History Literature / TheMacbethMurderMystery

!!This story uses, lampshades, and parodies the following tropes:

* DeadPersonImpersonation: In the theory the Reader settles on, [[spoiler:Lady Macbeth's father killed Duncan, and hearing someone coming, hid in the bed to make whoever-it-was think Duncan was still alive. It was Lady Macbeth's who later remarks that Duncan "resembled my father as he slept"]].
* EveryoneIsASuspect: The story ends with the Narrator announcing that he's going to tackle ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' next. "But who do you suspect?" "Everybody."

* InstantMysteryJustDeleteScene: Macbeth is shown going in to commit murder on Duncan, but the action cuts away without showing the murder itself, which is a sure sign, the Reader says, that he didn't actually do it.
* TheLawOfConservationOfDetail: In the theory the Reader settles on, the murderer is [[spoiler:the unnamed old man in Act II scene 4]], since otherwise why bother introducing a new character just for one scene?

* NeverTheObviousSuspect: The whole thing gets started when the Reader decides Macbeth must really be innocent because he's such an obvious suspect.

* SuspectExistenceFailure: Parodied. The Reader suspects Banquo at first, but then he's the next to die.

* TakingTheHeat: The Reader explains any bits where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth express guilt as being down to each thinking the other did it, and trying to take the heat.

-->'''“Too suspicious," said the American lady. "Much too suspicious.''' ''[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere When they flee]], [[RedHerring they're never guilty]]. [[GenreSavvy You can count on that]]"''

* DeadPersonImpersonation: In the theory the Reader settles on, [[spoiler:Lady Macbeth's father killed Duncan, and hearing someone coming, hid in the bed to make whoever-it-was think Duncan was still alive. It was Lady Macbeth, who later remarks that Duncan "resembled my father as he slept"]].

'''“Too suspicious," said the American lady. "Much too suspicious.''' ''[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere When they flee]], [[RedHerring they're never guilty]]. [[GenreSavvy You can count on that]]"''

-->"''"At first I suspected Banquo. And then of course, he was the second person killed. That was good right in there, that part. The person you suspect of the first murder should always be the second victim."''

* SuspectExistenceFailure: Parodied. The Reader suspects Banquo at first, but then he's the next to die. "At first I suspected Banquo. And then of course, he was the second person killed. That was good right in there, that part. The person you suspect of the first murder should always be the second victim."

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Invoked InUniverse by the Reader to explain why Macbeth can not the King Duncan's murderer:

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Invoked by the Reader to explain why Macbeth can not the King Duncan's murderer:

-->''"It would spoil everything if you could figure out right away who did it. Shakespeare was far too smart for that. ''I've read that people never have figured out 'Hamlet,' ''[[NeverTheObviousSuspect so it isn't likely Shakespeare would have made 'Macbeth' as simple as it seems.]]"''

* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Invoked by the Reader when she declares that it's NeverTheObviousSuspect:
-->''"It would spoil everything if you could figure out right away who did it. Shakespeare was far too smart for that. ''I've read that people never have figured out 'Hamlet,' ''so it isn't likely Shakespeare would have made 'Macbeth' as simple as it seems."''

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: Published at 1937, this short story involves shout outs to Creator/WilliamShakespeare (Theatre/{{Hamlet}} and Theatre/{{Macbeth}}), Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}, Literature/LornaDoone, and Creator/AgathaChristie most famous creation, Literature/HerculePoirot, all of them literary works that are well known today. Even the reference to Penguin Books is still valid! But sadly, one of the most important references on this short story, Mr. Pinkerton, the detective created by David Frome, has been out of print for years, enabling this trope. A pity because a great deal of the enjoyment comes from the reader’s knowledge of this particular character, but even so, this is still now an enjoyable reading.

* LiteraryAllusionTitle: Combined with ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: The name of the play is [[{{Theatre/Macbeth}} ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'']], [[CaptainObvious because Shakespeare wrote it as a play]] in [[{{Tragedy}} the tragedy genre]], but the title of this short story in universe [[DeathOfTheAuthor interprets the play]] with the [[MysteryTropes Murder]] [[MysteryTropes Mistery]] [[DetectiveDrama genre]].

** The Reader's credentials are established with references to Creator/AgathaChristie famous creation Literature/HerculePoirot and (the now-less-famous) David Frome.

** The whole point of the story is to analyze the tropes presented at [[{{Theatre/Macbeth}} ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'']], one of the most known works of Creator/WilliamShakespeare, under the light of the DetectiveDrama to offer a new interpretation of the identity of the murderer. And the ending promises to do the same thing to ''Theatre/Hamlet00.

->"''[[Literature/TheMurderOfRogerAckroyd Over her second cup of tea my companion began to tell the plot of a detective story]] [[TwistEnding that had fooled her completely]] - [[TheDogWasTheMastermind it seems it was the old family doctor all the time]]''

* FunnyForeigner: There are two examples: A ShoutOut to [[Literature/HerculePoirot Hercule Poirot]], a fictional detective who invokes this trope [[ObfuscatingStupidity to hide his cunning]] as a detective, and played straight with the Reader (the Narrator places his tale in an '' "hotel in the English lake country" '' and calls the Reader an American Lady nine times), a silly woman who insists on applying DetectiveDrama tropes to ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' making a fool of herself and... What do you mean that DumbassHasAPoint??

** The Reader's credentials are established with references to Creator/AgathaChristie famous creation [Literature/HerculePoirot Hercule Poirot]] and (the now-less-famous) David Frome.

** The Reader's credentials are established with references to Creator/AgathaChristie famous creation HerculePoirot and (the now-less-famous) David Frome.

** The Reader's credentials are established with references to Creator/AgathaChristie and (the now-less-famous) David Frome.