Macbeth

Not just a figment of Shakespeare's imagination

Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of the most iconic characters ever created. But few people realise that Macbeth was also a real man, a king of 11th century Scotland who led a life filled with as much murder, treachery and drama as the tragic hero of Shakespeare's play.

Macbeth is one of the greatest dramatic works in the English language. But the play departs heavily from its historical source which tells a very different story to Shakespeare's.

The man behind the myth

Shakespeare depicts Macbeth as noble warrior brought low by his manipulative and ambitious wife who goads him into committing regicide, setting off a bloody chain of events which leads to their downfall.

In reality, Macbeth had a royal lineage dating back to Malcolm I. His father was Findláech (Findlay), Mormaer of Moray, and his mother a daughter of Kenneth II. He therefore had a legitimate claim to the kingship which he won, not by murdering an elderly King Duncan in his bed, but on the battlefield. And Duncan, far from being an old man, was in fact ages with Macbeth.

A long and prosperous reign

In the play Macbeth's reign is brief, bloody and disastrous - perhaps no longer than 10 weeks - during the course of which he orchestrates the murder of his closest ally and confidant Banquo, as well as the innocent family of his rival MacDuff.

The real Macbeth's reign lasted for 17 years, a remarkable feat that is testament to his strength and competence as a leader. As for Banquo and MacDuff? There is no historical evidence for either of them.

The end

Like his fictional counterpart, Macbeth met a violent death. But as ever, the climax of the play deviates considerably from historical record. Shakespeare has Macbeth slain by MacDuff at a battle near Dunsinane in the wake of an invasion of Alba lead by Earl Siward of Northumbria.

While Earl Siward did lead an invasion of Alba, it was in partnership with Malcolm Canmore, son of Duncan. Defeated in battle but not vanquished, Macbeth continued to rule for a further three years before dying upon Malcolm's sword.

1. One of Shakespeare’s shortest plays

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays. The action follows one storyline without multiple subplots in comparison to Shakespeare’s previous plays.

2. The phrase ‘steal my thunder’ originated from Macbeth

When you steal someone’s thunder, you use that person’s idea to your own benefit without giving them credit. Although the phrase doesn’t appear in Shakespeare’s play, it is believed that he used an invention of playwright John Dennis as a thunder sound effect! The sound was first heard in Dennis’s production of Appius and Virginia and was later used in Macbeth... Dennis then complained that his thunder had been stolen.

3. King James I wrote a book on witchcraft that helped shape Macbeth

In 1597, King James VI of Scotland (later also known as King James I of England), published the book Daemonologie. The representation of witchcraft in Macbeth is very similar to the beliefs of King James expressed in his book.

4. Macbeth was first performed in 1606

Macbeth was first performed in 1606 for King James. James may have been a descendant of Banquo, one of the main characters in the play.

1. Dingwall

Situated just north of Inverness, this town is believed to be the birthplace of Macbeth.

2. Brodie Castle

Known locally as ‘Macbeth’s Hillock’ where Macbeth is said to have encountered the Weird Sisters. Brodie Castle existed in Shakespeare’s time but was not visited by the real Macbeth, who was born hundreds of years before the playwright. However, a Pictish symbol stone, known as Rodney’s Stone may have been observed by him in his lifetime.

3. Moray

Macbeth ruled over an area of Scotland known as the Mormaerdom of Moray which covered Spey Valley, around Inverness and the northern section of the Great Glen. This was a much larger section of the Moray that we know of today.