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After seeing “Manhattan”, I keep thinking of similarities between Shakespeare’s Macbeth and our favorite other tragic Scotsman, Robert Carlyle’s Rumple. I know stories of misunderstood visions of the future are as old as storytelling, but I still keep thinking of the similarities between the Seer’s predictions to Rumple and the witches’ prediction to Macbeth that “no man born of woman” will harm him and that he shall remain in power “till Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane.”
Furthermore, both Rumple and Macbeth start off as decent men who are corrupted by power. And even though Belle is pretty much the moral opposite of Lady Macbeth, her amnesia might parallel the madness of Lady Macbeth. Let’s hope Rumple’s fondness for Henry prevents him from acting on the Seer’s prediction that “the boy will be your undoing” in the way that Macbeth dealt with Macduff’s son!
[adrotate group="5"]I wouldn’t be surprised if Eddy and Adam drew upon literature for inspiration, plus Robert Carlyle is thoroughly Scottish. According to Wikipedia, William Shakespeare himself “borrowed” this story of Macbeth from Holinshed’s Chronicles, a popular history of the British Isles known to Shakespeare and his contemporaries.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
“til Burnham Wood come to Dunsilblane, none shall harm MacBeth!”
Very much a self fulfilling prophecy – perhaps like the boy will lead to your undoing. If Rumple does what he said he would do, so long ago, he will undo any chance of reconciling with Baelfire/Neal and lose all his allies in Storybrooke (i.e. the Charming family)
I was just watching an episode of Charlie Rose and they were talking about Shakespeare and Liev Schreiber came on and was discussing MacBeth. It’s been years since I read the play, but it was startling that as they were discussing it, that MacBeth’s name could have been replaced with Rumple and made absolute sense. I never really made the connection until right now. Glad to see I’m not the only one thinking this.
Here is a summary of the play from Wikipedia:
Macbeth is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of arrogance, madness, and death.
Of course, Rumple’s story isn’t exactly the same, but the underlying themes resonate. You’re right that Rumple’s curse ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy in one sense. That little nugget of information given to Rumple sets off a chain reaction that’s still rippling three hundred years later in our story’s timeline.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
Lady Macbeth seems a lot darker than Belle, even despite the amnesia/Lacey aspects, and together with the aspect of “anti-mother” and ambition/power attached to the character,I think she might actually be represented in Rumple’s life by a combination of aspects of Milah and Cora. Cora clearly had the ambition and power, and Milah obviously left her son.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Yeah, Lady MacBeth would be an amalgamation of Milah and Cora, imo.
MacBeth’s method of dealing with any obstacle to the prophesies is to eliminate it. Much like Rumple’s comment of dealing with his prophesy of his undoing. They both start out as good men who allow circumstances, fears and ambitions to rule them.
I hope we don’t see Rumple dying, as MacBeth did, but I can see that like MacBeth who misinterpreted the final prophecy making him believe he is immortal, Rumple is also misinterpreting his own prophecy, only in this instance it’s the inverse–his undoing won’t be his death, but maybe a rebirth of some type.
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
I hope we don’t see Rumple dying, as MacBeth did, but I can see that like MacBeth who misinterpreted the final prophecy making him believe he is immortal, Rumple is also misinterpreting his own prophecy, only in this instance it’s the inverse–his undoing won’t be his death, but maybe a rebirth of some type.
I agree. There was a thread I started back in season one about Rumple being a tragic hero from Greek mythology and his story fit that perfectly too.
Desperate Souls..first act in Greek tragedy[/url].
So I tweeted Adam and got a response! It’s vague, but it’s a response:
@KelJo77 we love Shakespeare !
— Adam Horowitz (@AdamHorowitzLA) August 31, 2013
Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.
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