Macbeth is believed to be based on an account of Scottish history, published in Holinshed’s Chronicles about a Scottish king named Macbeth, who reigned in the 11th century. But, just as Hollywood today will “glamorize stories, so too did Shakespeare.

Do you think humans can foresee the future Do you think humans can foresee the future? Do you know anyone who has had their palms/tarot cards read? How accurate has it been?

Whether you believe in these things or not, it’s important when you study a work from a different time, to be able to see the world the way the people of that time did. So here is a little of the history.

She was a great patron of Shakespeare She was a great patron of Shakespeare. When she died in 1603, she was childless and thus her throne was passed on to James Stuart, who was James VI of Scotland, a cousin of Elizabeth.

There was quite a bit of evidence that Shakespeare used Macbeth as an opportunity to impress his new king, as his patronage would be valuable, just as it was with Elizabeth.

Witchcraft plays a huge part in the play, and King James fancied himself an expert on the subject.

In fact he wrote a book called Daemonologie about the practice of witchcraft and supported witch hunting. https:www.bl.uk/collection-items/king-james-vi-and-is-demonology-1597

Witches of Shakespeare’s time were not quite like out image of them today. They certainly weren’t the type that we see at Hogwarts.

What is this plant? What do we use it for? Fear and suspicioun

If a young healthy teenage guy suddenly drops dead today, there would be theories that people would instantly think of…

But if a young health teen was walking down the cobble streets of the 17th century London and suddenly drop dead, people would quickly jump to conclusions, fearing sorcery could be at play.

Shakespeare’s people believed very much in God, and as a result, the devil. Witches were thought to be in cahoots with the devil, and he would send them demons or spirits, in animal form, to serve them. These were called “familiars” and are the reason that witches are often depicted as black cats or toads.

Due to the hysteria surrounding witches, many innocent women were burned at the stake or hanged.

Trying to impress. So Macbeth puts a lot of emphasis on the concept of the divine right of kings and the great chain of being. The great chain of being was a hierarchal way of viewing the world, where everyone had his/her place, with God on top, followed by earthly beings , in order of “importance”,. Most of the Elizabethans believed that people belonged in their station, and to try to rise above it was an affront to God.

The Divine right of kings held that a king/queen was divinely appointed by God. Thus it was a grave sin to attempt to usurp a king, as his title was bestowed upon him by God.

The Gunpowder plot of 1605 was lead by a group of Catholics, disappointed that James was not supporting them. Their assassination attempt on the king failed, and a short time later, Shakespeare’s play illustrates the dangers of taking a title that is not one’s right.

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