Lady Macbeth

Here is another historical novel that tries to set the record straight on Macbeth, or more accurately in this case, his wife. Lady Macbeth, by Susan Fraser King, seeks to dispel the nasty reputation her main character has, telling the story from her viewpoint.

I found this book interesting mainly because it comes on the heels of reading MacBeth The King by Nigel Tranter. Both books are historical, but tell somewhat different stories. For one thing, Lady Macbeth (here called Gruadh) outlives him. For another, in King's book, he's not such a good guy. I mentioned that he seemed too saintly in Tranter's book, and King paints him much more realistically. For instance, after being responsible for killing her first husband, he just demands that she marry him, unlike Tranter's book, where he waits for her to come around. Also, Thorfinn Raven Hunter, portrayed as a back-slapping Viking in Tranter's book (and Macbeth's half-brother) is here seen as a scary, wizard-like man who is his cousin.

Like many historical novels, Lady Macbeth has some over-heated prose, and syntax that is a bit Yoda-ish, trying to sound old. The first sentence sets the tone: "Scarce nine the first time I was stolen away, I remember a wild and unthinking fright as I was snatched from my pony's back and dragged into the arms of one of the men who rode toward my father's escort party." Also, Gruadh is something of a historical novel cliche, the woman ahead of her time. She is feisty and refuses to let the men run things. King bends over backwards to claim that Celtic women were treated as equals and had a history of taking part in battles, but there can't help but be a modern feminist attitude creeping into her character.

Since the book is from Gruadh's point of view, the action of Shakespeare's play is shoved into the last third of the book (Macbeth was king for seventeen years, not the few weeks that it seems in Shakespeare). While there are no hags on the heath, Gruadh does practice a little witchcraft, consulting an Irish crone for readings of the future. And Birnham Wood does come to Dunsinane: "In the darkness before dawn, the Saxons disguised themselves by draping branches and leaves to cover heads and shoulders as they hunched along like foxes and weasels to ambush the Scottish guard, bringing on a swift surprise attack."

Lady Macbeth is okay, geared more for readers of historical fiction, especially about strong women. The point is well taken that Shakespeare forever tarnished the reputation of Macbeth and his queen, so setting the record straight is appreciated.