To refer to your second point about Macbeth, I wanted to show that Macbeth was a loyal but at the beginning of the play. When Macbeth met the three witches his loyalty was lost. This change also fits in with the structure of my play.
Your point that Macbeth had a genuine grievance against Duncan, since Duncan had blocked Macbeth’s legal path to the throne. This was clearly changed for the characterisation effects for the play. Also I wanted to create the image of Macbeth to be evil and that he has ambition and will do anything, even kill to get the throne.
You criticized my changes to Banquo that changed him from a helping Macbeth to kill King Duncan to Banquo remaining loyal to the king and that he had no hand in his murder. I needed to create an image of a bad and good king in my play so that this would show what happens to bad kings who ruled badly. Also I used this to create more excitement and interest in my play. As you may know kings James is distantly related to Banquo and I wouldn’t wan to offend the king as this could cause worry and trouble for me and my theatre so really the reason why I changed Banquo’s character was so that people and King James saw him as a good character rather that one who was a murderer!
In answer to the changes in Macbeth’s rein for Scotland the reason I wanted Macbeth to seem an evil, ruthless and cold-blooded murderer to fit in with the plays theme. I wanted to show that Macbeth had ambition and would do anything to achieve this. Also bad kings only rule for a short period this is why I also changed the time of Macbeth’s reign.
Audiences are always attracted to plays with the supernatural so to have a ghost of Banquo made the plat more dramatic. I have acknowledged that in fact there was no Banquet or Banquo’s ghost but I wanted to show Macbeth’s guilty conscience in the play to show that he had developed an unstable mind. The supernatural will bring more audiences into the theatre and it is entertaining. It also shows a weakness of Macbeth’s character and brings dramatis effects to the play.
Now I will tell you my reasons why I choose three witches rather than one. I did carefully acknowledge your chronicles and found that in the history of Macbeth there was only one witch. I knew that James had great interest in witchcraft so I wanted to please the king and give him what he wanted. As you might be aware a group of witches tried to kill King James and this turned him against witches. Not only had King James had an interest in witchcraft it was something that the public were very much aware of. As people were being brought to trail for being witches I knew that this would bring dramatic scenes to my play and crowds into my theatre. The witches fitted in with the structure of my play. A single witch wasn’t right for the play and three witches gave a strong influence in the play, which I wanted to show. The witches were a great influence on Macbeth’s action in this play.
Macbeth wasn’t a magician. He was a soldier! I needed to change his character in the play from the facts in your chronicles because this just didn’t fir the character of Macbeth. I needed to show that Macbeth was a leader, a solider and had strength as a character rather than someone who needs to surround his castle with magic. It would have been absolutely ridiculous to have Macbeth as a magician when he was a soldier throughout the play. Macbeth relied on the three witches ability to predict the future for him. The character Macbeth believed strongly in the witches and he didn’t need to surround his castle with magical forces.
In your chronicles is says that Macbeth did not hire murderers. The resins I changed this was simply because it didn’t fit the character and the structure of the play. If Macbeth didn’t hire murderers then surly it wouldn’t show that he was a coward and a bad king all throughout the play. It also shows that he was conspiring in a murder. Another reason why I changed this was because I felt that I needed to bring violence into the play if I wanted to see the crowds flooding into my theatre. Macbetth in the play hires people to do his dirty work instead of committing the crime this also shows that he is a coward.
I changed that fact in your chronicles that Macbeth fled his castle and pursued across the country to him staying in his castle, as it would have been harder to stage the ending of the play. I would have has to have a chase at the end of the play, this would be hard to show on stage. Also I needed to make the witches prediction come true ‘no one born a woman wouldn’t hurt him’ so that Macbeth thinks that he has nothing to worry about. The character that Macbeth had become ended up alone in his castle. It also shows that Macbeth was once high up and at the end was low which shows how bad kings who rule badly end up.
Now I will explain why I changed Lady Macbeth. I did closely acknowledge your chronicles about Lady Macbeth didn’t sleep walk or didn’t commit suicide. My reasons for changing Lady Macbeth so that she sleep walked and did commit suicide to show the guilt gets to you in the end. Also it makes a dramatic scene and the sleepwalking adds a supernatural, dark scene to the audience. It was also to show that Macbeth had a powerful, corrupting influence on Lady Macbeth’s character.
I hope I have explained in this letter the reasons for the changes in my play from you chronicles. As you can now see I had to change your chronicles dramatically because I needed to please King James, give the audiences what they wanted and to bring the crowds into my theatre. Be sure, I didn’t intend to offend you, as you are a well-respected man to this day. I have always admired your histories and they have inspired my play. I hope I have succeeded in convincing you of my reasons for my changes.
Yours Faithfully
William Shakespeare
