Macbeth
Macbeth names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Macbeth one of the four great tragedies of Shakespeare
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
one of the four great tragedies of Shakespeare. It was written about 1605, and was published first in the folio of 1623. Shakespeare obtained his materials from the Holinshed's Chronicles. James I (James VI of Scotland) came to the English throne in 1603. Naturally, Scottish subjects became popular on the English stage. As Banquo was supposed to be an ancestor of James, his character in Shakespeare's play was a compliment to the king. The story as told by Shakespeare is not historical, but is founded on the fact that Duncan. who came to the Scottish throne in 1034, was assassinated by Macbeth, who, according to the rule of Scotch succession, was entitled to the throne rather than Duncan. Macbeth is one of the most intensely dramatic of Shakespeare's plays. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are two of his most real and striking characters. The banquet scene, where Banquo's ghost appears to Macbeth, and the sleep-walking scene, are among the most vivid and forceful presentations of the effects of remorse to be found in literature. The style of this mighty drama is pitched in the same high, tragic key as the action. Throughout, we have an explosion, as of purpose into act, so also of thought into speech, both literally kindling with their own swiftness. No sooner thought than said, no sooner said than done, is the law of the piece. Therewithal thoughts and images come crowding and jostling each other in such quick succession as to prevent a full utterance; a second leaping upon the tongue before the first is fairly off. I should say the poet here specially endeavored how much of the meaning could be conveyed in how little of expression; with the least touching of the ear to send vibrations through all the chambers of the mind. . . . The whole drama, indeed, may be described as a tempest set to music."-Hudson. McClellan, George Brinton (1826-1885), an American soldier. He was born at Philadelphia December 3, 1826, and died at Orange, New Jersey , October 29, 1885. He received his education at the University of Pennsylvania, and was graduated also at West Point in 1846. He served creditably under Scott in the Mexican War, and was promoted to a captaincy for gallantry at Chapultepec. He served as an instructor at West Point, directed the river and harbor survey of Texas, and located the western end of the Northern Pacific Railroad. In 1855 he was detailed to report on the war in the Crimea. Two years later he resigned his commission and accepted a position as vice-president and engineer of the Illinois Central Railroad. At the outbreak of the Civil War McClellan was commissioned to organize the volunteers of Ohio, and had charge of the Union troops that occupied West Virginia and cleared the way for the organization of that region as a Union state. This accomplished, he was called to Washington and placed in command of the army of the Potomac, with a commission as major general. On the retirement of his old commander, General Scott, McClellan was placed in chief command of the Northern army and was instructed to prepare plans for the capture of Richmond. In March of 1862 he began the famous Peninsular Campaign. His plans seemed to be all right, and later information shows that he might have accomplished his purpose easily if he had had the determination to carry them out. He greatly overestimated the resources of his opponents and spent his energies in calling for reinforcements and more supplies. As a matter of fact, he advanced within a few hours' march of Richmond, then retired to the coast without result. McClellan was next placed in command of the defenses of Washington, and later again took command of the army of the Potomac and defeated Lee in the battle of Antietam. Here again he showed indecision, waiting for reinforcements instead of following up Lee's retiring army. President Lincoln ordered him to Trenton, New Jersey, relieving him from further active participation in the war. McClellan was considered one of the ablest engineers that West Point has produced. His ability to plan a campaign was unquestioned. He was a favorite with his soldiers and brother officers. He had talent and opportunity. Indecision at the critical moment-hesitation to proceed when the time came-prevented him from becoming one of the most renowned generals of modern times. He possessed qualities of public leadership that Grant never had. In 1864 McClellan was made the Democratic nominee for president. The election was confined, of course, to the Northern States. Lincoln received 212 electoral votes; McClellan, 21. New Jersey, Kentucky, and Delaware gave majorities for McClellan. Subsequently he pursued the profession of civil engineering, having charge of the construction of docks at New York City. In 1877 he was elected governor of New Jersey. He discharged the duties of his office with dignity and efficiency. His influence was in favor of right measures. Among his writings are the first volume of Pacific Railroad Surveys, The Army of Europe, A Manual of Bayonet Exercise, the Army of the Potomac, and McClellan's Own Story. A son of the same name has been sent to Congress by a New York City district, and has served as mayor of Greater New York. McCosh, James, a noted college president. He was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, April 1, 1811, and died at Princeton, New Jersey, November 16, 1894. He was educated at the University of Glasgow, and took part in the secession of the Free Church . He was a professor of logic and metaphysics in Belfast, Ireland, from 1852 until 1868. He attracted attention by his ability as a lecturer and as a writer of philosophical works. His writings are chiefly of a metaphysical character. In the year last named he was invited to take the presidency of Princeton College, New Jersey, a position which he filled with ability for twenty years. See Bonner McCrea, ma-kra, Jane (1753-1777), a victim of American Indian warfare. She was born in New York. Her father was a Scotch Presbyterian clergyman. At his death she went to reside with a brother near Fort Edward, New York. She was engaged to be married to David Jones, an officer in Burgoyne's army. Accounts differ as to the manner of her death. According to one account, a party of Indians had been sent out by her lover to bring her to camp. According to another, she was endeavoring to escape from the vicinity and was captured by a band of prowling Indians. At all events she was killed and scalped. Her death created the greatest horror on both sides of the Atlantic and aroused a protest against the employment of Indians as allies in time of warfare. Her grave is still shown in the little burying ground near the ruins of Fort Edward. See Burgoyne
Macbeth king of Scotland
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
king of Scotland. He reigned from 1040-1057. His predecessor was Duncan, the grandson of the famous Malcolm. Macbeth was also a grandson of Malcolm, and, according to the laws of Scottish succession, his claim to the throne was equal to if not better than that of Duncan. Macbeth's ambition led him to contest the throne with Duncan. Holinshed's Chronicles, on which Shakespeare depended for the historical basis of his great tragedy, state that Macbeth slew Duncan at Bothgowan. He is said to have visited Rome seeking pardon for the slaying of his king. The sons of Duncan fled to Northumberland and later gathered their friends and invaded Scotland, defeating Macbeth at the battle of Dunsinane in 1054. Macbeth fell three years later near Aberdeen, and was succeeded by one of Duncan's sons.
Macbeth the hero of Shakespeare's gedy of that name
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
the hero of Shakespeare's gedy of that name; a Scotch chief related to the reigning King Duncan, whom he assassinated in order to usurp his power, 1040. He fell in battle by the hand of Macduff, in 1057.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Aiton's 1910 account of the play itself still reads well, and its dating is only slightly off: scholars now place the composition in 1606 rather than "about 1605," partly because the drunken Porter's joke about an "equivocator" points to the trial of the Jesuit Henry Garnet after the Gunpowder Plot. The larger shift is over authorship: the Hecate scenes and the two songs, imported from Thomas Middleton's The Witch, are now widely taken as Middleton's additions to the text printed in the 1623 Folio, and modern editions such as the Oxford Shakespeare credit him as co-adapter. On the history, Aiton is right that the story is not historical but understates it further: the real Macbeth killed Duncan in battle in 1040, not by assassination, then ruled for seventeen years and even travelled to Rome in 1050, while Banquo is now regarded as an invention of the sixteenth-century chronicler Hector Boece, so the Stuart pedigree Shakespeare flattered was itself a fiction. The play remains among the most performed in the canon, and the theatrical superstition against saying its name aloud has if anything grown stronger since 1910.
Written for this edition, 2026.