Top 10 facts about Macbeth

Orson Welles as Macbeth

ON August 14, 1040, 975 years ago today, Macbeth (MacBheatha) killed King Duncan (Donnchadh) in battle and became King of Scotland.

 

1. Macbeth’s reign was a time of relative peace and he encouraged the spread of Christianity. He was described as red, tall, golden-haired and pleasant.

2. In 1050 Macbeth made a pilgrimage to Rome where he is said to have given money to the poor “as if it were seed”.

3. There are three Macbeth Streets in the UK, in Glasgow, Liverpool and West London.

4. Macbeth is the only play by Shakespeare that includes the word “rhinoceros”.

5. Lady Macbeth’s first name was Gruoch.

6. Unlike Shakespeare’s portrayal, Macbeth was no villain and Lady Macbeth was not scheming.

7. The words murder, murderer, murderous, murdering, etc occur 62 times in Macbeth, which is more than any other Shakespeare play.

8. Orson Welles’ 1948 film of Macbeth used sets and scenery left over from Western films.

9. The earliest film of Macbeth was a 1908 silent movie in black and white which was censored by the police for its violence when shown in Chicago.

10. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Macbeth’s death: he was killed by Duncan’s son, the future Malcolm III, on August 15, 1057.