9 replies to this topic

[ccochran]

Hello, all:

This is an attempt to illustrate leadership traits through Shakespeare's Macbeth. A bit of a stretch? Of course, but it seemed interesting at the time. Let me know if it makes any sense.

Craig
Kennesaw, GA
USA

Attached Files

•  Leadership_and_Macbeth___Cochran.doc   60.5KB   88 downloads

[Simon]

Fantastic Craig, it really works! You brought out some great points.

Nothing epitomises the ‘leader vision' better than a fierce leader of men in war and none can engender the same levels of loyalty amongst comrades. Macbeth leads by example in a blood, sweat and tears environment and his followers would gladly die for him.

It may not be quite so easy for Mr J Staid of Higginbotham Widgets Inc to engender the same levels of enthusiasm, but he can certainly try by being enthusiastically ‘hands on'. Macbeth was a great warrior not a great leader; he was too one dimensional. A truly great leader must possess a lot more leadership traits than ‘sword swinging'.

Leadership Traits

I guess the lessons for me are nobody's perfect, everyone has at least one Achilles heel, and a good leader is able to recognise this. A strong set of principles is the critical starting point, galvanising the organisation, team, army to march towards their 'principle based' objectives on an unshakable path is the difficult bit and requires great leadership.

Thanks a lot for the article Craig.

Regards,
Simon

[ccochran]

Simon,

Your summary of the article's points is better than the article itself! Nicely done, and thanks for the kind words. Macbeth was never so virtuous as he was at the very beginning, when he was leading by example. Everyone can embrace that same spirit. Maybe if we crossed the resolve of Macbeth with the intelligence of Hamlet we'd have a decent leader, huh?

Hope all is well across the water. I'm sipping a cup of grog at this very moment.

Craig

[Simon]

Maybe if we crossed the resolve of Macbeth with the intelligence of Hamlet we'd have a decent leader, huh?

Yeah decent leaders are hard to find and to be honest I can't remember having any. Has anyone else been encouraged to go the extra mile by an inspirational leader at school, work or maybe sport?

Hope all is well across the water. I'm sipping a cup of grog at this very moment.

Yes everythings good thanks; I just realised the article was your first post Craig so a warm welcome to the forums! We don't have enough members from your side of the pond.

BTW I'm in the process of trying to write something myself, it's more of a fun thing than anything professional or that anyone could learn from. Whether it will ever see the light of day is another question. Whether it will ever get finished is another still.

Regards,
Simon

[ccochran]

Simon,

I would love to see your writing. Is it fiction? I am a failed and frustrated fiction writer. I would enjoy having some company...

I heard this on the radio tonight. Quite a coincidence, considering our discussion of Macbeth:

"Professor Attempts to Repair Macbeth's Image

NPR.org, February 8, 2005 · Melissa Block talks with John Beatty, who teaches a course on Shakespeare's Macbeth at Brooklyn College, about his efforts to rehabilitate the Scottish king's image. Macbeth is portrayed in Shakespeare's play as bloodthirsty, but Beatty says history suggests he was a respected king."

Apparently the real Macbeth was a pretty decent sort. How about that for character assasination?

Craig

[Simon]

I am a failed and frustrated fiction writer.

There's no such thing mate, if you can grab people's attention writing about ISO 9001 you can do almost anything! I can set up a ‘creative writing' forum if you want me to.

I would love to see your writing. Is it fiction?

You are putting pressure on me now. To be honest I don't know what it is, but it's certainly a figment of my over active imagination. I don't know what its like for other writers but I find the process incredibly difficult. I'm not promising but I'll try to pick up with it.

Apparently the real Macbeth was a pretty decent sort. How about that for character assasination?

Yes he used to poach foes hearts before he ate them.

Regards,
Simon

[Franco]

Fantastic Craig, it really works!  You brought out some great points.

[ccochran]

Franco,

Thank you, kind sir.

Craig

[ccochran]

One last bit about Macbeth, then we'll get back to reasonable business discussions. This came out of the Telegraph.co.uk on February 3:

The real Macbeth was not all toil and trouble
By Tom Peterkin
(Filed: 03/02/2005)

Historians and politicians have begun a campaign to rehabilitate Macbeth by claiming that his reputation has been unfairly maligned by William Shakespeare.

A drive to dispel the Scottish king's image as an evil murderer, whose name has become synonymous with bad luck and superstition, has been launched in the 1,000th year since his birth.

A group of eminent historians have persuaded politicians in the Scottish Parliament to sign a motion calling for Macbeth's achievements to be recognised.

They claim that his true character has been assassinated by Shakespeare's representation of an ambitious and ruthless tyrant fatally influenced by his domineering wife, Lady Macbeth.

Far from the Shakespearean impression of a "butcher and his fiend-like Queen", Macbeth reigned wisely over a prosperous, united Scotland in the 11th century and encouraged the spread of Christianity.

To misquote the Bard, Shakespeare's version of Macbeth's life "is nothing more than an illusion. It's like a poor actor who struts and worries for his hour on the stage".

About 20 members of the Scottish Parliament have supported the motion tabled by Alex Johnstone, the Conservative MSP for North-East Scotland.

Historians have joined the campaign, including Prof John Beatty of the City University of New York, who wants 2005 to be declared the "Year of Macbeth".

Unlike in the play, Macbeth did not murder King Duncan while he slept. Although Macbeth may have slain his rival for the throne, the deed was done in the battle of Pitgaveny in Moray in 1040.

After that Macbeth ruled for 17 years - a long reign for any king during the early Middle Ages. And the fact that there was no challenge for the throne when he went on a six-month pilgrimage to Rome suggests that his kingdom was stable and he had the respect of his subjects.

Ted Cowan, professor of history at Glasgow University, said: "One of his earliest obituaries described his time as the fertile seasons and this is the Celtic way of saying that there was good food and the people were happy, so Macbeth was quite a successful king.

"Some of the ancient Highland clans looked to Macbeth as the last great Celtic ruler in Scotland."

James Fraser, of Edinburgh University's history department, said: "You cannot assume that he was a tyrant ruling over a kingdom that hated him, which is the impression you get from the play. There is no evidence for that."

According to the historians, the Macbeth legend promoted by Shakespeare had its origins in the Scottish bardic tradition. Bards under the patronage of the rival royal line started by Malcolm Canmore rewrote history and blackened Macbeth's name to discourage future challenges to the monarch.

Shakespeare drew on these sources when he wrote the play, which strikes fear into the hearts of actors, who refer to it as the Scottish Play.

The curse of Macbeth has struck on many occasions. At the Old Vic in 1937 Laurence Olivier narrowly escaped death when a stage weight crashed down.

Other prominent Macbeths include Sir John Gielgud, Orson Welles, who directed and starred in a 1948 film of the play, and Peter O'Toole, who played the lead in a production that critics described as the worst ever adaptation.

Prof Stanley Wells, the chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust at Stratford, said: "Shakespeare was concerned with writing a drama and a tragedy and would not have known that much about the real Macbeth.

"I can see that people who care about Scottish history might want to emphasise that the Shakespeare play was not an accurate portrayal."

[Simon]

Don't believe everything you read eh? I'm sure the Scottish taxpayers are delighted.

Regards,
Simon