Book Review: Lady MacBethad by Isabelle Schuler

‘Lady MacBethad’ by Isabelle Schuler was published in 2023 and tells the story of Gruoch, or Groa, to those who knew her closely. A direct descendant of Pagan king, King Coinneach, Groa is imbued with ambitions of greatness, far beyond her station. This book blends fiction, the classic Shakespearian character, and the historical details of the figure that inspired her together, through a distinctly feminist perspective.

I loved how striking and poignant the dialogue and the female authority figures are in Groa’s life, their words strike one Hell of a chord with the reader, and perfectly encapsulate the themes and struggles she will encounter throughout the story.

As early as Chapter One, we get to understand some of the motivations behind the vengeful, ambitious, Lady MacBeth from the Shakesperian tragedy. With her own mother informing her that “your power resides in men; your husband, your sons. If you rule hem, you rule the land.” And in keeping with the overarching impression of malevolent prophecy from the Witches in ‘MacBeth’, Groa’s grandmother is a practicing Pagan, who bestows a prophecy on her head. One she horribly misunderstands: “You will be the greatest of them all. Your fame will spread through all of Alba and into England, all the land your feet touch and your eyes can see is yours and you belong to it”, and upon asking whether that means she will be queen, she’s told “you will be so much more. You will be immortalised.” Implying she would be a queen remembered in History like Cleopatra, Boudicca, or later queens like Queen Elizabeth II.

It adds salt to the dramatic irony of her iconography. Everyone knows in her pursuit of the crown, Lady MacBeth goes mad and dies. Brilliant.

One of Lady MacBeth’s most iconic lines in ‘MacBeth’ derives from a state of mindlessness, where she hallucinates that her hands are stained with blood. But why, when she didn’t strike a single killing blow? What Schuler does is provides insights to her life prior to the events of Shakespeare’s ‘MacBeth’, and thus, a greater inclination into whose blood already stains her hands when she encourages MacBeth to seek the crown for himself. Those deaths weigh upon her as is.

What I love particularly is how Groa’s survival instinct kicks in, and she deceives, lies, and seduces anyone she has to in order to sway power into her favour. It is something that other powerful feminist figures have had to do, and characters in retellings, too. In a bid to save her life, she offers to marry the man who murdered her father’s beloved friend Findlaich. She was a spoil, to be pillaged and mistreated in exchange for Donalda, Findlaich’s wife, and the future King Duncan’s aunt. And she manages, though through cruelty, she manages to secure a husband in the form of the gentler brother, who is disloyal, and besotted with a lover back in Ireland. But she has him ensnared in Court politics, having secured him an heir in the form of Lulach, her son.

Although Gillecomghain’s fate is a consequence of her actions, the means for which he suffers is incredibly sad. It is likely, despite not having killed him herself, that Groa would feel a sense of responsibility for that too.

I also adored the way that Schueler demonstrates the shift in power, and how, without a man by her side, a woman is left unable to rule over her domain, even if she is the one doing all the hard work. She is the one, who in reclaiming her home of Moray, she is the one who having observed great men in power, saw how implementing their methods in her practice could strengthen rapport among the people, and quickly becomes disillusioned with life in her station. Without Gillecomghain by her side, Moray has nobody in power. She couldn’t command armies.

I loved this book, I read it within a day, and seldom put it down. It was amazing, immersive, and incredibly thought-provoking, making Lady MacBeth an even more tragic figure in literature. I’d definitely recommend it to people who loved the play – Hell, I’d suggest giving it a go if you hated the play! It was amazing!