American Toby Jug Museum 

Macbeth & Lady Macbeth thimbles produced by Francesca China of Longton, England, circa 1985. "Light thickens, and the crow Makes wing to the rooky wood; Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, Whiles night's black agents to their preys do rouse." This ominous speech by Macbeth precedes the murder of his fellow general, Banquo, and is a potent indicator of the dark forces at work throughout Shakespeare's haunting 1606 play. These supernatural images are most evident in the three sisters, who on a blasted heath amidst peals of thunder, prophesy the rise and death of Macbeth. Securing his crown by treachery, the protagonist of this tragic drama is driven by his ambitious, scheming wife and turns the country into a bloodbath. Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes queen of Scotland. Some regard her as becoming more powerful than Macbeth when she does this, because she is able to manipulate him into doing what she wants. After Macbeth becomes a murderous tyrant, she is driven to madness by guilt over their crimes and kills herself offstage.