Macbeth: Background

Summarise this information

in your own words.

Macbeth is a dark play both literally and symbolically; the tone of

the play is sinister and its central characters are evil. Wicked witches
and the supernatural influence the action which is characterised by
bloody death.
When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, James I had been King
of England for three years. He had previously been James VI of
Scotland. King James symbolised the union of the Scottish and
English crowns, a union to which Shakespeare refers in the play (the
official union, however, would take place over a hundred years later
with the 1707 Act of Union). It was well known that the new king
was fascinated by witchcraft; Shakespeare might have been trying to
win his approval by introducing the figures of the 'three weird
sisters' into the play.
Macbeth was first performed at Hampton Court Palace before James
I and his guests in 1606. The storyline, like that of most of
Shakespeare's plays, was not original, and in this case was based on
fact. The story was familiar to James: he had inherited the throne of
Scotland through his ancestors, Banquo and Fleance, and the story
of Duncan's murder was well known. The real Macbeth reigned in
Scotland from 1040 to 1057. He killed his predecessor Duncan I, and
was in turn killed by Duncans, son Malcolm III. Events such as these
were not uncommon in the 'barbaric' feudal Scotland of the
eleventh century. Of the fourteen kings who reigned between 943
and 1097, ten were murdered.
Macbeth ruled wisely and well for seventeen years. During his reign
the north and south of Scotland were united for the first time. He
was defeated in battle near Aberdeen by Malcolm III, the son of
Duncan I, who had invaded Scotland with the help of Edward the
Confessor, King of England. Malcolm slaughtered Macbeth's family
so that his own kingship would be stabilised. This marked the end of
the purely Celtic, exclusively 'barbaric' Scottish folk as it led to the
gradual breaking down of barriers between England and Scotland
and to the introduction of English ways and customs.
Shakespeare never let historical fact get in the way of a good story.
He changed several key aspects of the original story, either to
intensify his drama or to ensure political correctness. As an example
of the latter, Shakespeare's Macbeth, who commits the greatest of
all crimes by murdering his king (regicide), finds he cannot live with
himself and the consequences of his actions. He has rebelled against
God and the order of creation; he becomes evil by selling his soul to
the Devil and his crime is rightly punished by his death.

Macbeth: Some Context

Belief in Witchcraft
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live (King James Bible, Exodus
22:18).
Myths and culture surrounding witchcraft date back to antiquity
(Greeks and Romans, for example, believed in witchcraft and
sorcery: remember Circe from The Odyssey in Year 8, who
turned Odysseus men into pigs?). However, they are also firmly
rooted in Christian belief. As the quotation above shows, the
belief that witches existed and were evil was recorded in the
Bibles Old Testament. A belief in witchcraft pervaded Medieval
Europe and the Malleus Maleficarum (1486) was a central text
well known throughout Europe. King James was particularly
interested in the subject and saw himself as an expert so
much so, that he published Daemonologie (1605), a dialogic
book on the evil of witches. The tragic consequences of the
witches prophecies in Macbeth would therefore have
fascinated James I and would have supported his own ideas on
the topic.

Divine Right
Since the Middle Ages, a belief in the divine right doctrine
emerged in Western Christian kingdoms. This doctrine) held
that monarchs (mainly kings, as succession through males made
reigning queens rare) were directly placed on the throne by
gods will. This meant that they had a divine right to rule as they
were Gods representatives on Earth. Killing a king (regicide)
was therefore seen as one of the most abominable crimes a
person could commit. James I was a firm believer in this
doctrine and made it prominent in England when he acceded to
the throne in 1603; Shakespeares audience would therefore
have been aware of this. How might this have impacted their
response to all of the unnatural things that happen during the
night of Duncans murder?

The Gunpowder Plot

In 1605 (a year before Macbeth was written and performed), a
plot to assassinate King James was discovered and foiled. The
infamous Gunpowder Plot was named so because the
conspirators planned to use gunpowder as an explosive to kill
James and Members of Parliament when he officially opened
Parliament on 5th November, 1605. The conspirators were
Catholics who were angered at the intolerance they felt they
faced in practising their religion. Although the plot is the most
infamous and elaborate (it was 3 years in the making), it was
one of many plots against rulers in Shakespeares time. Many of
the playwrights texts are concerned with plots against rulers,

and these narratives were in part influenced by the many acts of

treason thought to be plotted against James I and his
predecessor, Elizabeth I. the Macbeths plot to murder Duncan
and usurp the crown is an extreme example on stage of the
restless politics known to contemporary audiences. Some other
Shakespeare plays in which plots against rulers are central to
the narrative include: Julius Caesar, The Tempest, Richard II,
Richard III, Hamlet, and Henry V.
The Court
Royal murders and turmoil within the Royal Court itself was not
unknown in Shakespeares time. Queen Elizabeth I (the first
monarch under whom Shakespeare lived and wrote) grew up
with an awareness of her fathers murder of her mother when
she was young, and James I was conscious of the brutal murder
of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots. With the belief in divine
right of monarchs, the power of the Court was great indeed.
However, this did not mean that the King was universally
popular; he and many of his favoured Scottish courtiers faced
internal opposition from their English contemporaries and the
general rivalry between Scots and Englishmen in politics was
considerable. Shakespeares play therefore might have sought
to appeal to James by showing what terrible consequences
divisions and factions within the Court could produce. By
showing Duncan to be a meek and good king and Macbeth to
be a tyrant, Shakespeare was suggesting that the success of a
nation or organised very much depended on the goodness of its
leader.

Glossary
accede = to take the throne through royal succession
assassination = killing a political leader or ruler
Daemonologie = a treatise in the form of a dialogue written by
James I in 1605 on witchcraft as an act of Satan
Divine Right = the belief that monarchs were placed by God as
rulers on Earth
doctrine = a teaching or established ruling
Elizabethan = an adjective relating to the period in which
Elizabeth I ruled e.g. Elizabethan customs
Jacobean = an adjective relating to the period in which James I
ruled e.g. Jacobean theatre
Malleus Maleficarum = a handbook written in 1486 on how to
identify and destroy witches
regicide = the act of killing a monarch (Latin: regis (king) + cida
(killing))
supernatural = any creature or influence seen as distinct from
the human or natural world that could influence human or
natural events. The most powerful supernatural being of good

was God in Shakespeares time and the most influential evil

supernatural being was Satan, for whom all witches were
believed to work
tyrant = an oppressive ruler or figure of authority
Union = the official act of joining England and Scotland in 1707
(Britain did not exist before this)
usurp = to take control (especially in politics) through unlawful
means

Test your understanding

1. How might a Jacobean audience react to a plot against a ruler?

2. Name two texts written in Europe about witchcraft and write a sentence on the
importance of each

3. Explain the divine right doctrine in your own words in 2-3 sentences

4. Why was regicide one of the worst crimes to commit?

5. How many years had James I been king for before Macbeth was written?

6. Why might a play about witchcraft appeal to James I?

7. Why were witches seen as a manifestation of evil in Christian Europe in Shakespeares

time?

8. What does the Old Testament suggest a Christian ought to do to a witch?

Elizabethan World View the basics

During the times Shakespeare was writing, people believed that everyone and
everything was arranged in a certain order a hierarchy.
This order was called the Great Chain of Being

The Chain of Being represents the social order of the time

Anything that is outside the chain is considered to be chaos / evil
Therefore, if the chain is broken, the order of the world is broken, and it can
descend into chaos
Chaos, madness, evil all of these things are outside the chain and are not
considered to be made by God.
ORDER = GOOD
CHAOS = EVIL
The Chain of Being served to create social stability everyone knew their place on
the chain and interacted with the other levels
The people higher up the chain were responsible to provide for or care / protect
those below them
The people lower down had a responsibility to obey and serve those above them
Summarise the Chain of Being in your own words.

The Divine Right of Kings

It was believed that the King was divinely chosen by God.
If his position was violated it would destroy the NATURAL order in the universe
and bring strife and chaos to the world.
Any act of treachery against the King was considered to be a mortal sin against
God (UNNATURAL). The penalty was death and eternal damnation.
What does the Divine Right of Kings mean?

Why would a monarch promote this belief?

The Supernatural
In Shakespeares time witches and witchcraft were believed to be evil they were
agents of the devil. Thousands of people (mainly women) were tortured and
executed for allegedly practising witchcraft.
Witches were intent on performing unnatural acts so as to disrupt Gods natural
order (Chain of Being).

Women
Within the Chain of Being, within the hierarchy of men, there is another hierarchy:
Men
Women
Children
The roles of the sexes were clearly defined BY GOD, and women were expected to
express only feminine qualities. They should be gentle and nurturing, looking after
their husbands and children. They should be completely subservient to men.

Some Facts
The King of England in 1606 was James I, a Stuart.
There was no Tudor successor to the throne of England. Therefore, Elizabeth I chose James
VI of Scotland to succeed her. After her death in 1603, James VI of Scotland became James I
of England.
Elizabeth I had been instrumental in the death of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, who was
beheaded.
On her deathbed, Elizabeth wanted to ease her way into Heaven, so she chose Marys son
James to become the next King of England.
The appointment of James I was a good political move, unifying England and Scotland under
one King.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, during King James reign.
King James was a devout advocate of the Divine Right of Kings.
The setting is Scotland, King James homeland.
Banquo was claimed as an ancestor of James and is shown in the play to be a
virtuous person.
James believed himself to be an expert on witchcraft.
James had an interest in faith healing.
Shakespeare demonstrated the belief that the country is stable only if the King is good and
virtuous.
People believed that evil occurs in darkness, which is a recurring theme in Macbeth.
Shakespeare included a lot of blood and murder, which the people expected to see in a play.
The play was considered a thriller a threat to an anointed King and the perceived evil
behind the threat and alluded to the Gunpowder plot of 1605.

History & Macbeth

Macdonwalds rebellion & the invasion of Sweno took place at different times
Shakespeare combined them
Duncan is supposed to have been killed by four hired servantsShakespeare has
Macbeth commit the murder
History represents Banquo as equal in guilt with MacbethShakespeare
whitewashes Banquos character as a compliment to King James
History makes no mention of Lady Macbethher character is almost wholly the
creation of Shakespeare
In history, Macbeth fled before MacduffShakespeare shows Macbeth bravely
fighting
Shakespeare used Raphael Holinsheds Chronicles of England, Scotland, &
Ireland as a historical reference for his plays

Tasks: choose two to complete

2. Create a poster for a 1600s
campaign which aims to raise
awareness about the dangers of
witchcraft to individuals and
society.

1. Create a storyboard showing

the actual historical events
that Shakespeare based
Macbeth upon.

3. Create a social media

profile for James I.

Write a newspaper
explaining the Gun Powder
Plot and its causes.

4. Create a fact sheet about the

life of women in Jacobean
England.

5. Create a collage about the

context of the play.