Macbeth
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Macbeth is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 272
- Reading time
- about 5 hours (est.)
- First published
- 1623
- Genre
- Tragedy
- ISBN-13
- 9780743477109
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
Shakespeare's shortest tragedy: a Scottish nobleman, spurred by the prophecies of three witches and his ambitious wife, murders the king to seize the throne — and is destroyed by guilt. A near-universal 10th-grade English text; cited in Common Core Appendix B and on AP English Literature reading lists.
Why widely assigned
This Tragedy title, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 1620s; pairs with curriculum units on ambition and guilt; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Themes
ambition · guilt · fate vs free will · corruption · supernatural
Content notes
murder · supernatural · violence
Common Sense Media recommends age 14+.
Where this book is assigned
AP English Literature & Composition
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
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See all books like Macbeth→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Macbeth?
- Macbeth is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- How long does it take to read Macbeth?
- It takes about 5 hours to read Macbeth (272 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 300 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Macbeth?
- Macbeth appears on reading lists for AP English Literature & Composition, Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Macbeth banned in schools?
- Macbeth does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Macbeth explore?
- Central themes in Macbeth include ambition, guilt, fate vs free will, corruption, supernatural. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.