1. By William Shakespeare
Macbeth
By William Shakespeare

2. William Shakespeare Born in 1564
Married Anne Hathaway 1582, had 3 children
1590, left his family behind to travel to London to be an actor and playwright
Part of The Kings’ Men: company of actors patronized by King James I of England (VI of Scotland)
Died in 1616 “on” his birthday
His plays reflect the concerns of Elizabethan England and themes of the English Renaissance
William Shakespeare

3. Originally, plays were performed in taverns and inn yards that eventually developed into outdoor stages and finally into theaters
The theater was for everyone – rich and poor alike – as it allowed for escapism
Shakespeare was part owner of The Globe, and several of his plays were performed there.
Theater Conventions

4. Actors often consider the play Macbeth to be unlucky and refer to it as “the Scottish play.” To say the name of the play inside a theater is considered bad luck.
It is based loosely on the history of Scotland as it was understood in Shakespeare’s day
Written & performed in 1606
Historical source was Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (1577)
The Scottish Play

5. The play is set in 11th century Scotland – a violent and troubled time
One High King of Scotland and many rival thanes of sections of the country
Political murders and revenge were common
Vikings & Norsemen attacked Scotland constantly
Historical Setting

6. The “real” Macbeth Born in 1005 to a family that ruled Moray and Ross
Married the granddaughter to the High King of Scotland – no children
Elected High King of Scotland in 1040, & ruled over 17 years of peace and prosperity
Strong supporter of the church – no evidence of involvement in witchcraft
Killed on Aug 15, 1057
Buried at Iona – sacred burial place of Kings of Scotland
The “real” Macbeth

7. Importance of Patronage
The play pays tribute to the interests of Shakespeare’s patron: King James I
James was already King of Scotland prior to becoming King of England
Compliments James by making Banquo, said to be James’ ancestor, a hero in the play. (Historically, Banquo never existed)
Importance of Patronage

8. Themes The Right to Rule - Power Kinship and loyalty
One became monarch upon the death of the previous monarch
Succession was originally via election in Scotland, but was changed to inheritance
By King James’ time, monarchs believed they had been chosen by God to rule – through the process of inheritance
King James succeeded Queen Elizabeth in 1603 following England’s succession obsession
Kinship and loyalty
King James had survived an assassination attempt as a child and the recent Gunpowder Plot of 1605
His father had been murdered by opposition to the Scottish throne
His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was executed by her cousin, Elizabeth I, for plotting treason
Themes

9. Themes Witches and King James Witches and misogyny
Nearly 9 out of every 10 witches prosecuted were women
Society and the Church believed women were morally weak, susceptible to the Devil, and more carnal than men – all by-products of a patriarchal society
Witches and King James
James traveled to Denmark in 1589 and returned with continental beliefs about witches
Began a Scottish witch hunt in 1590
Published his own treatise about witches in 1597 called Daemonology
Witchcraft became a crime against the state and monarch as James believed they “assault the body of the king.”
Themes

10. Other themes Fate and Free Will Ambition and fallibility
The role of prophecy
Ambition and fallibility
The danger of “flying too close to the sun”
Perception and reality
“fair is evil, and foul is good”
Femininity
Stereotypes of women
Other themes

11. Blood
Clothing
Natural order (nature)
Sleep and lack of sleep
Motifs

12. Dramatic elements Aside Dramatic irony
words spoken by an actor to the people watching a play, that the other characters in the play do not hear
Dramatic irony
the irony occurring when the implications of a situation, speech, etc, are understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play
Dramatic elements

13. Dramatic elements Prose
ordinary speech with no regular meter or rhyme. Lines of text do not all have the same number of syllables nor is there any discernible pattern of stresses
is used whenever verse would seem bizarre, for cynical commentary, in serious letters, when the rational is contrasted with the emotional, for scenes of everyday life, and for bantering, relaxed conversation
Dramatic elements

14. Dramatic elements Verse
resembles prose in that the final words of the lines do not rhyme in any regular pattern (although an occasional rhyming couplet may be found).  Unlike prose, there is a recognizable meter (usually iambic pentameter or a meter with iambic stress pattern)
is used mainly for passionate, lofty or momentous occasions and for introspection; it may suggest a refinement of character. Many of Shakespeare's most famous speeches are written in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
Dramatic elements

15. Aristotle defined tragedy as a form of drama that elicits pity and fear. It focuses on the reversal of fortune and downfall (peripeteia)of a tragic hero.
Audience experiences heightened emotions as they watch the hero suffer, and in the end, audience has a catharsis.
A Tragedy

16. A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities.
fated by the gods or by some supernatural force to doom or great suffering
struggles mightily against this fate, winning our admiration
Tragic Hero

17. Before the Curtain Opens…
When the play begins, there are two wars in progress:
Civil War in Scotland: King Duncan (High King) vs. Macdonwald’s (a thane) rebels
National War: Scotland, led by King Duncan, against invading Norway
Before the Curtain Opens…