The Real Story of MacBeth
Shakespeare derived the materials for his grand tragedy of Macbeth from Holinshed’s Chronicle. There is, however, an older account preserved by Wyntown, and the true history of Macbeth appears to be as follows:
Macbeth was the son of Finley, Thane or Earl of Ross, who was killed in a battle with Malcolm the second, about the year 1020. The Scottish King also overcame and put to death the Earl of Moray; and the wife of that chief, the Lady Gruoch, was driven away by her enemies, and she fled to the neighbouring country of Ross, then ruled over by Macbeth, and sought protection for herself and her infant son, Lulach. Macbeth received her well, and married her during the reign of Duncan ; Malcolm having been assassinated in 1033. Through his marriage with the Lady Gruoch, Macbeth acquired possession of Moray, and as she was the granddaughter of Kenneth, he was backed by the influence of the partisans of that monarch, who were opposed to Duncan. Owing to his vigor and ability he soon became superior to Duncan; and having the death of his father and the wrongs of his wife to avenge, he laid claim to the throne, and, causing the unhappy King to be murdered, he marched hastily to Scone, supported by the clans of Ross and Moray, and was there crowned King of the Scots. The beginning of his reign was vigorous and beneficent; the chieftains who would have raised disturbances were overawed or repressed by his valour; justice was administered, and he practiced unbounded hospitality, and gave shelter to fugitives.
But he was not allowed to enjoy peacefully a throne he had gained through crime. Orian, Abbot of Dunkeld, the father of the murdered Duncan, though now an old man, put himself at the head of the partisans of his grandsons, and made a gallant attempt to restore them to their rights. He was defeated by Macbeth; but the sons of Duncan escaped, Malcolm, the heir to the throne, taking refuge in England.
In the midst of his successes, Macbeth seems to have been haunted with remorse for the crime he had committed, and strove to atone for it by charity and large gifts to the Church. He sent money to Rome for distribution; and he and his wife, the Lady Gruoch, gave the lands of Kirkness and the Manor of Bolgy to the Culdees of Lochleven. But all this could not ensure him peace, and from a sense of insecurity he became a tyrant. Macduff, the Earl of Fife, had fled to England, and his family are said to have been destroyed by Macbeth; and he constantly urged Malcolm to attempt the destruction of the tyrant and the redress of their wrongs. Siward, the powerful Earl of Northumberland, was related to Malcolm, and he warmly espoused his cause; andwith the approval of Edward the Confessor, he led a numerous army into Scotland in the year 1054. They met the army of Macbeth in the neighbourhood of Dunsinane, and a fierce conflict ensued. In spite of his valour, Macbeth was overcome, and forced to retire into the north. Though the North Umbrians were victorious, Siward’s son, Osbert, was killed in the fight, and the Earl returned to Northumberland, and died at York in the following year. But Malcolm continued the contest; and in a battle that took place at Lumphanan, Macbeth was slain by the injured Macduff on the 5th of December, 1056.
- Chatterbox Magazine 1898
