Quick Links Tolkien Disliked Shakespeare's Prophecies Macbeth Inspired Two Climactic Scenes in The Lord of the Rings Tolkien Considered Shakespeare's Plays Bad Fantasy William Shakespeare's Macbeth inspired two important scenes in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was dissatisfied with the prophecies in Macbeth and sought to improve upon them. Tolkien believed fantasy and theater were fundamentally incompatible.

J. R. R. Tolkien based the plot, themes, and language of The Lord of the Rings on stories he loved, like Beowulf and Norse mythology. In his writing, he both paid homage to stories from the past and recontextualized their tropes for a new setting. However, frustration can be just as motivating as affection, so Tolkien also drew inspiration from stories that he disliked. The clearest example of this was Macbeth, one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. Two important events from The Lord of the Rings...