Skip to main content

When and where was Lady Macbeth born?

Regarding the character of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, strictly speaking, her birth year and location are never revealed in the play. We can assume that she was born in Scotland, and she is believed by some to be based, in small part, on the real-life wife of King Macbeth of Scotland who lived in the eleventh century BCE. This woman's name was Gruoch ingen Boite, and the exact years during which she lived are not known,...

Regarding the character of Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, strictly speaking, her birth year and location are never revealed in the play. We can assume that she was born in Scotland, and she is believed by some to be based, in small part, on the real-life wife of King Macbeth of Scotland who lived in the eleventh century BCE. This woman's name was Gruoch ingen Boite, and the exact years during which she lived are not known, but Macbeth reigned from 1040 to 1057.


However, Shakespeare would have been familiar with a history of England called Hollinshed's Chronicles, and that text includes references to two women that inform his character of his Lady Macbeth. In Hollinshed's account of a King Duff, Donwald, a captain, is goaded into killing Duff by his wife. Further, in the account of King Duncan, the Weird Sisters are mentioned as having some effect on Macbeth, though his wife had a far greater influence on his decision to murder Duncan.


Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth, then, is a composite of these characters with a great deal of fiction thrown in, and because her real-life counterparts lived so long ago, it is difficult to know much detail about their lives. Because Shakespeare includes so little detail about Lady Macbeth in the play, we cannot know her background information with certainty.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more