Jamie (The True Tragedie of Macbeth)
Jamie was a character in an early draft of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.
Appearing at several crucial moments throughout the narrative, he and Zoe travelled with the Doctor in the Tardis, a ship capable of traversing time, as well as locale beyond Earth. The Scot was clearly based upon his namesake Jamie McCrimmon while his fellow travellers were blatant versions of the Second Doctor and Zoe Heriot.
The additional subplot with the three extra characters was ultimately omitted from the finished play with The Shakespeare Notebooks speculating this was "likely" for reasons of "staging, dramatic unity, and plausibility". Before the discovery of the Shakespeare Notebooks, many critics had considered that, as the version of Macbeth printed in the First Folio was the shortest of Shakespeare's tragedies, it was actually a heavily edited version of what was originally a play of similar length to Othello and King Lear. In the finished version, Jamie (along with the Doctor and Zoe) was split into several different characters including the Weird Sisters and Banquo's murderers. (PROSE: The True Tragedie of Macbeth)
Character biography[[edit] | [edit source]]
Act I[[edit] | [edit source]]
Jamie first appeared with the Doctor and Zoe in Act I Scene III after "some small malfunction of Tardis circuits" had brought them to Scotland. Jamie described being in the control room "one minute" and "on some blasted heath" the next. As it was rainy in the middle of the night, Jamie suggested finding shelter but the Doctor advised against it as he predicted "the fault [would] mend itself" and at that point they would be swiftly returned to the Tardis.
Hearing Macbeth and Banquo approach, the trio attempted to hide in the mud but this was to no avail. Upon hearing Macbeth's name, Jamie recollected that he knew of him as the Thane of Glamis and the Thane of Cawdor with Zoe adding that he also became the King of Scotland. This greatly upset the Doctor who unsuccessfully begged for them to keep quiet. Jamie also told Banquo he would "beget kings" but wouldn't be one himself. After listening, Macbeth explained he knew he was the Thane of Glamis but that the Thane of Cawdor lived. Just as Jamie was about to tell him how he could prophecise this, the Doctor clamped his hand over Jamie's mouth as all three started to vanish, returning to the Tardis.
Act II[[edit] | [edit source]]
The trio next appeared in Act II Scene III, having "landed properly" outside Macbeth's castle. The Doctor took this opportunity to chastise Jamie for telling Macbeth his destiny because he would now want to slay the King and take the throne for himself. This was damage the Doctor was convinced they had to mend before it was too late. When Zoe brought up the Shakespeare play Macbeth, Jamie had not heard of it but the Doctor assured Zoe that Shakespeare had taken "poetic license with the truth" and when Jamie noted he had heard of King Macbeth in the history books, the Doctor pointed out that he wouldn't neccesarily become king through murder.
Jamie, the Doctor and Zoe were granted entry into the castle by a porter and then ducked out of sight when they heard Macbeth and Macduff coming, deep in conversation. At this point the Doctor realised that they had failed and Macbeth had already slain the King. Believing they might be blamed for the heinous act if caught, the trio slipped away in the ensuing chaos.
In Act II Scene V, the Doctor discussed with Jamie and Zoe that Banquo was now a threat to Macbeth as Jamie had told him he would "beget kings" and that he would have him killed unless they could prevent the misdeed. Jamie suggested they shouldn't interfere but the Doctor disagreed as they had "set this train upon its track" and it was therefore up to them to ensure no ill proceeds. At this point they were found by a servant who told them "King Macbeth" required their services. Jamie and the Doctor followed, leading into Act III Scene I, leaving Zoe in the safer environment until they returned.
Act III[[edit] | [edit source]]
With their faces concealed by hoods, Jamie and the Doctor attended to Macbeth who inquired as to whether they were "villains prepar'd to kill to please their king". The Doctor claimed they were and Macbeth asked them to kill Banquo that night. Reflecting that it was better Macbeth hired them instead of a pair of real murderers, the Doctor resolved to confront Banquo and let him go.
Jamie, Zoe and the Doctor encountered Banquo and his son Fleance in Act III Scene III. The Doctor openly admitted he was sent to kill him but noted that he "wield[ed] no thought of harm" and had come to "deliver [him] from death's reach". Fleance was told to flee to Wales while Banquo was to follow after helping the Doctor prove he was killed. At the Act's conclusion, the Doctor realised Macbeth was planning to meet with the Weird Sisters, a reference to himself and his companions.
Act IV[[edit] | [edit source]]
At the beginning of Act IV Scene I, Jamie, the Doctor and Zoe stood around a bubbling cauldron in a cave on the heath. They all wore rags and applied mud to their faces to disguise themselves as witches. As Zoe had memorised the entire play by heart, the Doctor told her to do the talking while he and Jamie occasionally joined in. After Zoe delivered her warnings to Macbeth, one of which was to beware of Macduff, they overheard him talking to Lenox about conspiring to kill Lady Macduff and her children resulting in the Doctor deciding to offer his and Jamie's services to the King once more, leading into the next scene.
In Act IV Scene II, similarly to with Banquo earlier in the play, Jamie and the Doctor alerted Lady Macduff to the grave danger facing her by informing her that Macbeth had accused Macduff of high treason and sent them to kill her. She left after heeding the Doctor's advice to flee with the Doctor sharing the belief she would be alright after laying low for a while when Jamie asked after her.
Act V[[edit] | [edit source]]
During Act V Scene I, Jamie witnessed the Doctor impersonate the doctor called to discover the cure to Lady Macbeth's newfound illness in conversation with a gentlewoman upon their return to Macbeth's castle. After the gentlewoman had left and they had seen Lady Macbeth in her poor state, Jamie asked if she was sleepwalking but the Doctor diagnosed with parasomnia or post-traumatic stress disorder though admitted he was unsure.
In Act V Scene III, Jamie was with the Doctor as he updated Macbeth on his wife's condition just before he left to confront the amassing English army. After his departure, the Doctor told Jamie he would "fight and lose" as he would not realise his men were massively outnumbered until it was too late. This was because the English forces were camouflagued with leaves and branches, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Great Birnam Wood coming to Dunsinane Hill and heralding his defeat. However, Jamie thought it would "not really" fulfil the prophecy resulting in the Doctor conceding it was "close enough".
In Act V Scene VIII, having reunited with Zoe, the Doctor and Jamie approached "a blue dwelling" as the Doctor reflected on the end of Macbeth's story, with Jamie observing the castle gates would not keep out the English for long. The Doctor determined Shakespeare had "not quite" gotten it right and listed the murders they prevented as examples; Jamie agreed but said "apart from that" it was "all like" in the book. Zoe's questions to the Doctor prompted Jamie to ask who "this Shakespeare fella" was and this led to Zoe telling him he had "so much left to learn". Jamie counted by claiming to "know [his] own history" which the Doctor stated was "what began [their] troubles". All three then entered the dwelling and, with a "wheezing" and "groaning", it vanished, its occupants "bound for another adventure". (PROSE: The True Tragedie of Macbeth)
