The electrifying story of love, ambition, revenge and murder behind a real-life Scottish queen.
Daughter of an ousted king. Descendant of powerful druids. Destined to take her place in history. She will be Queen. Whatever it takes…
As a child, Gruoch’s grandmother prophecies that she will one day be Queen of Alba and reclaim the lands of her Pictish kin. When, many years later, she is betrothed to Duncan, the heir-elect, the prophecy appears to come true. Determined to never to be as powerless as her parents, Gruoch leaves behind her home, her family and her friend MacBethad, and travels to the royal seat at Scone to seal her fate.
But when a deadly turn of events forces Gruoch to flee Duncan and the capital, Gruoch finds herself at the mercy of an old enemy.
Her hope of becoming Queen all but lost, Gruoch does what she must to survive, until she is given a choice: live a long, peaceful life but fall into obscurity, or seize her chance for vengeance and a path back to the throne.
A compelling, sweeping historical epic, Lady MacBethad reimagines the life of Gruoch – the real-life Scottish Queen who inspired one of Shakespeare’s most famous characters.
This impressive historical debut by screenwriter and actor Isabelle Schuler is bold, passionate and distinctive, as our heroine – anti-heroine – Gruoch strives to claim her position in life.
Themes of sisterhood, betrayal, ambition, loss, marriage and power are explored with relish in a voice that’s clear, vibrant and mesmerising. It’s a world that’s been well-researched and richly imagined. It doesn’t surprise me that Schuler was a Shakespearean actor before becoming a writer, as she has a keen understanding of the rhythms of speech, differentiating each of her characters’ lively dialogues in their exchanges.
It’s a wonderful origin story, a reimagining based loosely on the Queen of Scotland who was the muse for Shakespeare’s formidable Lady Macbeth. But it’s important to bear that in mind and not be too literal in our own opinions of whether Shakespeare’s Lady M would have behaved in the ways Schuler’s Grouch has. That’s where the joy in Schuler’s inventive tale lies: discovering the little girl who believed her grandmother’s prophecy and who understood that real power lies not with brute force or the apparent rulers, but with the machinations that secured certain characters’ ascendancies and the strategies they embraced to stay. This all makes for a fascinating tale.
Schuler’s pacing is fast, providing an ongoing sense of momentum but it’s balanced with a lyricism that’s quite spellbinding. If you’re in the mood to curl up with some well-written historical escapism and if you secretly (or not so secretly) were thrilled by Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth and her determination, then Lady MacBethad is for you
Leave a Reply