4 Interesting Facts About Shakespeare's Macbeth (and the actual Macbeth)

1. Macbeth was a real king of Scotland. How did the actual Macbeth compare with Shakespeare’s fictionalized version? Well, the real Macbeth was a comparatively successful ruler.

From what we know, although the real Macbeth did usurp his predecessor Duncan, he was not a tyrant (see here for more info). He actually reigned for a considerably long time for this period (17 years) and Scotland was apparently so peaceful during his reign that he went on a pilgrimage in Rome, where he became to be known as very generous because he would frequently help and donate money to the city's sick and poor people. Even Malcolm, whose father was murdered by Macbeth, referred to him as "the Renowned". He was usurped by his son, known as Lulach the Idiot, who was assassinated shortly thereafter. Malcolm, Duncan's real son, took the throne after Lulach's death.

A successful usurper king probably wouldn't be well-received by King James, who reigned during Shakespeare's time. This is likely why Shakespeare turned Macbeth into a tyrant.

2. King James had an incredible fascination with witchcraft; the three witches might have been included according to his taste. He instigated a mass witch hunt in Scotland, and even wrote a book on the subject of witches and witchcraft entitled "Daemonologie" (which endorses the practice of witch hunting and is available online). He is known to have had a paranoia about witches in general, as he believed they had tried to assassinate him on multiple occassions.

King James also believed he was a descendant of Banquo (as did most Stuart kings), who is something of a mythical figure in English and Scottish history (the actual Banquo is said to have aided Macbeth in murdering Duncan, which is pretty different from Macbeth).

3. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth during and after the famous Gunpowder Plot. In November 1605, a group of Catholics - Guy Fawkes among them - plotted and almost succeeded in blowing up James and the entire House of Lords (Catholicism had been banned under Elizabeth I's reign and King James, a devout Protestant, was no kinder to the Catholics in general). The brutal ending of Macbeth's reign and life might have been influenced by these events - Shakespeare might not have liked the idea of rebellion against the crown very much.

4. In 1849, Macbeth caused a riot in New York. The Astor Place Riot was caused by two rival actors arguing about whose portrayal of Macbeth was better. American actor Edwin Forrest and English thespian William Charles Macready were both playing the role of Macbeth in different productions at different theaters on the same night, and a longstanding rivalry erupted, leading to 120 people injured and 25 dead. In another case in the same century, Scottish poet William McGonagall - known for being "the worst poet in English" - played the role of Macbeth in a stage production, but he was so annoyed at being upstaged by his co-star (who played Macduff) that when Macduff went to kill Macbeth on stage at the end of the play, Macbeth just refused to die.