Context

• The Divine Right of Kings - this doctrine implies that the king derives his right to rule directly from the will of God. Any attempt to depose the king may be classed as treason.
• The Great Chain of Being - Jacobeans believed God set out an order for everything in the universe. Every animate or inanimate thing had its place, from flowers and rocks, to humans and animals, and to God and the angels who assumed their lofty position at the top. Shakespeare's plays were heavily influenced by this notion.
• Women - In Jacobean times, women had very little power; they belonged to their fathers until they were old enough to be married - some girls were as young as 12 when they married, in an attempt to bind families together. To a certain extent, Lady Macbeth subverts the gender roles.
• The Gunpowder Plot - 1605; lead by Guy Fawkes; an attempt to depose James I from the throne after he had ordered all Catholic priests to leave England. The plot was foiled after guards spotted Fawkes in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament, moments before lighting the fuse. Both of James' parents had been killed in politically motivated murders.
• Ghosts - Interest in ghosts increased in the Elizabethan and Jacobean period. People believed ghosts died in awful, violent circumstances. Although ghosts appeared in most places, they were typically associated with castles.
• Social Class - Society was divided into a rigid class system. The nobility topped the hierarchy, with middle class workers such as craftsmen and merchants next in line - Shakespeare was in this class, as his father was a glove maker. The parish took responsibility for the lower classes and sent them to a poor house if they were able bodied.