon - and for goodness sake
don’t murder your boss!
If you feel you can’t wade through Shakespeare, there is an excellent
modern take on the story, adapted by being filmed in a restaurant,
where Macbeth is the successful chef who hopes to take over the
restaurant - and the three witches are refuse collectors!
(EVEN)
ENTREPRENEURS
N E E D
T O
R E A D
Just because your life is taken up with establishing your business,
or expanding it once it’s established, doesn’t mean you don’t have
time to read.
Indeed, some books can be positively beneficial to your business
attitude and acumen (and I don’t just mean ‘How-To’ books.)
As ever, Shakespeare has some of the answers to questions you
may not even have asked yet; or at least a warning / guide to how
you avoid the pitfalls that can come with ‘vaulting ambition that o’er
leaps itself’.
Try reading through Macbeth and see just where wanting too much
too quickly can lead…….
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