i say, the similarities between the nepalese assassination and macbeth are remarkably uncanny. how cool is that?! especially prince Dipendra. poor fella.
the way i see it, the crown prince of Nepal could be seen as the chamberlains who guarded Duncan’s bedroom, and were later framed by Lady Macbeth, when she placed the bloody daggers in their grips.
Crown Prince Dipendra shot his family and himself in what appeared to be a drug and alcohol-induced rage over his mother’s refusal to let him marry the woman he loved. However, his over-reaction seems incredible. The prince was seen, by the public, as a responsible young man ready to take over his father’s office as head of the country, of whom a majority were Hindus. The royal family themselves were devout Hindus.
“How could a revered Hindu prince murder his whole family over a simple marriage disagreement? Dipendra was nearly 30; his father, King Birendra, had already suffered two heart attacks. Why didn't Dipendra simply wait until he was king, and marry whomever he pleased? How did a falling-down drunk prince shoot so many people so accurately, with no resistance? Why was his body cremated before an autopsy could be performed? Why did none of the palace guard interfere? Why was Paras left unharmed? What was the 'black substance' in Dipendra's cigarette?” Jeff Greenwald, Nepal- between a king and a hard place. (Cited on the 15 of July 2006) available from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/journeys/nepal/index.htm
It is highly obvious that the Crown Prince was not lucid when he committed his heinous crime that night. However, was he entirely at fault for what he did? in my opinion, Dipendra was set up just like the unconscious chamberlains who were supposed to have guarded Duncan the night he was murdered. He was under the influence of alcohol, just like his fictional counterparts. but why was he drinking? what really happened in between the time he was escorted out and the time he came back in in shoot his family? why was he unable to give himself a death shot, if he was able to accurately shoot so many dead? why was Paras unharmed? the most important question-who stood to gain the most, if Dipendra and his family were dead? A report in the Kathmandu Post suggests that Paras very likely supplied the drugs that provoked his cousin, Dipendra, into a murderous rage. Paras would be Crown Prince if his father took over as king.
fascinating. shakespeare (or the fella who wrote his works under the name Shakespeare) was a genius. who knew his work- macbeth, could be so incredibly relevant to modern world politics?
