Macbeth: True Story?!
- The play Macbeth is set in the Dunsinane Castle, Scotland during the 11th century. It is believed that Shakespeare wrote the first copy of the play between 1603 and 1607.
- As explained in a previous page, King James I of England was originally King James VI of Scotland.
- Shakespeare based his play off a true story, according to some sources.
- There was an actual King Duncan of Scotland, and he was murdered by a man named MacBeth in the 11th century. Unlike the fictional Macbeth, the real King MacBeth held firm sovereign and left many legacies. He united Scotland and instituted laws to organize politics.
Prophecies of the Weird Sisters
"You [Banquo] are lesser than Macbeth but also greater. You are not as happier as Macbeth but much happier. Your descendants will be king but you will not!"
-The Weird Sisters, Macbeth |
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Elements of Supernatural
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Treason and Regicide
- The character Macbeth commits treason, murdering the honorable King Duncan and his trusting friend Banquo.
- Macbeth may be interpreted as King James I of England taken to extremes. Macbeth was excessively paranoid that people might find out about his sin and betrayal upon King Duncan, and therefore kills countless innocent people even before he has proof of their suspicion or wrong-doing.
- "Perhaps Shakespeare is sending James a subtle warning about his suspicious nature, showing him how it may spiral out of control and result in ruin for James and his line," quoted BBC News. If this was Shakespeare's true intention, the warning was way too subtle; King James I refused to abandon the belief that everyone was capable of treason and that as a monarch he had the right to execute the suspected ones even without proof.
- Unlike the character Macbeth's, King James I' paranoia was justified later in 1605 when the Gunpowder Plot, a plot devised by a group of Catholics to assassinate the king and destruct the castle, was uncovered and failed.
"The Gunpowder Plot: A Simple Plan"
BBC Worldwide, YouTube |
"The Gunpowder Plot: Disaster Averted"
BBC Worldwide, YouTube |
Grace Song & Seowon Kim
British Literature C Block Bedford High School |