English edit

Etymology edit

Macbeth +‎ -ian

Adjective edit

Macbethian (comparative more Macbethian, superlative most Macbethian)

  1. Of or pertaining to William Shakespeare's play Macbeth (circa 1603-1607) about a regicide and the supernatural.
    • 1998, Syndy M. Conger, Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture, Volume 26:
      This is a Macbethian Gothic, a subtype of the shilling shocker designed to thrill the reader with gory supernatural spectacle.
    • 2001, Peter Cozzens, Eyewitnesses to the Indian Wars, 1865-1890: The army and the Indian:
      The fitful gleam of the glowing flame gave a Macbethian tinge to the weird scene and brought into bold relief the grim outlines of the cliffs []

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