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Primary sourceDiary entry1610

Simon Forman's account of Macbeth

Simon Forman · 1610

A page from astrologer Simon Forman's diary describing his 1610 visit to see Shakespeare's Macbeth performed at the Globe.

This eyewitness account describes a performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth, showing how his plays were seen by contemporary audiences.

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Black and white scan of a handwritten 17th-century manuscript page, numbered 207 in the upper right corner, written in dense cursive ink lines. The opening lines begin with a heading referring to Macbeth and a date in 1610.
Simon Forman, 'Booke of Plaies,' account of Macbeth, 1610.

About this source

What it is

This manuscript page is from Simon Forman's 'Booke of Plaies,' in which he recorded his impressions of plays he watched in London. This page describes a performance of Macbeth that Forman saw in 1610.

Why it matters

Forman's notes are a rare eyewitness account of how Shakespeare's plays were actually staged and watched during his lifetime. Because so little direct evidence survives about early performances, this diary entry is valuable for understanding how audiences of the time experienced plays like Macbeth, The Winter's Tale and Cymbeline at the Globe.

Look closer

  • Why is an audience member's account different from the printed text of the play itself?
  • What might Forman have focused on when describing the performance, and what might he have left out?
  • What does this source tell us about how plays were experienced rather than just read?

This diary entry is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William Shakespeare on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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