There is a historical basis for the relationship between the two. Shakespeare uses Raphael Holished's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland for some of the information.
"When King Malcolm II of Scotland died in 1034, his last command was that the throne should pass to his oldest grandson, Duncan. This last request went against the Celtic tradition of succession, which stipulated that the inheritance of the throne alternate between different branches of the family, and simultaneously cut out another grandson, Macbeth, from the line of inheritance. Macbeth nevertheless pursued his claim to the throne as prescribed by tradition." see full quote below
So even though in the play they are not actually related, Shakespeare was setting up a conflict that had existed based on a convoluted blood line to the throne.
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