Macbeth: The Real King Behind Shakespeare’s Tragedy | The Real Macbeth | Chronicle

Tony Robinson takes a look at the facts behind the myth of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and finds a quite different character and story to that created by the ’Bard of Avon’. The original and real King Macbeth lived in the 11th century and reigned from 1040 to 1057. The real Scottish king Macbeth was a far cry from the great Shakespearean villain, but his story was even more fascinating. 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. Welcome to Chronicle; your home for all things medieval history! With documentaries covering everything from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the beginnings of the Renaissance, from Hastings to Charlemagne, we’ll be exploring everything the Middle Ages have to offer.