Context

• • Chronicles of England, Ireland and Scotland stated that Duncan was not a good King and his death by Macbeth lead to stability in Scotland for over 17 ears from 1040-1057
  • Banquo was an ally for Macbeth, but it is thought Shakespeare puts him on the side of the good since he was also related to King James
  • King James I would've punished Shakespeare if the okay didn't please him meaning Shakespeare may have had to change the play from the real truth
• • King James I wanted public to know that if the Divine Right of Kings or the church was disrupted, there would be chaos
  • Play could be seen as a form of propoganda
  • In 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted the infamous Gunpowder plot in an attempt to restore Catholicism back into England
  • Shakespeare's family may have had some ambiguity when it comes to religion, therefore explaining why there was some ambiguity about religion in his plays
• • King James was made King of England when Elizabeth died since she had no children, James was the next heir to the throne since he was the son of Mary Queen of Scots (Elizabeth's cousin)
  • This had lead to Civil War in families since people believed they were the rightful heir to the throne
• • Under James, Scotland and England saw 2,500 executions of 'witches'
  • Influenced Shakespeare to include them in his play
  • James believed witches were responsible for creating a storm that almost sunk a ship he'd been travelling on in 1589 to Denmark
  • King James then wrote a book called Demonology which he spoke about witches - he personally supervised witches executions
• • In Act 3, Scene 4 The Ghost of Banquo is sometimes invisible (depending on the version of the play) meaning you could infer what Macbeth is seeing is in his mind or not
  • In Act 2, Scene 1, the dagger is only visible if the director wants it to be known there is supernatural presence
  • Macbeth repeatedly uses the number 3 in his plays which is important in the Bible (it signifies harmony and wholeness)
• Macbeth was written

  1606
• Jacobean era

  The time under James I
• When Shakespeare was writing Macbeth, James I was a relatively new king of England (he succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603)
• Shakespeare was very popular with Elizabeth I
• Shakespeare wanted to remain a favourite of the new king James I
• Shakespeare wrote Macbeth

  To flatter James I
• James I had been King of Scotland since 1567
• This is why Shakespeare set Macbeth in Scotland
• James I believed he was descended from a medieval thane called Banquo
• In Jacobean England, there was a widespread belief in witches
• Banquo

  • Brave, loyal and conscientious
• James I

  Fascinated by witchcraft
• James I's actions regarding witchcraft

  1. Attended witch trials

  2. Supervised the torture of women accused of being witches
• Shakespeare's portrayal of Banquo

  Can be seen as flattering his new king James I
• Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth

  Can be seen as legitimising James I's rule
• James I wrote a book called Daemonologie where he set out his beliefs that witches are slaves of Satan and should be executed


  1597
• Shakespeare was inspired by James I's Daemonologie
• When James I took over the throne he became ruler of England, Scotland and Ireland
• Shakespeare is appealing to James I's fascination with witches in Macbeth


  He begins the play with an ominous scene featuring three "weird sisters" (which fit James's description of witches)
• Witchcraft in Macbeth

  • There are four separate scenes featuring witches
  • The three witches are seen plotting to commit evil acts against innocent men
  • They are presented making evil spells
  • They are seen causing numerous natural disturbances
• As king, James I aimed to unify the three nations into "Great Britain"
• When James I came to the throne, being a witch was already punishable by death
• James I outlawed


  Even being associated with witches
• A Jacobean audience would have been fearful and distrustful of witches
• Malcolm - a good and rightful king


  Is seen unifying the lords and thanes of England and Scotland in the play
• The fact that a character as seemingly brave and loyal as Macbeth can be tempted by the witches


  Would have only made the witches seem even more terrifying
• Shakespeare is again appealing to James I

  By making the witches the main cause of evil in the play
• Shakespeare presents the witches (and those characters tempted by them)


  As disruptive forces, set against the moral goodness and order of Malcolm, the rightful king
• Shakespeare is associating all kings (including James I) with moral goodness and order
• Macbeth - a tyrant and illegitimate king


  Is seen as creating division
• There were many plots to kill James I, the most serious being the Gunpowder Plot of 1605
• Treason

  Acts against the king
• Shakespeare includes multiple references to treason in Macbeth, the most serious being the regicide of King Duncan
• Acts of treason in Macbeth

  Have terrible consequences for those who commit them
• Shakespeare's portrayal of treason in Macbeth

  Could be appealing to James I by presenting a warning to any potential traitors