crceres

Last I heard, Shakespeare really slandered the historical Macbeth. The man who provided the inspiration for the play was certainly not a tyrant, and while he might have killed Duncan, it was in a generally supported revolt against the ineffectual king.
So, to create an interesting question of ethics, let's say Macbeth is prepared to enter into his reign as a wise and good ruler, and then present him with the choice to follow the path Shakespeare wrote for him. On the one hand, he can be a decent, if obscure little king. Or he can play out the sort of drama that is never seen in real life. The lure would be the glory of living out such dramatic scenes, with accompanying eloquent prose. Wouldn't that be worth something?

Really, I'm just figuring out how to articulate it and turn it into a story. Any suggestions?