In What Ways Does The Social And Cultural Context Help Us In Appreciating The Play Macbeth
Macbeth is set in 11th century Scotland, which during this time was a violent and troubled country. Murders and political revenge were not unusual. The weak foundations of society made crime a "joyful trouble"�. There were battles between relatives and clans to determine the ownership of land or trade. In the play, the witches chant, "Fair is foul and foul is fair"� which suggests the collapse of all that is good and the triumph of evil. Macbeth is a study of the tragic consequences that befall a once "valiant"� man whose thirst for power fuelled by the regicide of the King becomes nothing but a "dead butcher"�.
One King who took great interest in the supernatural world was King James I of England, who was also King James VI of Scotland. King James came onto the throne in 1603.In 1590, a group of witches allegedly attempted to kill him. Their plan had been to poison the king with toad venom and to conjure a storm to sink the king's ship. King James was fascinated by witchcraft and even wrote a book called Demonology, which of course focused on the supernatural. Macbeth was supposedly performed before the King in 1606. On a visit to Oxford, three witches approached King James. They hailed him as the descendant of Banquo; Banquo never existed in real life. Banquo was created merely to heighten the evil within Macbeth that drove him to murder. Shakespeare was aware of his audience so he made Banquo an alleged ancestor of King James I to capture not only the public, but the King as well. It also has references to events outside of the play in England during Shakespeare's time. This shows that Shakespeare was aware of how he could link the play with more recent happenings so that the audience can relate more easily. James I took interest in the play because it explored the regicide of a king and he himself was a king. The Gunpowder plot is mentioned during the play in Act 2 scene 3, line 50 as "dire combustion"�. One of the men involved in the plot, Everard Digby was
One King who took great interest in the supernatural world was King James I of England, who was also King James VI of Scotland. King James came onto the throne in 1603.In 1590, a group of witches allegedly attempted to kill him. Their plan had been to poison the king with toad venom and to conjure a storm to sink the king's ship. King James was fascinated by witchcraft and even wrote a book called Demonology, which of course focused on the supernatural. Macbeth was supposedly performed before the King in 1606. On a visit to Oxford, three witches approached King James. They hailed him as the descendant of Banquo; Banquo never existed in real life. Banquo was created merely to heighten the evil within Macbeth that drove him to murder. Shakespeare was aware of his audience so he made Banquo an alleged ancestor of King James I to capture not only the public, but the King as well. It also has references to events outside of the play in England during Shakespeare's time. This shows that Shakespeare was aware of how he could link the play with more recent happenings so that the audience can relate more easily. James I took interest in the play because it explored the regicide of a king and he himself was a king. The Gunpowder plot is mentioned during the play in Act 2 scene 3, line 50 as "dire combustion"�. One of the men involved in the plot, Everard Digby was