Who Was The Real King MacBeth? | The Real MacBeth | Timeline

The real Scottish king Macbeth was a far cry from the great Shakespearean villain, but his story was even more fascinating, presenter Tony Robinson discovers in his continuing series which uncovers the myths behind legendary British heroes. The original and real King Macbeth lived in the 11th century and reigned from 1040 to 1057. He was not the vicious, jealous, superstitious murderer Shakespeare painted, but he took a path to the throne that was just as bloody, as The Real Macbeth reveals.
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[@Vortimar]

Wow Tony's final words on Macbeth really moved me, he really has a sensitivity to him and a way with words that brings history to life.

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Perhaps a good scriptwriter?

[@koolnomi95]

Gotta love that transition: "Did she really love him?" "WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?"

[@AK-fz2wq]

Bcz the narrator dr.louis seems like that character so she is relating every women to herself.

[@annika_panicka]

​@Jeff Oliver Lol! Tina MacTurner

[@Quandry1]

@@AK-fz2wq What she's talking about with that is outright how nobility and royalty worked back then. Marriage for Love for a good part of history was a rare thing. And for a decent part of that rarity was also a "peasants thing" not a thing of Nobility. The reality is that She probably didn't even love her first husband so loving MacBeth didnt' factor into it either. This was about politics, and alliances, and power. Marriage secured these things and more. Plenty of nobility only had sexual relations with their spouses often enough to secure Heir's and daughters to be married off to the heirs of other families and then cut things off. Some had other lovers and as long as that didn't create issues from things like childbirth many didn't care.

[@whaleymom76]

This is the first time I've heard Macbeth blamed for Lady Macbeth's madness. I was always taught that she went mad because of the guilt she felt for setting in motion all the murders.

[@michelslaura]

I agree !

[@Kdpainted]

You can’t really say it was anyone’s fault (other than the wired sisters) lady Macbeth played a large role in convincing him to kill the king in the first place so its definitely not Macbeths fault.

[@cmen6895]

@@KdpaintedYeah bud, in the play.

[@tritchie6272]

Until this video I didn't even know that M Beth was a real person.

[@baskervillebee6097]

I could listen to Tony Robinson explain ANYTHING with or without turnips.

[@ThePixel1983]

... or even so much as a cunning plan 😉

[@skeleczar]

I love him sooooooo much.

[@laurievandenbeldt6353]

Even with the bad sound, but it gets better as you get into it, or maybe my old age is doing it, or too many drugs in the 70's, or I'm just plain tired. No matter, like you said, it's Tony.

[@MrSlugny]

@@laurievandenbeldt6353 it gets around the copy right issue

[@carmelsileo6520]

Agreed!

[@sp4263]

Love how Tony Robinson brings fact n fiction together while maintaining the mystery. 👍

[@lindahughes2289]

HOT ALLAN AT 14:24 !!! WHOAH AND THANK YOU !

[@annoyed707]

I blame the sound problem on too much wing of bat. You get that ingredient wrong, it ruins it every time.

[@talosheeg]

Or eye of newt! That could've gone wrong too!

[@zachass3724]

Clever lol

[@tnt75142]

wing of bat. Love your humor. I smile. Thx

[@robinjackson7882]

annoyed707 excellent

[@jonathanbennetts2632]

well, Eye of newt or tongue of dog isn't right for sure,,

[@annettefournier9655]

This is my favorite Shakespeare play. Didn't know at the time I have dyslexia. So in school when chosen to read aloud I spoke slower and more distinctly than my classmates. The teacher seeing this chose me to read most all the leads that year because I didn't rush. Perfect for Shakespeare. Lol.

[@kpcraftster6580]

Good for you! Shakespeare should be sounded out or acted and watched..not read in silence!

[@krisschaefer876]

Of course, the notes we got... were to spit those lines out as fast as possible... on stage, anyway.

[@phillipatkinson4932]

This is quite incredible, I had the same experience as you Annette. When I read Macbeth in class, about 1965 in think, I was dyslexic and didn't know it. So then read more than the other classmates. BTW I didn't know about dyslexia until I was 40 -45.

[@richardcleveland8549]

That was a wise teacher indeed; you were fortunate.

[@NudePostingConspiracyTheories]

Oh, that was brilliant. And I could follow it. I often can’t follow such tales because the narrator introduces the characters too chaotically to foll. This was beautifully made, clear, and Tony’s delivery was completely intelligible. Thanks fir this. Extraordinary. My surname is McDonald, I live in Australia, but have Scottish blood, and have learned but a little

[@peterscrafton9106]

Putting the sound difficulty to one side, this is a tremendous programme - Well done!

[@BlueBaron3339]

Macbeth remains a supreme psychological drama, so brilliantly conceived and written that it's never been surpassed. And while this program was wonderful and fascinating, it cannot dimish either the power or the importance of the play. Yet it's important that the history that inspired it is not lost. It's why I enjoy this program so much.

[@shalevedna]

The history behind the play contributes much to the understanding of the play. It makes the play that much more meaningful when one understands both the past history-the real Macbeth and his times-and Shakespeare’ and King James’s own times.

[@BlueBaron3339]

@@shalevedna Exactly.

[@chrisforrest9482]

Dear, Dear Sir Tony (et. al), Thank you. Thank you for making history so personal and, above all, so truthful. You make it informative as well as entertaining.

[@shendaraalshedir1933]

In my younger teens Shakespeare was not taught in a very enjoyable way. However, later on l read Macbeth in a classroom where l & the teacher were the only females. I was 18 and got to read Lady Macbeth's lines as well as the main female in "The Taming Of The Shrew". Just letting the kids read the different roles together in class was a GREAT way for the teacher to connect us & peak our interest in Shakespeare!!👍 I am now about to turn 61 & have enjoyed reading more Shakespeare on my own since, thanks to the right teacher waaaay back in the late 70's!! Thank💐 You Ma'am wherever you are now! 🤗💖🌈🇨🇦☘️⚜️

[@SamPeeblesawesomedallastours]

Shakespeare never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.

[@samikirk05]

Truth wasn't worth losing one's head over 🤔

[@josephsolowyk7697]

His histories were not historical, his comedies were not comical but his tragedies weere tragic, in the pathetic sense of the word.

[@knightofarkronia8652]

In all fairness, whatever sources were available would’ve been highly biased. That’s why Richard III was written the way it was.

[@josephsolowyk7697]

@@knightofarkronia8652 No it was written that way to please the Tudor family over the Plantagenets.

[@roberthoward6590]

With a nod to Mark Twain.

[@florianpierredumont4775]

What are you doing here, Baldrick ? I'm making a documentary, mylord.

[@fallingpetunias9046]

Baldrick, that's the absolute worst plan since Napoleon Bonaparte decided to take his soldiers on winter holiday in Siberia. I've got a better idea: Let's make a documentary!

[@soccerchamp0511]

Hahaha, I thought he looked familiar.

[@kevtherev999]

Aha,what a cunning plan

[@drahcirnevarc9152]

I used to share a desk with Viscount Emlyn, the real life Thane of Cawdor, at boarding school 45 years ago. He was about a year older than me, and a nice chap.

[@josephswolin7450]

Liar. That isnt possible.

[@larapalma3744]

@@josephswolin7450 it's very possible in the UK

[@soccerchamp0511]

Great documentary! Thanks for sharing the perspective that Macbeth might have been able to establish Scotland as a Gaelic kingdom for a longer period of time if he hadn't been killed.

[@cambs0181]

That weapons expert is the most Scottish person ever, he makes Billy Connolly look like Danny Dyer!

[@mangot589]

IKR? 😂. That bit was great! I seriously watched it three times🤣

[@offwiththefairiesforever2373]

Lol , hes magnificent

[@KeithWilliamMacHendry]

Aye, but then again, Connolly is a half baked Paddy.

[@ronamoody515]

@@KeithWilliamMacHendry ?????????????

[@Valhalla88888]

He might be a Pictish/Scottish/Viking Gallowglass Warrior these were the Special Forces from Scotland that travelled the world as guns for hire or if you like Knights Templars without out the God complex 👍

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

I'm so glad to see the comments about the terrible sound - I thought that my phone was kaput.

[@nunyanunya4147]

its a bypass for youtubes growing capitalist ideas.

[@franmike152]

Nope. The problem is with them.

[@spiegelburg]

It's the witches, distorting the sound.

[@kaarlimakela3413]

I love discovering a Tony Robinson program that's new to me!

[@franmike152]

Yes!

[@kezkezooie8595]

Me too!

[@jonathanbennetts2632]

ahaaa not many left.. Just started watching Tracks of Britain,

[@loganstroganoff1284]

My t-ball coach gus is better than Tony

[@ronamoody515]

@@loganstroganoff1284 what is that in English?

[@maryanneslater9675]

Tony is right that Malcolm III defeating Macbeth changed Scotland's destiny. (Macbeth's stepson, Gruoch's son Lulach, was king for a few months in between.) Not only did Malcolm marry Margaret of Wessex, a Saxon princess, but several of Malcolm's sons were raised or sheltered at the court of William I, William Rufus and Henry I, and his daughter Matilda married Henry I, which gave all the Plantagenet line a reason to claim Scotland.

[@ItsJustMorris]

One son , Duncan .

[@Tareltonlives]

Oops.

[@Optimusprimerib36]

Most don't know Shakespeare fell out of favor with Queen Elizabeth after she caught him docking with Sir Walter Raleigh.

[@diongibbsbpwp160]

Yes and the only indigenous peoples on these islands are the Celts, Picts and Britons, Anglo's and Saxons are Germanic peoples, so if we are Anglo-Saxon we are German.

[@mariahunter9882]

Thanks for the endnotes on this I was really wondering what had happened to Gruroch and the children and wished that had been included in the program.

[@Baaweh]

That's how things sounded back in 1050 Scotland.

[@dam_nic113]

Sean Doherty Níl, you mean Gaelic (Gàidhlig). I reckon a typo. Little difference between Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic up to the 19th century.

[@NjK601]

@@dam_nic113 Maybe he mixed them up with the Pre-Dark Age Franks, The Gauls, though you would think he would realize Tower MacMaolain was making a joke about the tinney audio quality

[@HaulinWulf]

In medivel scotland, they also didn't have color few^^ We should expect black&white tin-sound

[@tearose9938]

@@NjK601 🤣😂🤣😂

[@elizamccroskey1708]

LOL!

[@domundtgregor6683]

24:13 when he describes the scene of Macbeth being acclaimed by the nobles, I just kept thinking of Game of Thrones : "King of the North ! KING of the North !! KING OF THE NORTH !!! "

[@triciaroy]

Same! Lol

[@Elleoaqua]

I tend to disdain Game of Thrones but at least it got some people into real history. But always remember, please, history came first. GOT is facile but pretty

[@eamonnclabby7067]

The real King in the North by Max Adam's about Saint /King Oswald, who Tolkein based Aragorn on

[@johnh7101]

In all Shakespeare's plays, he played to Tudor court discrimination. Richard III, Macbeth are 2 examples whilst other plays boosted other individuals. They were plays for the masses after all and to keep them loyal to the Tudors.

[@lindagrant8559]

One must remember, Shakespeare was a author of plays and wrote those plays for the specific purpose of those who paid for his work.

[@allanthomson4488]

Macbeth wasn't for a Tudor court - by then it was a Stuart Court...

[@David-fm6go]

@@allanthomson4488The Tudors would been just as anti Macbeth. Tannestry, elective monarchy, Highland culture, celtic. And of course family. Malcolm III and his wife Margaret of Wessex via their daughter Matilda (wife of Henry I, mother of Empress Matilda) were the ancestors of the Plantagenets and Tudors and their royal link to Alfred the Great. Plus it was seemingly very likely that James would succeed Elizabeth, so even if the Play had been composed earlier the impetus would be the same.

[@albertgeorgestorace1312]

Great documentary. Good to get tonthe roots of who Macbeth really was. Great literature does not mean historical accuracy. Look how another character, Richard III.by no means a saint was turned into a monster by Shakespeare. As I always reminded my students: plays, novels and opera could be fun but are not the way to learn history. However they do arouse curiosity, provoke discussion and asking of questions....which is a good thing.

[@mrsflyingfox]

I clicked for the ginger hunk in the thumbnail! (I can't believe no one commented on him yet)

[@shezzashell7936]

msflyingfox I did EXACTLY the same! What a total hunk. They don’t make them like that down here in the south

[@louise-yo7kz]

Lol

[@krisschaefer876]

Aye, bet you double-clicked... even.

[@phily8093]

He looks like a giant ginger Billy Connolly.

[@Contessa6363]

Ahh that dude is a bit into it LOL

[@xeverettx2564]

Excellent, and very entertaining. As a self proclaimed history buff I also enjoyed how you tried to link the truth with art, and I found that very interesting as well! I love these Timeline documentaries, especially ones involving western, and Northern Europe from the Viking age through 17th century. Thank You!!!!

[@colinmatts]

"Macbeth the King" by Nigel Tranter is a really good novel on this subject

[@calgarydon]

One of my favourites by Tranter!

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Mr Tranter never wrote a bad book...

[@Sybreed1986]

I love watching these documentaries, plz continue with them. Learned more thru these documentaries than I ever did in high school, LOVE HISTORY!

[@kennashan]

Too many friends in drama classes when I was younger. I still refer to it as "The Scottish Play"

[@rat_thrower5604]

Some sound problems, but you get used to it. Good documentary, thanks for uploading.

[@kezkezooie8595]

Yes, at least it's not muffled, it's just a bit tinny with a slight echo at times. I got used to it fairly quickly.

[@3John-Bishop]

Cant get used to it..Im gone

[@lindahughes2289]

Kind of annoying

[@mattmccormick8749]

I couldn't keep count of how many times I said wow during this program. So much snow information great great documentary thanks again to Tony and time team

[@JackOpulski]

Even the robotic voices can't diminish the awesomeness of this documentary

[@Oldleftiehere]

Remember, Shakespeare was an Englisher denigrating a “heathen”. The victor always writes the histories the future reads.

[@sunlightpictures8367]

Tony is the best! I love all of his documentaries.

[@yorktown99]

I keep expecting him to turn to MacBeth and say that he has a cunning plan.

[@kezkezooie8595]

LOL! It would be good if he'd snuck that in somehow.

[@renatagross5959]

Because of you & your Magnificent video documentary i just watched THE SCOTTISH PLAY for the first time & because of you i understood every word. For this I thank you. I loved being able to visualize the scenes so much better. More Please

[@bilindalaw-morley161]

Thank you for the upload, it's great to see a new Tony This is a fascinating story, although of course that's what we expect from him. I found that the Scots accent greatly enhanced the story telling, and Tony seemed as if he was describing something he'd actually seen. Yes the sound is a bit wonky; I understand it bothering people because it's distracting, but if it's a choice between Tony with bad sound, and nothing, well....

[@athomas454]

It's the ancient sound of a curse

[@j4eyes1]

A brilliant presentation of the real Macbeth using Shakespeares play as counterpoint. Thoroughly enjoyed the information, which was largely new to me. Although a Scottish friend had tried to tell me the tale a couple of years ag

[@maryseeker7590]

I enjoyed the play versus history aspect as well

[@spiffyspits3605]

I'm glad to know of this truth about the real MacBeth. Thank you for showing this.

[@fesbahn]

"Johnson hadn't gotten as far as gullible in his dictionary." lol.

[@soccerchamp0511]

It was great to hear an English narrator throw some shade on ole Johnson. He usually only gets high praise from the English. lol

[@mattshortforbob]

He also forgot "sausage". Oh, and "aardvark".

[@stevenwebb3634]

He wasn't happy with the definition of dog- not a cat.

[@stonerosesoaps9935]

The sound makes me feel like I'm listening to the chipmunks version of history lol.

[@poolhall9632]

.75 speed

[@macnutz4206]

I did not know there was a real King MacBeth. It seems that "based on real events" meant as little to Shakespeare as it does to modern screen writers. :)

[@Annasea666]

Macnutz420 without those plays tho, all that history would probably have been lost

[@johnniekrepper8178]

Artistic license

[@kezkezooie8595]

LOL! It seems it's part of a long tradition.

[@elgeneral5279]

@@kezkezooie8595 well in all honesty Shakespeare is more concerned with writing a good story than following history to a key. I mean if all films followed history completely with all its politics and complications they would be kind of boring.

[@kezkezooie8595]

@@elgeneral5279 Oh, yeah, I know and I agree with you. It was just a bit of a joke. You know the old saying "Never let the truth ruin a good story" :) This was very interesting though. I love Tony Robinson's doco's, with, or without, turnips.

[@tamasmarcuis4455]

I looked into the Stone of Destiny some years back. The original or real one was described as a white stone, perhaps quarts or marble, carved into the shape of a seat and covered with intricate patterns that may have been knot work. The one taken by the English was just the same as that used for Scone Abbey. Edward 1 of England came to Scone and demanded the stone and might have just been given a hatch for the drains. He came back the next year and tore the abbey to pieces likely looking for the real stone. Since then the English have always claimed the had the real one. Considering the real one came from Ireland it is unlikely it was Perthshire sandstone.

[@1234cheerful]

Thanks for these details. "...might just have been given a hatch for the drains." Gotta love it! Took Edward I a while to figure it out!

[@ericharmon7163]

Sounds logical

[@canbrit4621]

Maybe but why demand the hatch back later if it was fake...

[@amalidriss6930]

Wow that sounds interesting. “Stone of Destiny”.

[@seandegidon4672]

@@canbrit4621 If Edward couldn't find the real stone, wouldn't he make the best of the situation?

[@skyrocketcoast219]

One if the very best novels about MacBeth was called ' The King Hereafter' by Dorothy Dunnett. Macbeth was most likely Earl of Orkney. Thorfinn.

[@ronamoody515]

Sorry, are you saying MacBeth wasn't MacBeth? Don't understand.

[@pinkbunny6272]

The sound is a little weird...

[@sylvie38344]

It echos.

[@qienna6677]

Annoyingly their sound is always off. I'd suggest that it's because they don't want the bots to catch them, but their info says the content they post is all licensed so...dunno.

[@GriswoldCain]

Yeah I always want to contact them about fixing all their tinny videos haha. The content is always so quality but the audio is usually meh.

[@assgrabberb]

So is life....

[@Theseus9-cl7ol]

It's not so bad you can't watch it though.

[@maryseeker7590]

I always wanted to know more about Macbeth - thank you!

[@heidimelena4018]

Thank you for sharing the history of our heritage. Thank you for preserving our story🧚🏻‍♀️🍃

[@adelemarieish]

wow, this is amazing. I live right in the middle of all this action.

[@Madmen604]

Beautiful landscapes...

[@reinadegrillos]

Very interesting and informative. Thank you for uploading.

[@mookins45]

a historian on some other clip mentioned how the Celts 'faded into the West' like the Elves in Lord of the Rings.

[@milliebanks7209]

I am so in love with Scottish heritage. I want to visit Scotland so desperately.

[@Celtress]

Very much enjoyed this show, it explained Macbeth better than many of the books I've read. Thank you.

[@schoolingdiana9086]

I have to add, St Margaret-Malcolm III’s second wife (and the marriage I’m descended from) was only half English. She was a Princess of Hungary. (Her half brother was completely English.) There are families in Hungary today, still, who are her descendants, also.

[@ronamoody515]

Granddaughter of Edmund Ironside, King Cnut (or Canute) sent Ironside's sons to Sweden, from whence to Kief and then they ended up in Hungary. Margaret was born in Hungary about 1045. Her brother Edgar the Ætheling and sister Cristina were also born in Hungary around this time.

[@jacquelinedeigan776]

The History of Macbeth is fascinating..Thank you Tony..

[@BobJohnson648]

Thank you Tony. This puts Macbeth into a timeline that can be related to what was going on to the south...Edward the Confessor etc.

[@carmelsileo6520]

Outstanding doc, so interesting to learn about the real Macbeth and what might have been for Scotland. Truly poignant.

[@seanshepherd1543]

Beautiful! Thanks SO much for the awesome docu! =D

[@deusexrockina]

Thanks for these videos Baldrick! Love your content.

[@krisschaefer876]

Another beautiful piece my friend. Well done, as usual.

[@EVP-Voices]

Great, thanks for posting!

[@IIVVBlues]

"Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him." ...or perhaps an English writer of fiction shall obscure what was the height of Highland culture. Macbeth deserves to be remembered. I think a script based upon the real Macbeth would make an excellent movie.

[@marydonohoe8200]

Absolutely fascinating!!! Thank you, Tony.

[@HistoryIsOursChannel]

Hello timeline great history channel by the way - the best on youtube, keep-up the great uploads. Thankyou.😇😇

[@Concetta20]

That was so interesting!

[@dryad14]

14:35 i’m in love? wow what a man

[@chrislynneil4581]

The sound is horrible

[@Contessa6363]

I studied the play Macbeth during summer session. The classroom was hot 80-85 degrees. Our instructor Ms Eunice Sweeney not only had Gollum's height but she was that creature personified!

[@DarthWill3]

It's only natural that Tony Robinson should host this documentary. After all, in one of the _Blackadder_ episodes he did as Baldrick, the name "Macbeth" was used continuously to spook the actors.

[@kezkezooie8595]

I love all of the Blackadders. I watched the first series when it first aired and it was very different and original for its time, especially that first season. The show changed the format and comedy style to a more traditional one in the later seasons but it didn't lose it's quality; I still loved them all.

[@jaysonpida5379]

Even though it was 300 years later, it's easy to see why W. Wallace gained popularity among the 'common' so quickly and became such a 'pain' to the anglicised scot nobility....a nativist hope for a historical MacBeth part 2.

[@zachass3724]

Does anyone else feel like Tolkien might have been influenced by this tale?

[@Madmen604]

Jayson...That's what I thought. It became a divided Kingdom, too bad for that. My family heritage is from the Highlands. The Gaelic language and culture are taught , sung, performed and live on in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

[@cambs0181]

Wallace was a nobleman himself and would of had some land. Though in the movie he appears to live in a hut made of dung.

[@timclarke3375]

Anglicised? Strange that England was ruled by the Normans at the time and that many of these 'anglicised' Scots have French names....

[@ronamoody515]

@@cambs0181 Braveheart? A tissue of lies - Shakespeare could have started with it and made another great fiction!

[@janstan8407]

Loved it! A great presenter and always interesting presentation of history.

[@StephiSensei26]

Thank you Tony, I always learn something new from your programs. Adieu. This was you r most cunning program. "Unfortunately, Johnson hadn't got as far a 'Gullible' in the dictionary". Brilliant!

[@usamazahid3882]

47:54 *"Out. Out. Brief Candle. Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."* ~Macbeth~

[@grahambates7162]

Shakespeare's way of saying that nihilism is how the mad see life.

[@Elleoaqua]

@@grahambates7162 i'm not sure. the clowns and madmen often speak true but in puzzles like the witches

[@grahambates7162]

@@Elleoaqua True, and what is genius about this is that it is really Shakespeare writing it, knowing full well that those within his tragedy would not be able to appreciate it from his (God's)/the audience's perspective. It's funny how nihilists like to use this quote in a too literal way to justify their outlook.

[@christianfreedom-seeker934]

I would argue that the light of Celtic Scotland briefly came back on again with William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. But yeah, Malcom shifted the Kingdom southward, totally agreed. But the locals continued to speak Scottish Gaelic well until the Reformation. Tragically the last speaker of Scottish Gaelic died a few years ago I heard. I guess it was inevitable. Tragically when a language dies, so goes an ancient culture and it's songs and customs as well.

[@dasUberputer]

This is a great documentary - THANK YOU !

[@Theseus9-cl7ol]

Macbeth is such a great story because of it's versatility. There are so many versions of it from feudal Japan (Throne of Blood) to futuristic settings. It's my favorite Shakespearean story.

[@beckyenglish4783]

How many of you are seeing THAT Blackadder episode?

[@C21L01]

Rebecca English-Tenji Ahhh! Hot potato, orchestra stalls. Pluck will make amends. For the record yes, this documentary conjures up mental images of THAT Blackadder The Third episode. 😉

[@mikemccormack8993]

that...and Discworld's Wyrd Sisters...

[@AggelosKyriou]

Being a mere butler you are not aware of the great theater tradition that one must NEVER speak the name of the Scottish play!

[@daniel_is_aladdin]

Thanasis Earnest Lampropoulos -What are we forgetting, Your Highness? -Now look, if I stand any wider than this, I have a serious chance in disappointing my future queen. -No, your highness, the roar! -The roar? -Keanrick, from your Hamlet -WOOOAH To be or not to be What a legendary episode

[@jamesmatthew3681]

Me. I'll just refer it as the Scottish play.

[@sartainja]

Great video. I really enjoyed it. Thank you for posting and sharing.

[@Nana-vi4rd]

Shakespeare got Richard the 3rd wrong, so not surprising he got MacBeth wrong as well. I love the way Tony Robinson tells about history.

[@HO-bndk]

He didn't get them "wrong"! He was writing timeless stories that told of the human condition. He wasn't writing documentaries!

[@stephenmcewanFREEDOM]

Thank's for the upload.

[@michaels2007]

He be like, Macbeth, and the witches would go down in history And then the ice-cream guy was just like, um sir your ice-cream

[@jerrykitich3318]

I can't believe he said the name of the Scottish play; poor Tony, that's the end of him. He gave his all for the viewing public.

[@jerrykitich3318]

@Celto Loco Kind of reckless, aren't you?

[@kgs42]

Good stuff from Tony .... seems very well researched and interestingly presented.

[@jmace2424]

Seeing The Scottish Play at the Globe in person was really incredible!

[@EuroWarsOrg]

Absolutely profound how Shakespeare seems to have been the Social and Mainstream Media of the day disseminating propaganda on behalf of the rulers. Also love how Tony brings out how imperialism has destroyed an indigenous culture...whilst truth is usually overlooked, I personally demand it. More people should.

[@FabioLeprechaun]

By the audio, "the play that shall not be named" brings a curse to the KZbin too.

[@karl7108]

Absolutely remarkable. Respect for honesty.

[@gamers7800]

The 1971 film produce by playboy is amazing!

[@melissajackson79]

I really wish Tony would do Alfred the great and Edward the confessor!

[@cambs0181]

I'm sure he has done Alfred, look into it.

[@shalevedna]

I found this to be absolutely fascinating. I am familiar with the play, and I have visited Scotland which I loved. Anyone into both literature and history must watch this.

[@28105wsking]

I love this program! Kudos to all involved! I"d love to have a beer with Tony Robinson any day, even tho I don't drink! LOL!

[@robertarmitage1899]

We know that drama is not history, yet some complain about Shakespeare blackening Macbeth. I take the opposite view, plays like "Macbeth" act as a challenge to historians and interested others to seek the truth of what happened. This video demonstrates that. The same could be said of "Richard III."

[@deusexrockina]

This is the hottest take in the comments! ☝️

[@MrAranton]

Shakespeare did blacken Macbeth. James VI of Scotland who would become James I of England and Scotland was king when Macbeth was written, traced his ancestry back to kings Duncan and Malcolm. By praising them in his play Shakespeare by extension praised James, and by letting the first thing Malcolm does being to reform Scotland to more resemble England (there's a line along the lines of noble Thanes, henceforth be Earls) he moves back the idea of uniting the crowns of Scotland and England into one centuries before it actually happened, presenting the end of Scotlands independence as the natural course of history. He turns Macbeth into a symbol of the old scottish independence and by villifying him he villifies the independent Scotland he stood for. So basically: Shakespeare wrote a progaganda piece, and it stands to reason he did so in order to curry favour with the relatively newly crowned king. Richard III got blackened for similar reasons; when Shakespeare wrote that piece England was governed by Elisabeth I; whose line ascended to the throne by deposing the last Plantagenet king Richard III. Of course he's presented as a villain and the then current queen's grandfather as the slayer of that villain and protector of all that's good and moral. Does that political angle reduce the artistic value of those plays? No it doesn't and since the political landscape is no longer the same it was in Shakespeare's days there's not much relevance to the propaganda angle any more. But we shouldn't pretend it's not there.

[@gf3011]

@Robert Armitage I disagree. Many people have “learned” their history from Shakespeare for centuries and believe his version as much as they believe the black legend. Of course this latter wasn’t created by him but it’s in the same vein, blackening one’s opponents/enemies to make oneself look better and in the right, whilst hiding the harm one has done. It’s an old English tradition I find deplorable. Those of us who, as you say, are spurned on to find the truth, are the exception rather than the rule. It’s unfortunate that “History is written by the victors” seems to be an English saying, wrongly attributed to Winston Churchill but in English nonetheless. I don’t find it in other languages and must say, many non-English historians are apologetic about the wrongs their own ancestors have done, without distorting the actions of their opponents/enemies. I wish this taking of responsibility were universal, but it isn’t.

[@gf3011]

It’s like the Hollywood cartoon versions of Pocahontas or Anastasia. While great stories, and Macbeth intriguing and apparently written to appeal to and promote King James to the people, as Richard III was to Queen Elizabeth, why use and distort authentic personages from history? Why not do as Tolkien, and create real fiction even if based on actual people? In the first case of the cartoons, it’s lazy story-telling. In the case of Shakespeare, it is genuine propaganda intended to indoctrinate the masses.

[@MrAranton]

@@gf3011 I wouldn't go so far as to say Macbeth and Richard III were propaganda intended to indoctrinate the masses. The idea that Shakespeare distorted authentic personages is based on the assumption that he knew better. We shouldn't assume all the information that's available to us was available to Shakespeare, too. Even more important: Shakespeare was a product of his time. And for artists looking for wealthy patron's upabashedly shmoozing up them or their ancestors and just as unabashedly demonizing their (ancestor's) opponents was just par for the course. We should also keep in mind that times Shakepeare lived in didn't have a particularly nuanced view on Richard III. Casting Richard III as a villain back then was like casting Saddam Hussein as a villain is today. Propaganda against Richard III started when he was still alive. That's how Henry VII justified his attempt to overthrow him. Shakespeare didn't invent anti-Richard propaganda, he just extended its shelf-life and added embellishments. He didn't write Richard III to indoctrinate the masses; he wrote Richard III to appeal to masses that had already been indoctrinated - if the notion of "indoctrinated masses" can even be applied to the era. And with Macbeth the idea that the piece was written to indoctrinate the masses is downright preposterous. The praising of king James is only detectable by people who know James was direct descendent of king Duncan. But from the perspective of the masses king Duncan - a long dead king from what during his reign was a foreign country - was such an obscure figure he might as well have been fictional. A blacksmith or weaver looking to enjoy themselves in a theatre probably wouldn't have connected that king Duncan to the guy on the throne.

[@neildahlgaard-sigsworth3819]

In Shakespeare's time it wasn't Macbeth that was bad luck for actors it was Henry VIII. When it was played in Shakespeare's day the cannon used as a stage effect burnt the Globe theatre down. Macbeth become an omen of bad luck around the turn of the last century as touring rep companies would put Macbeth on when they were low on money.

[@renatagross5959]

Thank you for your most fascinating documentary. You are a Master of The Arts.

[@renshiwu305]

I'm only here for red-headed Sasquatch.

[@MatthewMcVeagh]

As someone with a surname related to 'Macbeth' - they're two versions of the same name - I am interested in the true man of history and feel he has been wronged not only by Shakespeare but by the chroniclers of his own country. And according to the principles of Tanistry he was right to do what he did.

[@patrickwilliams3108]

Another (though very late) addition. James the 6th and 1st was the 6th great grandson of Duncan 1 and 5th great grandson of Malcolm 3 (through David 1). Portraying the witches as being problematic in the reign of his ancestors played right into James' own superstitions about witches meddling with his reign. And, of course, it would not do to have the man who killed his ancestor portrayed as a 'good person'.

[@jjiacobucci]

Excellent ! Well done !

[@annemiura7767]

Fantastic video. Love Tony Robinson and this film really explores an interesting history. Held my interest every moment from beginning to end.

[@tracesprite6078]

Jackie French, in her book "Macbeth and Son" was rather impatient with Shakespeare for having historical mistakes in his play. However Shakespeare had to contend with the dictator, Elizabeth 1, who had learnt to be ruthless and cruel from seeing her father kill her mother when he had got tired of her. In Richard III, Shakespeare exaggerated how bloodthirsty the king was because he had to explain why the crown wasn't passed down in the usual hereditary way, which would have resulted in someone other than Elizabeth becoming monarch. He was nevertheless able to draw a great portrait of how good, well-meaning people can get shouldered out of the way by ruthless, violent people who are intent on getting power. Maybe Richard III wasn't such a power-grabber but there have been plenty of others. www.booktopia.com.au/macbeth-and-son-jackie-french/book/9780207200342.html Nevertheless, Jackie French's book is extremely interesting.