Great Expectations vs Macbeth: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, History, Fiction
Great Expectations
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Great Expectations is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (the book is a bildungsroman; a coming-of-age story). It is Dickens'…
Macbeth
“Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches.”
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The play concerns a trusted general who secretly lusts for power. Encouraged by the prophecies of three witches and urged on by his ambitious wife Macbeth commits regicide. Left fearful and superstitious by this…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Great Expectations highest: Great Expectations 3.8 · Macbeth 3.5.
- Macbeth is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 10 for Great Expectations.
- Great Expectations has the widest readership — 892506 ratings behind its score.
- Macbeth reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 66 times.
- Macbeth runs the darker storyline; Great Expectations stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Great Expectations | Macbeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (892506) | 3.5 (18773) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (858) | 3.9 (1169) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (4858) | 3.5 (555) |
Reception
| Great Expectations | Macbeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 892506 | 18773 |
| Editions | 1489 | 1867 |
| Citations | 62 | 66 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 605 | 8761 |
| Reading it now | 128 | 325 |
| Written reviews | 65 | 190 |
| Wikipedia attention | 43930 | 485 |
| Pages | 546 | 84 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Great Expectations or Macbeth?
Great Expectations has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Great Expectations 3.8/5, Macbeth 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: Great Expectations or Macbeth?
Macbeth is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Macbeth (84 pages, ≈ 1 h 33 m); Great Expectations (546 pages, ≈ 10 h 07 m).
Which is harder to read: Great Expectations or Macbeth?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Great Expectations: Demanding; Macbeth: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Great Expectations: 5 film adaptations; Macbeth: no film adaptation on record.