Purely English history. Macbeth was an exemplary ruler. Read Macbeth online in full - William Shakespeare - MyBook

And James the First, the son of the executed Scottish Queen Mary Stuart, entered the English throne. Paying tribute to the Scottish origin of the new king, William Shakespeare in the summer of 1606 wrote a tragedy on a Scottish theme - "Macbeth". Shakespeare took material for his tragedy from the history of Scotland, described in R. Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland. The prototype of the protagonist of the tragedy was a real historical figure - King Macbeth of Scotland (1005 - 1057), but Shakespeare made Macbeth, who was a wise and just ruler, a villain and despot.
"Macbeth" could please the new king of England for another reason - because of the fully disclosed witch theme. The fact is that King James soon after his accession to the throne issued a decree on the persecution of witches. However, it is worth noting that the prediction of witches is also mentioned in the historical source used by Shakespeare.

The action of the tragedy opens with an ominous scene when, at the sound of thunder and lightning, three witches are waiting for the Scottish commanders Macbeth and Banquo, who have just defeated the Norwegians who invaded Scotland. When Macbeth and Banquo appear, the witches greet Macbeth, calling him "Glamish thane" (than is a Scottish noble title; Macbeth is already a Glamisian thane in origin), "Cawdorian thane" and "king to come". Then the witches predict to Banquo that he himself will not be king, but his descendants will be kings. Macbeth wonders how he can be a Cawdorian thane, because another person is a Cawdorian thane and Macbeth has no chance of inheriting his title. However, the witches disappear without answering Macbeth's question.

Messengers appear who inform Macbeth that the Cawdorian thane has turned out to be a traitor and his title passes to Macbeth. Macbeth sees that the witches' predictions are beginning to come true and thinks about the possibility of becoming king. Macbeth shares his thoughts with his wife, the ambitious Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is the most demonic of all the villains in Shakespeare's tragedies. It is devoid of any moral principles and any manifestations of humanity.

Lady Macbeth decides that the surest way to power is to kill King Duncan, who is staying at Macbeth's house:

husky raven
Cawed Duncan's ill-fated drive-in
Under the shadow of my loopholes. - Fly, spirits
Deadly thoughts, pervert my sex,
Fill me up from head to toe
Cruelty! Thicken my blood
Close the entrances and paths of meditation,
So that attacks of mental remorse
They did not shake either the idea or the deed.
Come close to my nipples and drink
Like bile, their milk, you servants of death,
Wherever your host hovered, invisible to the eye,
Harm the living! - Come, thick night,
And wrap yourself in the blackest smoke of Gehenna,
So that my knife, piercing, does not see the wound
And the sky could not through the canopy of darkness
Exclaim: "Stop!"

Macbeth hesitates, saying:

Duncan was like a ruler
So pure and kind that valor him,
Like angels they will trumpet for vengeance.
And in a storm of pity a whirlwind will be born,
And a cloud will appear with a naked baby,
And, with this news, flying around the whole world,
Flood him with a sea of ​​tears.

William Blake. Illustration for "Macbeth"

But Lady Macbeth still convinces her husband to commit regicide and blame everything on the servants, whose daggers need to be smeared in blood.

Macbeth kills Duncan and forgets to place the bloodied daggers in the hands of the sleeping servants. When the wife forces her husband to return and put the daggers into the hands of the servants, shocked Macbeth is unable to force himself to return to the scene of the murder, then Lady Macbeth grabs the daggers herself and does what she has planned.

The next morning, the murder is revealed, Macbeth kills the servants, allegedly guilty of the murder. The sons of the slain king flee, fearing for their lives. Macbeth becomes king. The witches' prophecy is fulfilled regarding Macbeth, but the new king is worried about the prophecy regarding Banquo. Macbeth wants his descendants, and not the descendants of Banquo, to reign in the country. Macbeth invites Banquo to a feast, but sends assassins to kill Banquo and his son on the way. Banquo is killed, but his son manages to escape. Banquo's ghost, visible only to Macbeth, appears at the feast. Macbeth is horrified at the sight of the ghost and screams at him, which confuses the guests and Lady Macbeth.

Macbeth decides to go to the witches again. They give him new predictions about how to beware of Macduff (a Scottish nobleman), and also that none of those who are born of a woman can kill Macbeth. The witches conclude by saying that Macbeth will be safe until Birnam Wood comes out to fight on Dunsinane Hill (where Macbeth's castle is located).

Returning from the witches, Macbeth learns that Macduff has fled and orders the massacre of Macduff's entire family.
Lady Macbeth, tormented by madness, begins to walk in her sleep, talking about the accomplished murders and trying to wash the blood from her hands.

Macduff and one of the sons of the slain king gather an army in England and invade Scotland. To hide their numbers, the warriors cut down branches from Birnam Forest and go to Dunsinam Hill. Macbeth sees that this prophecy has also been fulfilled. Macbeth is informed that his wife has died and Macbeth realizes that she committed suicide.

Troops invade the castle, but Macbeth is not too afraid for his life, remembering the prophecy that only he who is not born a woman is dangerous to him. However, Macduff tells Macbeth that he was not born of a woman, but was cut out of the mother's womb (caesarean section). Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm, Duncan's son, becomes the new king.
What about the prophecy that the descendants of Banquo will reign? Banquo was a real historical figure and was considered the progenitor of the Stuart dynasty, from which came King James, who reigned in the time of Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" has been staged countless times on the stage of theaters.

The famous British actress Sarah Siddons as Lady Macbeth (1785)

In 1955, the famous British actors Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh played the roles of Macbeth and his wife.

Firstly, this is a 1948 film adaptation of Macbeth directed by Orson Welles. If the film "Othello" by Orson Welles did not like me at all, then "Macbeth" by the same director turned out to be excellent. The spirit of the darkest of Shakespeare's tragedies is conveyed in the best possible way, the actors play perfectly: Wells himself plays the role of Macbeth, the role of Lady Macbeth is played by 36-year-old Janette Nolan, who is not very beautiful, but very accurately conveys the demonic spirit of her heroine. The witches in the film are made so sinister that they give you goosebumps.
The only drawback of Wells' "Macbeth" is the paucity of scenery, which at times makes the film look like a play.

Macbeth (Orson Welles), Lady Macbeth (Jeanette Nolan) and Lady Macduff (Susan Dury) in Macbeth (1948)

Macbeth (Orson Welles) and Lady Macbeth (Jeanette Nolan) in Macbeth (1948)

witches in Macbeth (1948)

Second, I watched the 1971 adaptation of Macbeth by Roman Polanski. The film was produced by Playboy, which is reflected in the fact that Lady Macbeth walks naked in the scene of her madness, the witches to whom Macbeth comes to are also naked. John Finch's Macbeth is not as convincing as Orson Welles's, but Lady Macbeth in Polanski's film, in my opinion, is successfully played by Francesca Annis, although at the beginning of the film I had doubts whether this beautiful and feminine girl could be inhuman Lady Macbeth .

Macbeth in the cartoon

Lady Macbeth cartoon

The tragedy takes place in England and Scotland, in the 11th century.

The play begins with a conversation between three witches, they decide when they will meet again and agree to get together when one of the parties wins the battle.

Military camp near Forres. Duncan, the Scottish king, listens to joyful news from the bloody Sergeant Ross: the brave Macbeth, the king's cousin, defeated the troops of MacDonald and the Irish, he killed MacDonald in single combat. The Scottish army was then attacked by Swenon, King of Norway, and his ally the Thane of Cawdor, who had betrayed Duncan. But Macbeth again defeated the enemies. The Norwegians must pay a large indemnity, and Duncan orders the Cawdor tan to be executed for treason and to transfer his title to Macbeth.

Steppe. Thunder rolls. Three witches boast to one another of perfect abominations. Macbeth and Banquo appear and head to Forres.

The witches were waiting for them. They greet Macbeth three times - as Tan of Gdamis (he inherited this title), then as Tan of Cawdor and then as the future king. Banquo is not afraid of witches and asks him to tell fortunes too. The old women proclaim his praise three times - he is the ancestor of kings, but not the king. The witches disappear, and Banquo does not attach any importance to their prediction. Ross and Angus appear, messengers of the king. They congratulate Macbeth on his new title and urge the commanders to appear before Duncan as soon as possible. The witches' prophecies begin to come true. Banquo advises Macbeth not to pay attention to this: evil spirits often in this way they lure people to their network. But Macbeth had already imagined himself on the throne, unexpectedly he was visited by the thought of killing the generous Duncan, which would open the way for him to power.

From this thought, Macbeth felt disgusted at heart, he began to be overcome by fear.

In Forres, the king greets his commanders with tears of joy in his eyes. Duncan grants Malcolm, his eldest son, the title of Prince of Cumberland and names him his successor to the throne. The rest will also be showered with honors. To distinguish Macbeth especially, Duncan will stay at his castle in Inverness for the night. But Macbeth is not satisfied with such honors. He is furious, because on his way to power there is another obstacle - Malcolm. Macbeth is ready to commit a crime.

Macbeth's castle. His wife reads a message from her husband. She admires the fate predicted for him. She knows that Macbeth is worthy of the throne, he does not have ambition, but he definitely lacks the determination to commit a crime for the sake of power. Macbeth's wife understands that he is not afraid of the evil itself, but that it will have to be done. own hand. She is ready to help him. When Macbeth appears in the castle ahead of the royal motorcade, his wife has already prepared a plan to kill the king. She is sure that Duncan must be killed on the very night that he will spend in their castle.

Macbeth doesn't like his wife's plan very much. He is not ready to kill the king who showered him with favors in his own castle. Macbeth considers this a terrible atrocity and is afraid of retribution. However, the thirst for power does not leave him. The wife reproaches Macbeth for cowardice. She thought it all out well: the king was tired from the journey and would quickly fall asleep, and she would make his retinue drunk with potion and wine. Duncan must be stabbed to death by his servants to divert suspicion from the real killers.

The feast is coming to an end. The king showers gifts on Macbeth's household, then retires to his bedroom. Macbeth then enters and commits murder. He is so shocked that Lady Macbeth has to cover his tracks herself. She ruthlessly mocks his sensitivity, which is completely out of place. A knock is heard at the castle gate. It was Macduff, the great Scottish nobleman, whom Duncan ordered to appear at dawn. Macbeth, already dressed in a night dress, kindly escorts the nobleman to the royal chambers. Macduff sees a terrible picture: Duncan is stabbed to death, and his intoxicated servants are smeared with the blood of the owner. Macbeth, allegedly in a fit of righteous anger, kills the bed-keepers who did not have time to come to their senses. All, except the sons of the murdered, do not doubt the guilt of the servants. The young men, Malcolm and Donalbain, decide to run away from Macbeth's castle, respectively to England and to the Irish. The escape makes everyone suspect them of involvement in the crime. Macbeth is elected king, he leaves for Scone to take the crown there.

Royal Palace in Forres. Macbeth and his wife, dressed in royal clothes, graciously receive Banquo. There is a royal dinner tonight, and Banquo is the guest of honor. Unfortunately he has to leave important business and it’s good if he has time to return to the feast. Macbeth learns that Banquo will be accompanied by his son Fliens. Banquo is removed. Macbeth understands that the brave and at the same time reasonable Banquo is dangerous for him. But most of all, Macbeth does not like the fact that, according to the prediction of the witches, Banquo's grandchildren will reign after him. It was not for this that he stained himself with a terrible crime, from which he is disgusted with himself. Until now, the predictions of the sinister old women have come true, but now the childless Macbeth intends to fight fate. He found two losers, whom he inspired that Banquo was guilty of all their misfortunes. They are ready for revenge, and Macbeth demands that they also kill Fliens, the son of Banquo.

In the park near the palace, the assassins attacked Banquo and Fliens when they were going to dinner with the king. They defeated the commander, but his son managed to escape in order to avenge his father in the future.

The king kindly seated his attendants at the table, the circular bowl was already filled. Suddenly, one of the assassins appears and informs the king that Banquo has been killed, but his son managed to escape. Macbeth is upset, he turns to the guests, but his place is already taken. On it sits the bloodied ghost of Banquo. The ghost is seen only by the king, his guests do not understand who their master is talking to. Lady Macbeth saves the day by explaining to the guests that the king is ill. Everyone disperses. Macbeth relaxed a little. He tells his wife that he suspects Macduff of infidelity. The nobleman did not appear at the king's feast, and the royal scammers (they are kept under the guise of servants in all houses) reported his "cold feelings". The next day, Macbeth wants to visit the three witches to look into the future again. He knows that their predictions won't change anything anyway. Macbeth is not going to retreat, and any means are good for him.

The gloomy deity Hekate talks with the witches and wants to kill Macbeth.

Forres. Castle. Lenox talks to another lord about the death of Banquo, Duncan and their children, and also about Macduff, who fled to England, like Malcolm. They call Macbeth a tyrant.

Macbeth is in the witches' cave. The old women call for him higher spirits, from whom Macbeth demands an answer. The first spirit warns him: "Beware of Macduff." The second spirit promises that none of the people born of a woman, will not defeat Macbeth in battle. The third ghost says that until Birnam Forest goes to war against Dunsinan Castle, Macbeth will not be defeated by anyone. Such predictions lead Macbeth to complete delight. However, he is interested in whether the Banquo family will ever reign. Music is heard. Eight kings pass in front of Macbeth, the eighth holds a mirror in his hand, which reflects a series of rulers with a triple scepter and a double crown (this is an allusion to James I Stewart - the king of Scotland, England and Ireland, the semi-legendary Banquo was his ancestor). Banquo himself goes last and proudly points his finger at Macbeth at his descendants. Suddenly, the witches and all the ghosts disappear. Lenox appears in the cave and reports to the king that Macduff has fled to England, and Duncan's eldest son is also hiding there. Macbeth intends to destroy Macduff and his entire family. Lady Macduff learns of her husband's flight, she is upset. Ross tries to explain to her that her husband acted prudently, not cowardly. Lady Macduff tries to distract her son, but the boy understands everything, he is smart beyond his years. A messenger appears who warns Lady Macduff of the danger and says that she needs to escape with her children. But it's too late: the killers are on the threshold of their castle. The boy wants to protect his mother, but he is mercilessly killed and then rushed after Lady Macduff, who is trying to escape.

Meanwhile, in England, Macduff persuades Malcolm to go to war against Macbeth and save his native Scotland. The prince refuses and claims that his natural qualities (greed and cruelty) are even more terrible than Macbeth's tyranny. Macduff is in despair, he does not know who to turn to now. Malcolm reassures him, because in fact he was checking Macduff. The prince is ready to oppose the tyrant, his qualities are completely different, and the king of England gives him a huge army, which will be led by Siward, the English commander and Malcolm's uncle. Lady Macduff's brother Lord Ross appears. He brings terrible news: tyranny in Scotland has become unbearable, people have taken up arms, and the entire Macduff family has died, even the servants are slaughtered by Macbeth's people. Macduff wants revenge.

In Dunsinan, late at night, a court lady speaks to a doctor. She talks about the queen's strange illness, similar to sleepwalking. Enter Lady Macbeth herself. She rubs her hands as if she wants to wash the blood off them, but the blood is not washed off. Her speech is scary. The doctor says that medicine is powerless, a confessor is needed here.

The English troops, led by Siward, Malcolm and Macduff, are already at Dunsinane. The Scottish lords (Mentis, Angus, Lenox, Ross, Catnes) who rebelled against Macbeth join them. Macbeth remembers the predictions of the spirits and is sure that he has nothing to fear. Meanwhile, Prince Malcolm in Birnam Forest orders the soldiers to cut down a branch and carry it in front of them in order to hide from the enemy the real number of attackers. The country no longer recognizes the tyrant, so far only the castle has remained impregnable.

Macbeth has become so hardened in soul that even the news of the death of his wife does not touch him, causing only annoyance - at the wrong time. A messenger appears with terrible news - Birnam Forest has moved to the castle. Macbeth realizes that the predictions were ambiguous. He is furious. Macbeth gives the order to trumpet the gathering of troops. He wants to die in battle, like a warrior, if death is destined for him. In battle, Macbeth encounters the young Siward, who is not afraid of the enemy, enters into a duel and dies. Macduff only wants to fight Macbeth, he doesn't want to kill hired peasants. Finally, they meet. Macbeth learns that Macduff was not born, he was cut out of the womb ahead of schedule. Rage and despair seize Macbeth. But he doesn't back down. Enemies fight to the death.

The army of Malcolm's rightful heir wins the battle. Siward the father finds out about the death of his son, but he is consoled by the fact that the young man died from a wound in the forehead, this is the best death for a warrior. Macduff appears, carrying the severed head of Macbeth. Everyone welcomes the new ruler of Scotland - Malcolm. Trumpets play. The new king introduces the title of count for the first time in the country to reward his loyal supporters. He has many urgent state affairs. But first you need to go to Scone Castle to be crowned in it according to the old custom.

The obituary on Macbeth's death calls his reign "the fertile seasons"; this metaphor among the ancient Celts meant that they did not starve.

A whole galaxy of English historians and politicians began a campaign to rehabilitate King Macbeth, claiming that he was unfairly denigrated by the brilliant William Shakespeare.

A thousand years after the birth of the Scottish king Macbeth, whose name became a symbol of misfortune and religious prejudice, high-browed islanders attempted to remove the stigma of a murderer from him. A group of renowned historians - led by John Beatty of New York's City University who sleeps and sees to declare this year "the year of Macbeth" - convinced 20 Scottish MPs to launch a campaign for recognition of his historical accomplishments. They firmly believe that Shakespeare misrepresented him as an ambitious and merciless tyrant, who, moreover, was "under the heel" of his wife, the notorious Lady Macbeth.

The real Macbeth was not "a murderous butcher and the husband of an insidious queen", but was a wise ruler of a prosperous united Scotland in the 11th century. By the way, he contributed in every possible way to the spread of Christianity. Shakespeare's interpretation of the image of Macbeth is pure fiction and nothing more, writes the Daily Telegraph.

English historians believe that the Macbeth legend used by Shakespeare in his play was created by Scottish bards. The bards, under the patronage of a clan rivaling that of Macbeth, distorted the deeds of Macbeth in order to cast a shadow over his entire family. Is not it?

It is believed that Shakespeare wrote this tragedy in 1606. Wanting to flatter the then King James (a theater lover), the playwright turned to the legendary history of Scotland for a plot. In the tragedy, the author greatly exalted the character of the innocently murdered Banquo, the ancestor of the ruling monarch from the Stuart family. Holinshed Banquo was one of Macbeth's accomplices in regicide. In Shakespeare, he is the ideal of a man who is faithful to duty and friends, so that his high moral virtues made him a bogey for the regicide Macbeth.

In the absence of true facts, Shakespeare uses semi-folk, semi-literary traditions of the "deep antiquity". He reads the Chronicles of Holinshed (Raphael Holinshed. Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland. 1577). Holinshed, in turn, was based on the opus Scotorum Historiae by Hector Boethius (in the English version - Beuys), which was first printed in Paris in 1526.

Macbeth did not kill King Duncan in his sleep, as the play says. He could have killed his rival in the fight for the throne, but this happened in 1040, at the Battle of Pitgaveny (Pitgaveny), write the current whistleblowers. In turn, Macbeth was killed fighting Duncan's son Malcolm in 1057. And in fact? The chronicle remains silent on exactly where Macbeth killed the Scottish king Duncan.

For his part, the poet ignores such facts: after that, Macbeth ruled the country well for 17 long years and no one tried to seize his throne while Macbeth made a six-month pilgrimage to Rome. This is evidence that the situation in his kingdom was stable and Macbeth enjoyed the respect of his subjects.

The obituary on Macbeth's death calls his reign "the fertile seasons"; this metaphor among the ancient Celts meant that they did not starve. "Macbeth ruled the country quite successfully," says Ted Cowan, professor of history at Glasgow University. “Some of the ancient Scottish clans mentioned Macbeth as the last great Celtic ruler of Scotland.” Professor James Fraser of Edinburgh University believes that it has not been proven that Macbeth was a tyrant who ruled over a kingdom where he was hated, as the play says.

Should gentlemen break spears? After all, it is well known that the writer is free to resort to "poetic liberty" at his own discretion. Remember the famous "nail" Dumas père, on which he "hung his novels." Richelieu of the Three Musketeers is not at all the outstanding statesman of France, which he really was. Only a mad Gaul would take it into his head to refute Papa Dumas with documents. However, the trendsetters of the 19th century zealously cradle their amour to the “simple shepherdess” from the village of Domremy.

According to the chronicle, the cruelty of Macbeth against Macduff is motivated by the fact that the latter, violating his duty, began to communicate with the enemies of the king. In the tragedy, Macduff just refused to come to the feast. In Holinshed, Macbeth personally marches with an army against a recalcitrant vassal; in the play, he deals with his innocent family with the help of hitmen. Shakespeare himself seems to have forgotten such a departure from the source, and at the end of Act IV, Rosse tells Macduff about the capture of his castle and the extermination of all his vassals, which, of course, was impossible for hired killers.

In conclusion, a few words, or rather quotes. August Wilhelm Schlegel, in his Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature, is absolutely sure that Shakespeare wanted to portray an ambitious but noble man who succumbs to diabolical temptations; all the crimes to which he is driven by the desire to secure the fruits of his first atrocity cannot erase from his image the stamp of innate heroism.

It is terrible to see how the former brave warrior, who looked directly into the face of death, now, out of fear of the afterlife, clings to his earthly existence. And yet, in spite of the disgust that his atrocities inspire in us, we cannot refuse him sympathy. Shakespeare wants to show in his drama that the struggle between good and evil in this world is carried out by the will of Providence.

In 1840, in his analysis of Griboyedov’s comedy, the great Russian critic Belinsky defines the two main characters of this tragedy as follows: “Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a villain, but a villain with a deep and powerful soul, which is why, instead of disgust, he excites participation: you see in him a person, in whom there was the same possibility of victory as of fall, and who, in a different direction, could have been a different person.

And secondly: "Macbeth" is one of the most ... monstrous works of Shakespeare, where ... reflected ... all the barbarism of the century in which he lived.

How much deeper these statements are than the delights of the gentlemen from History. Well, keep rewriting the Bible, Shakespeare, etc. The flag is in your hands!

The name of this woman - like many of Shakespeare's heroes - has long become a household name. For example, Leskov (not without irony) called his story about a merchant’s wife who, without hesitation, sent her father-in-law, her husband, and her young nephew to the next world - “Lady Macbeth Mtsensk district“... in a word, the image is extremely unattractive (G. Verdi, who wrote an opera based on this tragedy, even demanded that the role of Lady Macbeth be played by a singer with a hoarse voice and ugly). What kind of woman is this and how justified is her notoriety?

It is hardly worth retelling the plot of Shakespeare's play - you will still have to look for a person who would not know him ... better remember what place our heroine occupies in it. Without exaggeration, the place is central. Macbeth himself is initially a completely noble hero, devoted to the king, only women are to blame for his moral decline (not the plot directly - but a gift to misogynists!). First - the witches with their predictions, one of which immediately came true ... by the way, there is no special mysticism in this: from what sources the witches could get information about the "case of the Cawdor Tan" and the king's decision to transfer the title and possessions of the executed traitor to Macbeth - one can only guess - but they definitely could (after all, they were only a few minutes ahead of the royal messenger with this news), and then - pure water the Oedipus effect (a prediction that came true precisely because it was made). By the way, witches successfully use this effect in the future: it is from their suggestion that Macbeth makes Macduff, “not born of a woman”, his enemy, and the witches, in principle, could also be aware of the corresponding detail (maybe it was one of them his mother and "caesarel").

However, even the prediction of witches would not have forced our impeccable hero to commit betrayal and murder if it were not for the persistent wife who dreams of becoming Queen of Scots (one involuntarily begs the question - did she persuade the witches to “process” her husband?). And here it turns out that Macbeth - so brave and unbending on the battlefield - at home is scared to death of his wife. And she knows how to twist a rope out of her husband - especially since Macbeth is not her first: she mentions that she “breastfed her children”, Macduff later says that Macbeth is childless - which means that Lady Macbeth had children from the first marriage ... So, it’s very easy to “untwist” a man (especially such a weak-willed one) into something:

Or your hope

I was drunk and now, having overslept,

Green and pale, looking

To the old ardor? Your love I see

She is like her in every way. Are you afraid

Be the same in your deeds and in power,

How about wishes? Would you like to own

In what you see the adornment of life,

Living like a coward...

In a word, two "classic" methods of manipulation, which are often used by ladies from ancient times to the present day: "You do not love me" and "You are a coward, you are a rag." And henpecked surrenders!

In the meantime, the Lady developed just an ideal plan: to “remove” the king and remove suspicion from herself, and at the same time eliminate the princes from succession to the throne, “hanging” murder on them (after all, she also gives Macbeth the idea to plant a murder weapon on them).

But to call the heroine unscrupulous is still impossible. As psychiatrists say, “if there is no conscience, hysteria develops; if there is a conscience, neurosis develops.” Lady Macbeth develops precisely a neurosis - more precisely, an obsessive-compulsive neurosis (also known as obsessive-compulsive disorder): she wanders around the castle, trying to wash her hands of "indelible" blood ... Even she - a model of deceit and ruthlessness - cannot live with such a burden - and dies, announcing the castle with a terrible cry. “She should have died later,” Macbeth remarks with annoyance, and one can understand him: this weak-willed person cannot withstand everything that has fallen on him without her “support” (more precisely, stimulation).

This is how Shakespeare tells us the story. But was all this really?

Yes, we can say what happened: the people depicted in the tragedy really lived in Scotland in the 11th century, and the playwright presented the political situation of that era correctly. Shakespeare was right when he asserted (more precisely, hinting) that Macbeth was the second husband of Lady Macbeth ... however, that we are all her by her last name - after all, history has preserved her name! Her name was Gruoh, and her first husband was Gillekomgan, Mormaer (Earl) of Moray - he died in civil strife for possession of this county. The unfortunate widow, together with her son, managed to escape and find shelter with a relative of her husband Maelbeta (whom we now know as Macbeth), later she became his wife.

Did their relationship resemble the one presented to us by the English playwright? We do not know this - historical chronicles do not preserve conversations in the marital bed. But even if she incited her husband to take some actions against the king, you should not judge her strictly: firstly, the late king Malcolm II, and therefore his grandson Duncan I, was her blood enemy (and the reason was serious: the murder of her brother ); secondly ... such thoughts then visited many.

The fact is that King Duncan I did not really resemble the wise and noble sovereign that Shakespeare draws for us: in reality, he was an impulsive and narrow-minded person. He came to power in a very dubious way (mortally wounding his own grandfather in battle), and the ruler (as well as the commander) was extremely mediocre: he was defeated in England, where he invaded against the advice of military leaders, and the constant raids of the Orkney jarl Thorfinn nothing could not resist. It is not surprising that the matter ended in a rebellion, which Macbeth really led - and not alone, but together with Banquo (the same Banquo, who was bred in the tragedy as his next innocent victim).

But if Gruoh played any role in these events, then she definitely did not incite her husband to any treachery and betrayal. There was no secret murder under the cover of night - there was a battle in which Duncan died.

Macbeth, on the other hand, became king, having all the rights to it - both according to his own pedigree, and according to the pedigree of his wife. He ruled for 17 years, and - according to the chronicle - "All these years the country prospered." The raids of Thorfinn Orkney stopped, and inside the country the new king put things in order - so much so that he could even afford to leave the country for a long time, making a pilgrimage to Rome. Church sources call him a benefactor of the Church - he was the first among the Scottish kings to be honored with such a characteristic.

As for Banquo, neither Macbeth nor his wife are related to his death either: he died in battle with the Vikings.

What Shakespeare did not sin against the truth is that the sons of the late Duncan did indeed attempt to overthrow Macbeth, and their supporter was Tan Macduff, as well as Earl Siwarth of Northumberland - and their invasion of Scotland really cost Macbeth his life ...

Gruoh did not live to see this - she died three years before these events ... I want to believe that she died happy - after all, the historical Lady Macbeth seems to be a much more attractive person than Shakespeare's heroine.

As you can see, art is not always more beautiful than real life!

Macbeth and his wife show how terrible the evil that takes possession of human souls is. But evil is not omnipotent. If in one respect Macbeth is the darkest of Shakespeare's great tragedies, in another it is more hopeful than Hamlet, Othello, or King Lear. In none of them are so many people opposed to evil as in Macbeth, and nowhere are they as active as they are here.
Against Macbeth and his wife, trampling on humanity, the whole society rises. They are fought not by individuals, but by the whole country. The enemies of Macbeth realize that they are fighting not only for dynastic interests against the usurper king, but for humanity in general.
The dramatic conflict in "Macbeth" especially clearly reveals the difference between Shakespeare and the subsequent drama, in which psychological and moral problems were posed. There the struggle closed in a circle of spiritual and moral experiences. In Shakespeare, this struggle captures the whole society.

Read Macbeth online

William Shakespeare

Characters

Duncan, King of Scotland.

Malcolm, Donalbain - his sons.

Macbeth, Banquo - Duncan's generals.

Macduff, Lenox, Ross, Mentis, Angus, Catnes - Scottish nobles.

Fliens, son of Banquo.

Siward, Earl of Northumberland, English general.

Young Siward, his son.

Seiton, close associate of Macbeth.

Son of Macduff.

English doctor.

Scottish doctor.

Sergeant.

Gatekeeper.

Lady Macbeth.

Lady Macduff.

Court lady from the retinue of Lady Macbeth.

Three witches.

Spirit of Banquo and other ghosts.

Lords, nobles, officers, soldiers, assassins, servants and messengers.

Location: Scotland, England.

Wasteland. Thunderstorm.

Enter THREE WITCHES.

First witch

When with lightning, under thunder

Will we meet again in the rain?

Second witch

Once the fight is over

The victory of one side.

third witch

Before the evening dawn.

First witch

Where is the meeting?

Second witch

In heathers.

third witch

We will see Macbeth there.

First witch

The cat meowed. - It's time!

All witches

The toad stole.2 - Let's fly!

The line between good and evil, erase.

Let's rush up through the rotten steam.

(Disappear.)

Camp near Forres.3

Behind the scenes is the sound of battle.

Enter King Duncan, Malcolm, Donalbain, Lenox; towards them - a bloodied sergeant.

Duncan

Who is covered in blood? By the looks of it

He can tell about the course of the battle

with the rebels.

Malcolm

This is the sergeant

Whose valor salvation from captivity

I am obliged. Hello my brave friend!

The king wants to know who had the upper hand

When you left the field

Sergeant

Like two swimmers entangled, each other

Enemies chained up. Mad McDonald,

True seditious, for from birth

The most vile vices nest in it,

In the west across the islands

Recruited Irish infantry

And behind the villain, smiling strife,

Fortune the whore has gone. But in vain!

Contrary to her, pet of swearing glory,

Brave Macbeth (he deserves these nicknames!),

Cutting your way with steel

Smoking bloody retribution,

Appeared to the traitor.

He did not shake hands with him, did not say goodbye to him,

But the body was cut in half,

And stuck his head on a pole above the tower.

Duncan

Oh gallant cousin! Worthy vassal!

Sergeant

But sometimes the sun, rising,

Brings with it a storm to ships to destruction,

So for us a source of trouble

Became the key of consolation. Know, King of Scotland:

Barely truth with valor in union

Drive back the Lightfoot Irish,

King of Norway, considering the moment convenient,

Rat fresh in intact armor

He led us.

Duncan

And trembled before him

Macbeth and Banquo, our generals?

Sergeant

No more than eagles before a sparrow

And the lions before the hare. Frankly speaking,

They are like cannons whose charge is doubled

They answered the enemy with a double blow.

Did they want burning wounds with blood

To bathe or raise again Golgotha,

I don't know... But my strength has run out.

I'm getting weak. The wound calls for help.

Duncan

She, like your speech, stuck to you:

Honor breathes in both. - Quick doctor!

The sergeant is taken away.

Who is coming to us?

Malcolm

Venerable Russian tan5.

Ross enters.

Lenox

His eyes reveal haste,

He seems to have arrived with unusual news.

God save the king!

Duncan

Where are you from,

Decent thane?

My lord, from Fife,

Where are the captured Norwegian banners

Your fighters are being cooled.

King of Norway, leader of countless hordes,

And with him the Cawdor Thane, low traitor,

They hit us. And the fight went on

Bye, Macbeth, beloved of Bellona,

Covering yourself with tested armor,

Chest to chest, sword to sword, in single combat

Not knocked out of the Norwegian arrogance. Briefly speaking,

Enemy destroyed.

Duncan

Great luck!

King of Norway, asked for peace,

But before burying the dead,

He had to on the isle of St. Colm

Give us ten thousand dollars.

Duncan

The Cawdorian Thane will not betray us anymore.

Go, tell them to put an end to the troublemaker.

Congratulate Macbeth with the Thane of Cawdor.

I will do everything with zeal.

Duncan

He raised Macbeth with his fall.

Everyone leaves.

Steppe overgrown with heather. Thunder.

Enter THREE WITCHES.

First witch

Sister, where have you been?

Second witch

Poisoned pigs.

third witch

And you, sister?