Cheat Sheet: Macbeth vs. Dunsinane

Cheat Sheet MACBETHvs.

DUNSINANE

David Greig’s Dunsinane is a sort of sequel to Shakepeare’s Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, a Scottish general, receives a prophecy from three Witches that he will become King of Scotland. Motivated by the prophecy, Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth decide to murder the current king. When Macbeth takes his crown, more violence and civil war follow, leading to Macbeth’s eventual death in battle.

Macbeth

Lady Macbeth goes mad from guilt over her and Macbeth’s murder of the former king.

We see Macbeth murder the Scottish king Duncan with knives, then take his throne.

Macduff kills Macbeth at the end of the play.

There is no mention of the actual historical conflict between the Kingdom of Alba and the Kingdom of Moray.

Dunsinane

Gruach (which is the real historical name for Macbeth’s queen) is alive and very sane at the beginning of the play.

We don’t meet Macbeth (called “the tyrant” in this play) and don’t see him commit any murders.

Macduff kills Macbeth offstage early in the play. Gruach later mourns over Macbeth’s dead body.

The actual history of Alba and Moray figures prominently in the play.

The yew tree in the Scottish village of Fortingall, still standing in the churchyard, is called the oldest tree in Britain and is thought to be 2,000 to 3,000 years old. It marks the entrance to the mystical valley of Glen Lyon.

Photo by Trish Steel via Wikimedia Commons: Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.