Argumentative Essay On Macbeth

Shakespeare wrote many great plays, many poems, and many sonnets. One of his greatest plays was The Tragedy of Macbeth. This tragedy, although his shortest and most compressed, is a great tragedy that was based on an actual person named Macbeth. But how true is Shakespeare’s account? Did Macbeth really kill Duncan and take over the throne? In the following pages, I will help clear up some grey areas, and hope to dispel myth from truth as we take an in-depth look at who Macbeth really was. Macbeth was born in the year 1005 in Alba in central Scotland around 1005—the same year that his grandfather became king. Some believed that Macbeth was a grandson to King Malcolm II, making him a cousin to King Duncan (which he would later succeed.) His …show more content…
One month later, his son, Duncan MacCrinan, was elected king. For six years, Duncan ruled Scotland with a thirst for power countermanded by his lack of prowess on the battlefield. In 1038, Ealdred (the earl of Northumbria) attacked southern Scotland, but the effort was repelled and Duncan's chiefs encouraged him to lead a counterattack. Duncan also wanted to invade the Orkneys Islands to the north. Over the objections of all of his advisers, he chose to do both. His armies were routed after having opened up on two fronts. Thorfinn, accompanied by Macbeth, drove Duncan and Moddan (Duncan’s nephew who was leading an army for him) back. Thorfinn and Macbeth would kill Moddan. On August 14, 1040, Macbeth defeated Duncan's army, killing him in the process. Just a few short weeks later, Macbeth would lead his army to Scone, the capital of Scotland, and would be crowned king of Scotland. Comparing that series of events to the play, both show that he killed Duncan. In real life, he killed him in combat, not by saying, “Hey King Duncan. Let’s have a sleepover and have pillow fights and play truth or dare. Not gonna try to kill you or something,” and then getting all stabby and ruining the sleepover. Geez Macbeth, not