The Macbeth File

PREFACE

Even in history, Macbeth killed Duncan.  But this real Macbeth killed Duncan on the field of battle, becoming an able king, notably supported by his wife Gruoch, who had even more right to be the ruler of Scotland than either her husband or Duncan, as the granddaughter of King Kenneth111.  The Macbeths ruled for seventeen years and were understood to have been a force for good, the years from 1040-1057 bringing relative peace and justice.

But the historical Macbeth and Gruoch have been lost in the mist of imagination created by the greatest dramatist, so that the shells of their beings have been populated by falsehoods.  It makes sense to separate the historical Macbeth from the tragic figure of The Scottish Play.

In the theatre, we are overwhelmed by the glory of the writing, the intense exploration of character and events that make up this wonderful creation. Frequently, new books and interpretations assail us but there on the page and on the boards the play lives and breathes fire and life into the gaping audience.  King James V1/1 of Scotland and England must have been exultant with the vindication of his bloodline, leading back to Banquo.   Shakespeare knew how to enchant a king.

Many of the pieces in the File are more concerned with audacity and jest and rather fewer with serious thought.  Macbeth the play is such a towering achievement that many of us run around it, casually using it for our own petty purposes, as my work usually shows.  As it stands, you can see great imbalance between the two sections but I intend to lessen this if at all possible.

Squeezing Macbeth into limericks or sending him down to Liverpool could be seen as a terribly impolite thing to do. I do it but I crave pardon! Cartoonists love Macbeth and our fine Pete Williams is no exception.  Strangely, Pete and I, although firm friends, never collaborated in our Macbeth-ery but I love his drawing and ideas.

You may know of two excellent novels concerning the real Macbeths but for those who don’t, here they are –

KING HEREAFTER   by Dorothy Dunnett

MACBETH THE KING   by Nigel Tranter

Ric Johnson