Macbeth (English Macbeth) is a play by William Shakespeare about a royal murder and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606. Shakespeare's sources for this tragedy were earlier accounts of Macbeth of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan I of Scotland. However, the story of Macbeth as told by Shakespeare has little to do with the actual events of Scottish history, since Macbeth was a wonderful monarch. In the theater world, some believe the play is cursed and do not name its title, preferring to refer to it as "the Scottish play".