Mac Bethad mac Findlaích became king of the Scots after killing Duncan in 1040 and was assassinated in 1057 by Malcolm III in battle. William Shakespeare immortalized Macbeth and his life story in his famous play of the same name: Macbeth. Shakespeare used Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of Holinshed as the primary source, the basis for the plot of the play. Shakespeare made a considerable number of changes in plot and form. In this essay I will explore what changes Shakespeare made and why. In Macbeth, a lord Macbeth hears a prophecy from three witches: he will be king. Macbeth decides to believe in help and kill King Duncan. His character changes dramatically in Shakespeare's narrative and eventually Macbeth is haunted and murdered by a scary man. Holinshed wrote his Chronicles, the first edition published in 1577, with a clear purpose: he wanted to inform his readers about the “Hiſtorie of Englãd”, which includes “Scotlande and Irelande”. It is no surprise that Holinshed used an objective medium, in the form of a multi-volume book, to tell the story to his audience. In his preface he also underlined that he wanted to be as objective as possible and did not want to let his own opinions prevail. He based his work on extensive writings of historians and many sources. Shakespeare's audience, however, is markedly different from Holinshed's. Shakespeare wrote a play to be performed for all classes of people and which carried a clear message and purpose. A first surprising change is the form: Shakespeare wrote a play. A trivial explanation is Shakespeare's talent, emotional and visual connection, and accessibility for audiences: literacy was low. However, that's virtually impossible... middle of paper... and he played to high class audiences and had his own winter venue. I also consider Macbeth a stepping stone to Shakespeare's later career. Shakespeare had to adapt the play to James' political beliefs and his views on witchcraft, which account for many of the changes. James was interested in human consciousness and witchcraft. This may have been his inspiration for the theme and depiction of witches, adding to the effect of the work. In conclusion, in contrast to Holinshed's story with a rather objective and fact-based although "boring" for a historical audience, Shakespeare wrote a play to convey an idea moral message to captivate the common people and to please King James I. Shakespeare's Macbeth, however dramatically altered, however historically inaccurate, continues to teach humanity a moral lesson and will always be a brilliant piece of literature.