Macbeth: Macbeth and King Duncan Essay

In the eleventh-century, Scotland experienced the reign of a strong leader, Macbeth. Macbeth gained the crown through triumph in battle. Although William Shakespeare wrote a famous play, Macbeth, based upon this king , there is little about the fictional Macbeth that is similar to the historical leader. Scotland was a collection of autonomous clans that had been waging war with each other and had Vikings raiding the coast of Scotland. Until King Malcolm of Scotia united Scotland under one central ruler in 1018 making him the most powerful man in Scotland. However, there was no male heir and King Duncan became next in line due to marriage. During his reign Scotland experienced the reign of a weak and terrible leader. According to the article, he led a disastrous campaign into Northumbria and was forced to retreat. He was soon killed in battle and replaced by Macbeth, Thane of Moray whose claimed the throne for himself and his wife. Unlike Macbeth, was a glorious king who was respected for his leadership qualities and during his reign he was able to create peace in a country who was once filled with warring clans. In 1050, Scotland was stable a country under the rule of Macbeth allowing him to take a pilgrimage to Rome. However, this peace and stability would not last for long because Malcolm son of King Duncan had grown up during Macbeth's 17 year rule and was ready to gain vengeance for his father who was defeated at the Battle of Moray. Several battles were fought before Malcolm was able to take the throne as the new king of Scotland. First, Malcolm defeated Macbeth at the Battle of Dunsinane however, he still remained on the throne and returned Malcolm his land. But Malcolm's thirst for vengeance did not end there in 1057 at the battle of Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire , Macbeth was finally defeated and Malcolm became the new king. In the history books Macbeth will be remembered as heroic king who brought peace to Scotland. However, in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, he will be remember as an ineffective ruler who became corrupt with power and almost destroyed Scotland. Shakespeare deliberately mixed fact and fiction in his play displaying Macbeth as tyrant, but in reality he was a notable king who was wise and had amazing leadership qualities. In the play, Macbeth kills King Duncan, an ageing effective king and assumes the throne because his two sons Malcolm and Donnalbain the rightful heirs flee. However, Macbeth did not murder King Duncan in his sleep instead killed him at the Battle of Moray and replaced an ineffective king who had uneventful and eventually an unsuccessful reign. The play suggest that Malcolm and Donnalbain were adults because Malcolm was named Prince of Cumberland and after their fathers murder they flee to England and Ireland. In reality, when their father died both of King Duncan's sons were still young and were sent away for safety. According to the map, Malcolm is sent to England and Donnalbain is sent to Isles. In Shakespeare's Macbeth , Macbeth has no real claim to the throne, but according to The Authentic Shakespeare: And Other Problems of the Early Modern

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