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Wed 24 Sep | MacDuff ends tyrant Thane's ruthless rule

Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand?
Macbeth (above), Act II, Scene I

Scotland is once again "the free" this morning, after brave soldier MacDuff cut down butchering bigwig Macbeth.

Murderer Macbeth's relentless rise to power began when he ran into three creepy crones who predicted he'd one day be king. Driven by ambition, he plunged Scotland into a reign of terror, killing anyone who stood in his way.

Wicked Wife
Egged on by his bitter, unstable wife, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth's first horrific crime was to stab rightful King

Duncan to death in a frenzied attack - leaving the throne open for himself.

Then, scared that best mate Banquo suspected him, he arranged for a hit squad to slaughter his old friend. Only by chance did Banquo's young son Fleance escape the three brutal killers who ended his dad's life.

From then on, no-one in Scotland was safe. Men, women and children, including MacDuff's own family, were massacred in their own homes. But the

Continued below...

Macbeth
Macbeth was originally one of King Duncan's top soldiers. Told he would be King one day by witches, his lust for power made him dangerously unstable, vicious and lonely.

Lady Macbeth
A strong, ambitious woman, Lady Macbeth encouraged her husband in his reckless climb to the top. Eventually, though, she cracked under the pressure.

Banquo
A strong soldier, Banquo fought side to side with Macbeth. But when witches said his sons would be Scotland's future kings, Macbeth turned against him.

Macduff
Great warrior MacDuff always suspected Macbeth. Eventually he fled to England to help lead an uprising from there. His wife and children were put to death as revenge.

bloodbath they had caused took its toll even on the vicious Macbeth couple. Haunted by her guilt, Lady Macbeth began sleep- walking and eventually killed herself. Her husband, meanwhile, couldn't sleep and claimed to see Banquo's ghost.

Finally, brave MacDuff teamed up with Duncan's son Malcolm, the rightful

heir, and led an English-Scottish army to victory. Camoflagued with branches from nearby Birnam Wood, they crept up on Macbeth's grim stronghold of Dunsinane, forcing the depraved despot out onto the battlefield.

There, MacDuff faced him, beat him down - and made a present of his head to new Scottish King Malcolm.

What they said:
"To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day."

Macbeth, Act V, Scene V

"Out, damned spot! out, I say!
Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?"

Lady Macbeth, Act V, Scene I

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