Macbeth IV

Wilhelm Lehmbruck|William Shakespeare

1918 · Drypoint; first state of two · Drawings and Prints

Known best as a sculptor, Lehmbruck also made etchings and drypoints in his last decade. This example belongs to a series he devoted to Lady Macbeth, a fearsome figure in Shakespeare's play who encourages her husband to murder King Duncan to attain the throne, and is herself eventually consumed by guilt. Here, she clutches a dagger and is surrounded by corpses and wraiths. The elderly figure in the right foreground likely represents Duncan, while the group at right may be Banquo's family. Traumatized by his service in an army hospital during the First World War, Lehmbruck created this print a year before committing suicide.

Artist

Wilhelm Lehmbruck|William Shakespeare

Date

1918

Medium

Drypoint; first state of two

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1923