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Talk6 min

The murderous medieval king who inspired "Macbeth"

Benjamin Hudson · TED

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About

Of all Shakespeare’s plays, perhaps none is stranger than “Macbeth”— a parable on power rife with supernatural elements. But according to texts from the 11th century, this tragedy has its roots in reality. What’s more, other accounts mention witches, prophecies, and arboreal armies. Which raises the question: just how much of Shakespeare’s strange story is true? Benjamin Hudson investigates. [Directed by Sarah Saidan, narrated by Adrian Dannatt, music by André Aires].

The talk

  1. The murderous medieval king who inspired "Macbeth" 6 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Benjamin Hudson
Year
2025
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
History, Literature and writing, Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed