Donalbain is a character in

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' (c. 1603–1607). He is the younger son of King Duncan and brother to Malcolm, the heir to the throne. Donalbain flees to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

after the murder of his father for refuge.Bevington, David. ''Four Tragedies.'' Bantam, 1988. He is ultimately based on the historical King Donald III of Scotland. In the original text of the

First Folio ''Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies'' is a collection of plays by William Shakespeare, commonly referred to by modern scholars as the First Folio, published in 1623, about seven years after Shakespeare's death. It is cons ...

his name is spelled Donalbaine, and is sometimes also spelled Donaldbain. His name is derived from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

''Dòmhnall Bàn'', "Donald the Fair."

Origin

Donalbain is based on 'Donald Bane' from ''

Holinshed's Chronicles ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', also known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland'', is a collaborative work published in several volumes and two editions, the first edition in 1577, and the second in 1587. It was a large, co ...

'' (1587). He only appears after King Duncan is murdered. Holinshed's historical personage is Donald III of Scotland. Historically, Donalbain (Donald Ban/Donald the Fair) seized the Scottish throne after the death of Malcolm and reigned intermittently a few years but was ultimately succeeded by Malcolm's son Edgar.

Role in the play

Donalbain appears in a few early scenes in the entire play, speaking only when his brother decides to seek refuge in England, while he seeks refuge in Ireland. Donalbain tells Malcolm that their "separated fortune / Shall keep us both the safer". Although it is easy to argue that Donalbain does not contribute to the play, granted his lack of appearance, he plays his role by supporting Malcolm as his brother and Duncan as his father. He is also a boost to the King's character, as neither of his sons are involved in foul play in the play. The ending of

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

's film adaptation of ''

'', in which Donalbain, returning to Scotland after the death of Macbeth, hears the witches murmuring in the heather and gets off his horse to investigate, alludes to the historical fact that Donald III seized the throne after the death of Malcolm.

References

External links

''Macbeth:'' Folio Version

{{Authority control Literary characters introduced in 1603 Male Shakespearean characters Characters in Macbeth Fictional Scottish people Fictional princes Fictional characters based on real people