The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

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Macbeth (mbkbeth) A hypocrite who is prepared
to betray or sacrifi ce anyone in the pursuit
of power. <strong>The</strong> title character of William Shakespeare’s
tragedy Macbeth (1606) was based upon a
historical fi gure, who ruled Scotland from 1040 to
1057. <strong>The</strong>re is little evidence, however, that he
was the murderous, conscience- stricken usurper
depicted by Shakespeare, as the real king actually
killed his pre de ces sor Duncan in open battle, not
while he was an honored guest in his home. That
man would do anything to get what he wants and is
about as trustworthy as Macbeth.
Macbeth, Lady See lady macbeth.
McCarthyism (mbkahrtheeizbm) Po liti cal witchhunting,
especially where the victims are communists.
<strong>The</strong> allusion is to the systematic rooting out
of people with supposed communist sympathies
conducted in the 1950s by U.S. Republican Senator
Joseph McCarthy (1908–57). As a result of
Mc Carthy’s campaign, many notable writers and
other prominent citizens found themselves hauled
before offi cial committees and interrogated on their
po liti cal views; many found their subsequent
careers blighted by po liti cal prejudice against them,
regardless of their innocence or guilt. This witch- hunt
against the left smacks of a new form of McCarthyism.
McCoy, real See real mccoy.
Macduff See lead on, macduff.
MacGuffi n (mbgufin) A means of keeping a narrative
moving by introducing a detail that later
turns out to be insignifi cant or irrelevant. <strong>The</strong>
word was coined by British- born U.S. movie
director Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980), who frequently
employed such devices to trigger the
action in his fi lms, which he always considered
secondary to the characters he created. According
to Hitchcock himself, he got the name from the
story of a Scottish train passenger who, when
asked about a parcel he was carry ing, replied that
it was a MacGuffi n—that is, a device for catching
lions in the Highlands. When someone else
observed that there were no lions in the Highlands,
he replied that there were no MacGuffi ns
either. This turned out to be a MacGuffi n designed to
distract us from the real issue behind the dispute.
Machiavellian (makeebveleebn) Unscrupulous,
calculated, amoral. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–
1527) was a Florentine statesman who set out his
often cynical views on the art of government in
his treatise <strong>The</strong> Prince (1513). In this work he
defended the use of deceit and violence in the pursuit
of peace and prosperity. In reality, Machiavelli
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