No 12851, Thursday 06 Feb 2020, Avtaar

ACROSS
1   Race outside class without inhibition (7) FRANKLY {F{RANK}LY}
5   Strange augury about chief of Utah state (7) URUGUAY {AUGURY}* over {Utah}

9   Iran courageously blocks hostility (7) RANCOUR [T]
10 One who directs in attire...red robes, back to front (7) ORDERER [T<=]
11 Trendy locomotive model I despatched is on the way (2,7) IN TRANSIT {IN}{TRAiN}{SIT}
12 When clubs run out of capital, the result is consolidation (5) UNION asUNcION Not sure of Anno See comments
13 Husband visits famous seaside resort for recess (5) NICHE {NIC{H}E}
15 Modern female puzzle makers, wanting opportunities, ultimately get restrained (2,7) IN FETTERS {IN}{F}{sETTERS}
17 Passe-partout’s escape, possibly following path taken by running mare (6,3) MASTER KEY {KEY} after {MA{ST}ER*}
19 Stop launch of baroque, expensive clothes (5) DEBAR {DE{Ba...e}AR}
22 Firm support for snake (5) COBRA {CO}{BRA}
23 Cousin ate bananas fast (9) TENACIOUS*
25 Nobleman’s medal that is fixed to the side of the head (7) EARLOBE {EARL}{OBE}
26 Papers about acquiring hospital, maybe? (7) PERHAPS {PER{H}APS*}
27 It is common knowledge here? (7) HEARSAY (~ here say)
28 With energy, Avtaar is back — invited by retiring chiefs of Southern newspaper — he is difficult to beat (7) NEMESIS {E}{ME}{IS<=} in {So...n}{Ne...r}<=

DOWN
1   Return of rule from abroad (7) FOREIGN {OF<=}{REIGN}
2   Dad’s dad, say, is acting funny after onset of amnesia (7) AGNATIC {Am...a}{ACTING*}
3   Currency recovered in a missing jacket (5) KRONA ANORaK<=
4   Coach reviewed staff guide (9) YARDSTICK {DRAY<=}{STICK}
5   Extremely unfit snake is put inside vessel (1-4) U-BOAT {BOA} in {UnfiT}
6   Fearless virgin, perhaps, has fun after removing top (9) UNDAUNTED {UNDA{fUN}TED}
7   Start of Easterly monsoon, making advance, south of European island nation (7) UKRAINE {E...?y}<=>{RAIN} after {UK}

8   Youngsters, on vacation, going over for new book briefs (1-6) Y-FRONTS {Yo...rS} over {FOR*}{NT}
14 Exciting late overs — they take you to a different level (9) ELEVATORS*
16 Spooner’s curious blower that is used for making dosas (6,3) FRYING PAN (~ prying fan)
17 Thane doctor came back to his roots (7) MACBETH {CAME+Back+To+Ro..s}*
18 A big, cold expanse in Southern part of Europe (7) SIBERIA {S}{IBERIA}
20 Buy, say, fried samosa — for the most part. It gives energy (7) BIOMASS (~buy){BI}{SAMOSa*}
21 One-second breaks without curbs (7) RESISTS {RES{1}{S}TS}
23 Diminutive, under-20 and young (5) TEENY {TEEN}{Y}
24 In presence of mother, bird ascends (5) CORAM {MA}{ROC}<= New word for me

Reference List
Husband = H, Female = F, Escape = ESC = KEY, Firm = Company = CO, Support = BRA, Hospital = H, Energy = E, Books = New Testament = NT, Southern = S, Second = S, Young = Y

Dr RKE's TalePiece

The Tragedy of Macbeth

The 20th century MACBETH, in a new AVTAAR wearing his Y-FRONTS, is a Thane of not Glamis but of UKRAINE. He is an AGNATIC kinsman of King Duncan. The resurrected Banquo hails from the FOREIGN soil of URUGUAY. Theirs is a UNION of ambition and daring. UNDAUNTED by the cold, they put up a TENACIOUS fight to defeat the Thane of SIBERIA. While returning, they are IN TRANSIT on a U BOAT, where they meet the Three Witches who take a bribe of some KRONA to prophesy that Macbeth will be king hereafter. Lady Macbeth believes in the HEARSAY and prevails on Macbeth who is "full o' th' milk of human kindness" to murder Duncan, justifying it as "foul is fair, fair is foul". Duncan's TEENY sons, fearing for their life, flee before they can be put IN FETTERS. Macbeth is seized by hallucinations of a COBRA  (not a dagger). Lady Macbeth takes to sleepwalking saying "Out, damned spot! Out, I say" or "all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand".  She commits suicide by jumping off an ELEVATOR. Banquo holds no RANCOUR but the paranoid Macbeth arranges to murder him too. FRANKLY, this causes no joy in Macbeth, who is now thrown from the FRYING PAN into the fire. Macbeth finally meets his NEMESIS in Macduff, a man "from his mother's womb/ untimely ripp'd". Macbeth RESISTS for sometime but his EARLOBE is cut off "in one fell swoop" and he is beheaded by Macduff at last. Macduff symbolically takes the MASTER KEY of Duncan's castle from a NICHE and hands it over to Prince Malcolm, PERHAPS in a gesture of generosity. 

(Warning: The college would DEBAR any student daring to write such stories, tampering with The Bard of Avon)