I have begun to plant thee, and will labour To make thee full of
growing. Macbeth (1.4), Duncan For reasons both dramatic and
political, Shakespeare had to make notable changes to the
historical Duncan. The real King Duncan, according to
Shakespeare's sources, was your regular nasty warlord; nastier,
it appears, than the actual historical Macbeth. If Shakespeare's
Macbeth planned to kill this Duncan he would be justified, and
hence there would be no play. So Duncan morphs into a delightful
and much beloved ruler, kind to the point of annoyance. With his
'silver skin' and 'golden blood' (2.3.97), Shakespeare's Duncan
epitomizes the perfect ruler. Read on...