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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth
<<The characters of Banquo, the Weird Sisters, and Lady Macbeth were first mentioned in 1527 by a Scottish historian Hector Boece in his book Historia Gentis Scotorum (History of the Scottish People) who wanted to denigrate Macbeth in order to strengthen
the claim of the House of Stewart to the Scottish throne. Boece portrayed Banquo as an ancestor of the Stewart kings of Scotland, adding in a "prophecy" that the descendants of Banquo would be the rightful kings of Scotland while the Weird Sisters served
to give a picture of King Macbeth as gaining the throne via dark supernatural forces. Macbeth did have a wife, but it is not clear if she was as power-hungry and ambitious as Boece portrayed her, which served his purpose of having even Macbeth realise he
lacked a proper claim to the throne, and only took it at the urging of his wife. Holinshed accepted Boece's version of Macbeth's reign at face value and included it in his Chronicles. Shakespeare saw the dramatic possibilities in the story as related by
Holinshed, and used it as the basis for the play.
No other version of the story has Macbeth kill the king in Macbeth's own castle. Scholars have seen this change of Shakespeare's as adding to the darkness of Macbeth's crime as the worst violation of hospitality. Versions of the story that were common at
the time had Duncan being killed in an ambush at Inverness, not in a castle. Shakespeare conflated the story of Donwald and King Duff in what was a significant change to the story.
Shakespeare made another important change. In Chronicles, Banquo is an accomplice in Macbeth's murder of King Duncan, and plays an important part in ensuring that Macbeth, not Malcolm, takes the throne in the coup that follows. In Shakespeare's day,
Banquo was thought to be an ancestor of the Stuart King James I. (In the 19th century it was established that Banquo is an unhistorical character, the Stuarts are actually descended from a Breton family which migrated to Scotland slightly later than
Macbeth's time.) The Banquo portrayed in earlier sources is significantly different from the Banquo created by Shakespeare. Critics have proposed several reasons for this change. First, to portray the king's ancestor as a murderer would have been risky.
Other authors of the time who wrote about Banquo, such as Jean de Schelandre in his Stuartide, also changed history by portraying Banquo as a noble man, not a murderer, probably for the same reasons. Second, Shakespeare may have altered Banquo's
character simply because there was no dramatic need for another accomplice to the murder; there was, however, a need to give a dramatic contrast to Macbeth—a role which many scholars argue is filled by Banquo.>>
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. . . . . Macbeth: I, iii
.
Macb. This supernaturall solliciting
. Cannot be ill; cannot be good.
. If ill? why hath it giuen me earnest of successe,
. Commencing in a Truth? I am Thane of Cawdor.
. If good? why doe I yeeld to that suggestion,
. Whose horrid Image doth vnfixe my H(E|I]r(E),
.[A|N|D) [M|A}k[E] {M}y [S|E}ated Heart knock at my Ribbes,
. Against the vse of Nature? Present Feares
. Are lesse then horrible Imaginings:
. My Thought, whose Murther yet is but fantasticall,
. Shakes so my single state of Man,
. That Function is smother'd in surmise,
. And nothing is, but what is not.
................................
. . <= 3 =>
.
. .m. .y. .H
. (E) [I] .r
. (E),[A] {N}
. (D) [M] {A}
. .k. [E] {M}
. .y. [S] {E}
. .a. .t. .e
. .d
.
[IAMES] 3
{NAME}. 3
(DEE). -3
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. . . Actus Secundus. Scena Prima.
Enter Banquo, and Fleance, w[I]th a Torch before him.
Banq. How goes the Night, B[O]y?
Fleance. The Moone is downe: I haue not heard t[H]e Clock.
Banq. And she goes downe at Twelue.
Flea[N]ce. I take't, 'tis later, Sir.
Banq. Hold, take my Swor[D]:
. There's Husbandry in Heauen,
. Their Candles ar[E] all out: take thee that too.
. A heauie Summons ly[E]s like Lead vpon me,
. And yet I would not sleepe:
. M{E}rcifull Powers, restraine in me the cursed th{O}ughts
. That Nature giues way to in repose. ...............................................
. . . . . . . . . . . <= 38 =>
.
. EnterBanquoandFleancew [I] thaTorchbeforeh
. imBanqHowgoestheNightB [O] yFleanceTheMoon
. eisdowneIhauenotheardt [H] eClockBanqAndsh
. egoesdowneatTwelueFlea [N] ceItakettislate
. rSirBanqHoldtakemySwor [D] TheresHusbandry
. inHeauenTheirCandlesar [E] allouttaketheet
. hattooAheauieSummonsly [E] slikeLeadvponme
. AndyetIwouldnotsleepeM {E} rcifullPowersre
. straineinmethecursedth {O} ughtsThatNature
. giueswaytoinrepose
.
[IOHN DEE {E.O.}] 38
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Art Neuendorffer
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