Ever since I performed in a campus production of "Macbeth," and even before, I have been fascinated by Lady Macbeth. Of all Shakespearean villains, she ranks alongside the likes of Iago and Richard III. Among female villains, she is probably one of the most infamous.
Many of Shakespeare's characters plot and commit murders in pursuit of power, but few do it with the sheer evil style of Lady Macbeth. In the course of five acts, the lady calls on witches, vows to dash out the brains of her children if she breaks her word, asks that her milk be made poison, and drives her husband to overcome his natural loyalty to make a violent and bloody bid for the throne of Scotland.
Although it may seem unusual, Lady Macbeth's ultimate descent into madness sparks for me a kind of pity. Is she really as evil as she first appears? Or...is she just misrepresented?
This is the claim of Susan Fraser King in her 2008 novel, Lady Macbeth. King goes back to the historic annals of Scotland in a quest to uncover the plausible truth about Macbeth, his lady, and the dark legacy surrounding his reign.
The novel is told from the perspective of Gruadh inghean Bodhe mac Cineadh mhic Dubh--daughter of Bodhe son of Kenneth son of Duff. Gruadh is descended from both of the royal lines of Scotland and, from her birth, she has a viable claim to the throne.
So does any man connected to her by marriage. As a result, Gruadh's childhood is overshadowed by repeated kidnappings and forced marriage attempts, from which she is won back at the expense of lives: her brother, her guard, and others in her father's retinue.
Gruadh shares the fire and passion of Shakespeare's Lady. She decides early on to protect herself by training as a warrior, and she follows her mother's example in learning the arts of foresight and the brewing of magic potions.
After a short-lived first marriage, Gruadh is widowed when Mac bethad, a powerful warrior, kills her husband to revenge the death of his own father. Macbeth then takes Gruadh as his wife. Gruadh's fierce nature upholds her throughout, but it cripples her ability to conceive and bear children.
As the whims of the current king, Duncan, threaten the livelihood of Scots, Macbeth and Gruadh work to unite the kingdom of Scotland against the encroaching Saxons to the south and Norsemen to the north.
But even after Macbeth defeats Duncan and claims the crown, the king's son Malcolm returns to Scotland bearing Macbeth's doom and eventually driving Gruadh to a lonely exile, leaving him free to pervert her memory and the legacy of her husband.
Authenticity pervades King's work, from the traditional Gaelic rules of succession to the weighty and unfamiliar names. King's characters are particularly real. They are not without flaws, and many have a blood-lust unpalatable to modern readers, but they are sympathetic as they strive to make the best of their unique gifts and position in life.
Along the way, King tantalizes readers with the cameo appearances of familiar Shakespearean characters. In many cases, expectations are diverted, and roles are switched.
Instead of being the virile, uncompromising warrior, Macduff is an obsequious usurper of his cousin Gruadh's rightful title. Malcolm is not full of the many virtues he rattles off in Act IV; he is a treacherous and relentless foe. And Macbeth, the internally-conflicted tyrant, is a strong, proud, and honorable man who maintains the popular support of Scotland throughout his reign.
The greatest swap is, of course, Gruadh, the Lady Macbeth. There are traces of Shakespeare's legendary queen in the barren, hard-edged warrior princess. However, despite her flaws, King's Lady shows mercy and compassion while maintaining the strength necessary to protect her own. She feels deep remorse over those who die on her behalf, and she shares moments of true tenderness with Macbeth, her husband.
According to King, this is the real story of Mac bethad and his lady Gruadh, rex et regina Scotorum, as it might have been.
Although this novel may not replace popular conceptions of the cruel and ruthless Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, for someone who has always felt that there was more than the "brief candle" seen in Shakespeare, King's novel is an intriguing and captivating glimpse into the world of one of Scotland's most notorious queens.
No comments:
Post a Comment