 The character 's origins lie of the accounts of Kings Duff and Duncan in Holinshed 's Chronicles ( 1587 ) , a history of Britain familiar to Shakespeare . Shakespeare 's Lady Macbeth appears to be a composite of two separate and distinct personages in Holinshed 's work : Donwald 's nagging , murderous wife in the account of King Duff , and Macbeth 's ambitious wife Gruoch of Scotland in the account of King Duncan . 
