{
  "title": "Macbeth: The Scottish Sitcom",
  "characters": [
    {
      "name": "Narrator",
      "gender": "Female"
    },
    {
      "name": "Macbeth",
      "gender": "Male"
    },
    {
      "name": "Banquo",
      "gender": "Male"
    },
    {
      "name": "Lady Macbeth",
      "gender": "Female"
    },
    {
      "name": "King Duncan",
      "gender": "Male"
    },
    {
      "name": "Witch 1",
      "gender": "Female"
    },
    {
      "name": "Witch 2",
      "gender": "Female"
    },
    {
      "name": "Witch 3",
      "gender": "Female"
    },
    {
      "name": "Macduff",
      "gender": "Male"
    }
  ],
  "scenes": [
    {
      "setting": "A particularly damp patch of Scottish moorland. Sounds of squelching mud and distant sheep.",
      "dialogue": [
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Our story opens on a rather dreary Tuesday in Scotland. General Macbeth and his pal Banquo are trudging home from a surprisingly successful skirmish. Little do they know, their day is about to get... weird."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "Ugh, my boots are ruined. Absolutely ruined. I told the quartermaster we needed galoshes!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Banquo",
          "line": "Cheer up, Mac. We won the battle. And got a promotion out of it. Thane of Cawdor! Fancy that."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "Yeah, yeah. Still, this mud... hang on. Who are these ladies?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Appearing out of the mist, looking less like mystical beings and more like they'd just survived a particularly rough music festival, were three figures."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 1",
          "line": "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 2",
          "line": "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 3",
          "line": "All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Banquo",
          "line": "Right... Is this a joke? Are you doing performance art? Because frankly, it's not very good."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 1",
          "line": "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 2",
          "line": "Not so happy, yet much happier!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 3",
          "line": "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Banquo!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "Wait wait wait. Back up. King? *Me*? Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure King Duncan has, like, a whole line of succession. It's quite complicated."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Banquo",
          "line": "And 'not so happy, yet much happier'? What does that even mean? Are you saying I'll be mildly content?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Witch 1",
          "line": "Ta-ta!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "And with a puff of suspiciously pungent smoke, the witches vanished. Leaving Macbeth and Banquo utterly bewildered."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "So... king, huh? Sounds like a lot of paperwork."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "setting": "The rather cluttered living room of Macbeth's castle. There's a half-finished tapestry project and a pile of dirty armour in the corner.",
      "dialogue": [
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Back at Casa Macbeth, Lady Macbeth was doing... well, whatever formidable ladies of the castle do when their husbands are off fighting. Probably passive-aggressively tidying."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "Honestly, the state of this place... Ah, a letter from Mac!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "She eagerly opened the scroll and began to read. Her eyes widened as she took in the news of the prophecies."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "'Thane of Cawdor... and shall be king hereafter!' Oh, Macbeth! My sweet, slightly clueless Macbeth! A king! This is brilliant! The renovations we could do! We could finally afford that indoor plumbing!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "But he's too full o' the milk of human kindness... more like the lukewarm oat milk of human indecision. He'd never just seize it! He needs... encouragement. Firm encouragement. Right, where's my planner? Duncan's visiting tonight? Excellent!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "A look of ambitious glee, and perhaps a touch of mania, crossed Lady Macbeth's face. She was planning a dinner party. And something else."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "setting": "A slightly uncomfortable guest bedroom in Macbeth's castle. It smells faintly of lavender potpourri and existential dread.",
      "dialogue": [
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Later that night. King Duncan, a genuinely nice old chap, was fast asleep. Macbeth, however, was having a bit of a crisis."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "(Whispering) Is that a dagger I see before me? Or did I just leave the letter opener on the stairs again?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "(Whispering fiercely) Macbeth! Get a move on! The guards are passed out, thanks to my special 'nighty-night' brew! Honestly, it's like trying to get a toddler to take a nap!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "But... he's so nice! He called me 'valiant cousin' today! And he gave you that diamond!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "The diamond is lovely, yes, but think of the crown jewels! Stop dithering and just... do the thing!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "With a deep sigh, Macbeth steelled himself. What followed was less a dramatic assassination and more a fumbled, awkward encounter involving confused shouting and the clatter of dropped objects."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "(Off-mike, sounds of bumping, a yelp, something falling)"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "Oh, honestly! Did you stab the duvet again? Give it here, I'll do it!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Eventually, it was done. Macbeth emerged, looking pale and clutching the wrong set of keys."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "I think... I did it? My hands are red... is that paint?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "It's blood, you idiot! Go wash up. And try not to look so suspicious. Honestly, the neighbours will talk."
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "setting": "The grand dining hall of Macbeth's castle. A dinner party is in full swing, albeit a slightly tense one.",
      "dialogue": [
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Months later. Macbeth was King. But things weren't exactly running smoothly. The Wi-Fi was spotty, the servants were muttering, and there was the small issue of Macbeth having had his friend Banquo 'disappeared'. Now, it was time for a celebratory banquet."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "Macbeth, dear, do sit down. You're hovering. And stop staring at that empty chair like it owes you money."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "But... but Banquo! He's sitting right there! And he looks... translucent! And covered in glitter?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Indeed, there in Banquo's seat was Banquo. Looking quite pale and spectral, and possibly shimmering slightly."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Banquo",
          "line": "Hey Mac! Just popping by. Awkward timing? Sorry. Just wanted to say hi. And maybe haunt you a little."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "(Shouting) Avaunt! And quit my sight! Your bones are marrowless! Your blood is cold! And your shimmering is very distracting!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "(To guests, forced smile) Oh, pay him no mind! The king has a... a touch of the vapours! Happens after a big plate of haggis. Anyone for more mead?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Banquo",
          "line": "(To Macbeth) You know, I always suspected you had something to do with it. Just wanted to confirm. Cool castle, though. Bit drafty."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "Go! Go! I am a man again!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Banquo",
          "line": "Alright, alright, party pooper. See ya 'round!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "And with a final spectral sigh, Banquo's ghost faded. The guests, however, were exchanging deeply uncomfortable glances."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Lady Macbeth",
          "line": "(Whispering to Macbeth) You absolute imbecile! Do you want everyone to know?!"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "setting": "The ramparts of Dunsinane Castle. It looks tired and slightly crumbling, much like Macbeth's reign.",
      "dialogue": [
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Time passed, as it tends to do in sitcoms. Macbeth became increasingly tyrannical and obsessed with the witches' less helpful prophecies. Armies were approaching. Things were looking bleak. Lady Macbeth was apparently off... sleepwalking? Doing the laundry? The script is a bit vague on that part."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "(To himself) 'Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane'... Yeah, right. Trees don't just get up and walk. That's just silly. And 'none of woman born shall harm Macbeth'... excellent! I'm basically invincible! Though I really should have asked for clarification on the 'woman born' part."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Just then, a large, slightly cross man wearing plaid and looking rather familiar stormed onto the battlements."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macduff",
          "line": "Right, Macbeth! You and I need to have a little chat about my family. And yours. Preferably with swords."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "Oh, it's you. Look, I'm not fighting anyone 'of woman born'. It's in the prophecy! Get lost!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macduff",
          "line": "Yeah, well, about that... see, I wasn't exactly 'born' in the usual sense. More of a... timely medical intervention? The nurses called it a C-section."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "...Oh. Right. That. Well, the witches were a bit vague! This is precisely why you need footnotes on prophecies!"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "And so, the inevitable confrontation began. It wasn't epic, or glorious. It was mostly just two middle-aged men awkwardly trying to swing heavy swords without pulling a muscle."
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Macbeth",
          "line": "(Grunting) Ow! My back! Is that it? Am I... done now?"
        },
        {
          "speaker": "Narrator",
          "line": "Yup, he was done. Macbeth's reign, like a dodgy microwave, had come to a sputtering, anticlimactic end. Malcolm became king, order was restored, and presumably, the central heating in the castle was finally fixed. As for the witches? Well, they probably opened a consulting firm. The end."
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
