Interpretation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth

Interpretation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth If you were to ask any foreigner to name a Scots king, he would

eventually mention Macbeth, and his knowledge would be based on

Shakespeare's famous play. However, Shakespeare's drama was written

more than 500 years after the real Macbeth was on the throne and the

plot of the fictitious drama has somewhat overshadowed the true life

of Macbeth.

As a result of Shakespeare, Macbeth has been portrayed as an unlucky

play, with fire, injuries and deaths associated with performances. In

the acting profession, Macbeth is referred to simply as "The Scottish

Play". It is unknown where exactly this unfortunate tradition

originated, although it is believed that the witches' chant has a

hidden meaning, even though in reality the life of Macbeth did not

involve witchcraft of any sort.

Interpretation of Shakespeares Macbeth (1700's)

Macbeth himself, who died in 1057, did not appear in monks' records as

an evil figure, and myths about his reign only began more than 400

years after his death. During his lifetime, his title as a

"warrior-prince" seems to have caused panic between countries close to

Alba, as Scandinavia, Ireland and England as well as the rest of

Europe, used Alba as a kind of strategic centre. Under Macbeth's

control for 17 years, Scotland had a capable, imaginative king, who

could safely leave the country for prolonged periods of time without

fear of any uprisings, something that was impossible in England at

this time, during the reign of Edward the Confessor.

In 1050, M...

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...Sivard of Northumbria, formed the climax of

the play, and once again Shakespeare uses reliable information for the

basis of his script. If Holinshead is to be believed, Macbeth was

defeated in battle at Dunsinane, which was a prehistoric hillfort

close to the Tayand Perth. Then, Holinshead claims he fled to

Lumphanan in the north-east of Scotland, where he was killed by

Macduff, a Scottish lord whose family had been murdered as a result of

Macbeth's rule.

However, Shakespeare felt it best to portray Macbeth being beheaded at

Dunsinane by Macduff. But Macbeth did not actually die until he

reached Birnam Wood, 12 miles Southeast of Dunsinane. In fact, neither

Holinshead nor Shakespeare was correct as there was no such lord as

Macduff, and, actually, Malcolm killed Macbeth, three years after the

battle of Dunsinane.