Context

• The Divine Right of Kings

  James I was thought to be descended from Banquo so the prophecies Banquo receives from the witches support his Divine Right to the throne, reinforcing the idea that Macbeth’s rule is illegitimate. 
• jacobean societal expectations

  reflects the volatile nature of society during both the medieval and Shakespearean era and the social expectations that unlawfully killing another would be rightfully punished.
• JSE- Macbeth

  Macbeth's defiance of the law, natural justice and royal succession paints him as a tyrant and usurper.

  • Macbeth must be defeated to atone for his crimes and restore the moral order. 
• Religion and the supernatural

  The belief in witches during Shakespeare’s era (King James I even wrote a book on the subject called Daemonologie) meant that engaging with fate and fortune posed a challenge to traditional religious beliefs.
• Macbeth interpretation- religion

  viewed as a puppet manipulated by forces beyond his control (since some of the audience would have believed in supernatural forces)

  • or- so desperate that he resorts to achieving his goals through the darkest means possible.