Heir To A Prophecy

Shakespeare's Witches tell Banquo, "Thou Shalt 'Get Kings Though Thou Be None". Though Banquo is murdered, his son Fleance gets away. What happened to Fleance? What Kings?

The road to kingship had a most inauspicious beginning, and we follow Fleance into exile and death, passing the Witches' prophecy to his son Walter. Born on the wrong side of the blanket and raised in disgrace, Walter was caught inside of a destiny he barely understood. In an effort to untangle Banquo's murder and honor his lineage, Walter moved through events that shaped the course of England and Scotland. His relationships with the great men of his time drove his destiny: Harold Godwineson, Alain of Brittany and finally Malcolm III. After a long and treacherous journey through Wales, England, and France, Walter fulfilled the witches’ prophecy as the first Steward of Scotland and ancestor of James I—for whom Shakespeare wrote Macbeth.

Author's Notes

Shakespeare's story of Macbeth, taken from Raphael Holinshed (who took it verbatim from Hector Boece 1465–1536), was a legend, not the truth. Macbeth did NOT kill King Duncan in his bed; King Duncan was killed in battle. In fact, Macbeth was considered by historians a good king and reigned fourteen years. But really, who would want to give up such a juicy tale? Naturally, this dilemma defines my confusion while writing HEIR TO A PROPHECY. The witches, such an integral part of the play, were embedded in Shakespearean society; much of that can be attributed to King James I (or James VI of Scotland) who was pretty much responsible for the witch burning craze that infested Scotland in 1597. What was pertinent to this play was that the witches were responsible for setting up a chain of events that placed the Stewarts on the throne—hence the prophecy and the plot of my story.

0
No votes yet

18 views

Genre: Fiction > Historical

Listed on:

ISBN: 9780997318289

More by Mercedes Rochelle

Readers Reviews

We use cookies on our website to support technical features that enhance your user experience.

We also use analytics & advertising services. To opt-out click for more information.