Introduction/Historical Background

King James I of England • Probably written in 1606 by special order of King James I of England/King James VI of Scotland (same person)– Succeeded Queen Elizabeth I

in 1603 without bloodshed (was already the King of Scotland at this point)

Note: “Jacobean Times” succeeded “Elizabethan Times”

Macbeth • Considered to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies

• Other Shakespearean tragedies include Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, etc.

Where does Macbeth fit in?

- William Shakespeare (1564-1616)(1595) Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet (1596) Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew (1601) Twelfth Night, Hamlet(1604) Othello (1605) King Lear(1606) Macbeth(1613) Henry VIII

- As you can see, Shakespeare was already well established as a writer when he wrote Macbeth

The Shakespearean Tragedy:

• focuses on a central protagonist, the tragic hero, whose suffering eventually ends in his/her own death– Dominated by hubris (a tragic flaw), which is really

an excess of a certain character trait, such as pride, ambition, etc., that leads to his/her downfall (hamartia – mistakes made based on their hubris).

– He is a person of high degree and therefore his actions affect the nation at large

The Shakespearean Tragedy Cont’d:

• The action presented to the audience will be recognizable to them as real and potential: through seeing it enacted, the audience’s passion – usually suffering – is raised– i.e. they feel it

Topicality

• Shakespeare wrote Macbeth so that it seemed real and relevant to his audience

• Macbeth is based in actual historical events and Shakespeare used in Holinshed’s Chronicles as a basis for his play.– Macbeth was a commander of the forces of Duncan who

was King of Scotland from 1034-1040. Macbeth slew Duncan and then reigned from 1040-1057. Macbeth was slain by Malcolm III who was king from 1057-1093. Other historical figures found in the play include Siward, Donalbain, Lady Macbeth, Banquo, and Fleance.

Other Topical Elements

• King James had an interest in witchcraft • King James’s ancestry (re: Banquo) • Violence of the era and good vs. evil – the violence in Macbeth was the violence of the

time (brought home to the audience the struggle between good and evil as everlasting)

Significance of Topicality:

• Created a charged atmosphere for the play– If we can appreciate this, the play becomes more

meaningful to us– Shakespeare “universalized the contemporary” –

that’s why we still study him. His themes and messages transcend time and place (the human condition has not changed much – e.g. ambition)

– He is not just “some guy” who wrote a long time ago. The themes and messages of his plays are just as applicable today.