![]() ![]() In addition to the dramatic effect of making the report from the Captain more exciting, enhancing the bravery of Macbeth by altering his part in the defeat of Mackdonwald aids Shakespeare's construction of Macbeth as a tragic hero. Till he unseam'd him from the nave to th' chops,Īnd fix'd his head upon our battlements (I.i.15-23). Which nev'r shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Like Valor's minion carv'd out his passage Macbeth entering into the castell by the gates, found the carcasse of Mackdonwald lieng dead there amongst the residue of the slaine bodies, which when he beheld, remitting no peece of his cruell nature with that pitiful sight, he caused the head to be cut off, and set upon a poles end, and so sent it as a present to the king.Ĭontrasting with the above passage, in the drama Macbeth has not simply stumbled upon the body of the rebel, he has instead heroically killed Mackdonwald in battle:ĭeserves that name – Disdaining Fortune, with his slue his wife and children, and lastlie himself, least if he had yeelded simplie, he should have beene executed in most cruell wise for an example to other. However, to ensure Macbeth is viewed early in the play as extraordinarily courageous, Shakespeare changes Macbeth's role in the demise of Mackdonwald as presented in the Chronicles: In Holinshed's Chronicles, Macbeth is introduced as a valiant gentleman, and, as in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth is sent by King Duncan to crush the rebellion led by Mackdonwald. And, in the grander scheme, Shakespeare's alterations function to convey the sentiment echoed in many of his works – that there is a divine right of kings, and that to usurp the throne is a nefarious crime against all of humanity. It can be argued that the changes serve three main purposes: the dramatic purpose of producing a more exciting story than is found in the sources the thematic purpose of creating a more complex characterization of Macbeth and the political purpose of catering to the beliefs of the reigning monarch, King James the First. The plays of Seneca seem to have had great influence on Shakespeare, and, although no direct similarities to the work of Seneca can be seen in Macbeth, the overall atmosphere of the play and the depiction of Lady Macbeth can be attributed to the Latin author.Īn examination of Macbeth and Shakespeare's sources leads us to formulate several conclusions concerning the motives behind the dramatists alterations. Macbeth's words on dogs and men in Act 3, scene 1, (91-100), likely came from Colloquia, the memoirs of Erasmus (edition circa 1500). Other minor sources contributed to Shakespeare's dramatic version of history, including Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft, and Daemonologie, written in 1599 by King James I. Shakespeare's chief source for Macbeth was Holinshed's Chronicles (Macbeth), who based his account of Scotland's history, and Macbeth's in particular, on the Scotorum Historiae, written in 1527 by Hector Boece. Shakespeare's Sources for Macbeth: King James and Witchcraft, and More ![]()
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