Macbeth: Fact or Fiction?

(I'll be posting several different writing assignments that I completed for my British Lit class. To see the original explanatory post, click here.)

I wrote the following paper for my British Lit class. It highlights the differences between the play Macbeth and the actual Scottish history. Hope you enjoy!

To read a synopsis of the play first, click here.

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William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is considered by some to be one of his greatest works, written at the high point of his career. Although Macbeth has some basis in reality, Shakespeare didn’t seem to care about historical truth when he composed his play. “Shakespeare's Macbeth bears little resemblance to the real 11th century Scottish king,” says the BBC on their website about historic figures. (“Macbeth”) Most of the characters were real characters in the history of Scotland. Duncan and Macbeth were really kings of Scotland, and Malcolm and Donalbain were Duncan’s sons. That is where most of the realities end.

The real Duncan, who would have been known as Donnchad mac Crínáin, reigned from 1034 to 1040, when he was killed by Macbeth. He became king after the reign of Malcolm and was “a much weaker character than Malcolm and a terrible leader,” according to Historic-UK.com. (“Duncan and MacBeth”) Duncan was, however, killed by Macbeth, although not in the way described in the play at all. Shakespeare has Macbeth plot to kill Duncan, mostly at the great suggestion of his wife. In reality, Duncan was killed by Macbeth at the Battle of Northumbria in 1040.

Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as having killed Duncan while he was a guest at Macbeth’s own home. In the play, Macbeth questions his choice of killing his friend, who has just honored him, but is pushed forward in the deed by his wife, Lady Macbeth. There is really no historical precedent to show that Lady Macbeth encouraged her husband in any way. While there is historical record of Macbeth’s wife—her name was most likely Gruoch—there is no indication that she had anything whatsoever to do with the murder of the king. The truth is that Macbeth killed his own king during a battle in 1040. If he did conspire with anyone, all of the evidence points to his cousin the Earl of Orkney who may have helped Macbeth commit the murder.

Shakespeare also messed with the ages of many of the characters in his play. Duncan is portrayed as an elderly man, when in reality it is much more likely that he was a fairly young man. As a result, Duncan’s sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, were most likely young boys, not the men that they are in Shakespeare’s tale.

Banquo is portrayed as a very upright and noble character in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. As Macbeth’s best friend it seems that Macbeth would have had pity on him, but that was not to be. Banquo is viciously murdered by mercenaries hired by Macbeth. The truth of Banquo’s existence can be questioned. It is not known if Banquo was a real person, or if he is just a legendary character. At Shakespeare’s time it was thought that the current line of kings, the Stuarts, was descended from Banquo. As a result of this, Shakespeare would have had to portray Banquo in a good light, or else it would have been considered an insult to the king, James I. The truth of the real Banquo’s character, if he in fact existed, is then left unknown.

The character of Macduff is purely fictitious. Shakespeare may have invented him in order to have a good character kill Macbeth. Macbeth was instead killed in a battle in 1057 by Duncan’s son Malcolm. Lady Macduff and her son are also, consequently, figments of Shakespeare’s imagination. Since they weren’t real, Macbeth could not possibly have ordered their deaths either.

At the end of the play the future of Scotland is left open. The witches from the play Macbeth imply that Banquo’s son, Fleance, will be king, in Act I, Scene III, line 67, when they say, “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” This, of course, never happened since the existence of Banquo, and therefore Fleance, is questioned.

In 1045, Duncan’s father Crinan tried to restore his grandson’s throne but was defeated and killed by Macbeth. Macbeth’s reign was also challenged in 1054 by Siward, the Earl of Northumbria, who is also a character in Shakespeare’s play. When Macbeth died he was succeeded by his stepson Lulach. Lulach was referred to as “simple- minded” and “foolish” (“Lulach”). His reign only lasted seven months. It ended when he was killed by Duncan’s son Malcolm in early 1058. Malcolm then finally became king. He reigned until 1093, when he was succeeded by his brother Donalbain, or Duncan II.

It remains unclear why Shakepeare chose to set a mostly fictitious story within the realm of true events. Shakespeare’s play is certainly more exciting and violent than real life, although the actual account seems almost as bloody and disturbing. Shakespeare also included the characters of the witches and their master Hecate, possibly to give the play its supernatural and weird feel. Even though Macbeth is a great literary work, it is almost entirely incorrect when it comes to the comparison with real life.

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Works Cited

“Duncan and MacBeth”, October 29, 2009, http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/DuncanandMacbeth.htm

“Lulach,” Ocotber 28, 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulach

“Macbeth,” Ocotber, 29, 2009, www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/macbeth.shtml

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Above material © 2010 Caroline Carpenter. Please do not copy or re-post without permission or a link to my blog.