Why is Macbeth one of shakespeare shortest plays?

Answer 1

It is one of the shortest because it has the fewest lines. The reason why a play is long or short is usually because that is how long it took to get to the end.

There can be other factors. Hamlet and King Lear were published in different versions which contain lines not in the other; if the two versions are put together, the result is a longer play. We have only one source text for Macbeth.

Also certain plays had topical material introduced in them which may not have been used in every performance. An example of such filler is the conversation between Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about the popularity of boys' playing companies (a threat to Shakespeare's business at one time). Sometimes filler is put in to allow for a costume change, such as the conversation between Lorenzo and Jessica at the beginning of Act 5 of The Merchant of Venice. Unfortunately Macbeth is also filled out with a number of scenes containing the character Hecate in a style jarringly dissimilar to the rest of the play, and probably written by someone else (perhaps Thomas Middleton) to provide a little song-and-dance. And the Porter scene, although possibly Shakespeare's best comic relief, is clearly in the play to facilitate a costume change for the Macbeths.

Although its language is powerful and clearly the play is well thought through, Macbeth is a play full of action. Its style contrasts with a play like Antony and Cleopatra, which is bulky and 'talky', lacking action.