Shakespeare’s
Macbeth
A little bit of history to understand
the play
James I: The beginning of the Stuarts

Becomes King of England after
Elizabeth I




takes throne in 1604
Was formerly James VI of Scotland
England had become a
superpower under Elizabeth I,
also a Protestant nation
As King, James became rich,
powerful


Believed in witches, demons; wrote
books on the subject; saw a
connection between witchcraft and
treason
King head of the church; witchcraft in
violation of religious teachings, thus an
act against the state
The Tudor-Stuart Family Tree
Henry VII
Arthur marries
Katherine of Aragon
Margaret marries
James IV of Scotland
Henry VIII
Marries 6 wives:
Katherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Katherine Howard
Catherine Parr
Louis XII of France
Edward IV
Mary
Elizabeth I
Produces
James V of Scotland
Mary marries
Mary Stuart
Queen of Scotland
James VI of Scotland
I of England
The Gunpowder Plot
The role of faith

James I inherited a nation pulled apart by
faith


Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII broke with the
Catholic Church over his divorce with Katherine
of Aragon, a Spanish princess
Elizabeth, James are Protestant but Mary, who
was queen before Elizabeth (Henry’s daughter
by Catherine) is Catholic.
The plan:



Gunpowder Plot devised by Papists
(Catholic) to destroy Parliament, King
(Protestant)
Comes after years of persecution of
Catholics by Protestant rulers
Catholics see James I as a failure as
continues Protestant reforms in England
The Conspirators:



Plot devised from May, 1604 through to
execution on November 5, 1605
Conspirators all Catholic looking to destroy
government they see as oppressors
10 men part of the plot, including Guy
Fawkes, a munitions expert who had
learned his skills fighting with the Spanish
(Catholic) against the Dutch (Protestant)
Plot Uncovered




Plotters put gunpowder under the Houses of
Parliament, with the intent to blow up the building
Plot uncovered by an anonymous letter; an
investigation was launched and Fawkes was
discovered leaving the cellars of Parliament on
the evening of November 5
Fawkes is taken to the Tower of London and
interrogated under torture (the rack)
Fawkes and several other conspirators are
hanged, drawn and quartered on January 31 for
their acts of treason
James I and Macbeth

Shakespeare wrote plays for Elizabeth,
now takes on role for James


Is one of Shakespeare’s most topical plays


Players become the King’s Men
About a Scottish king dealing with treason,
reflects the issues of the times
James is a descendant of Banquo
New developments in the play

Combines the stories of the murder of King
Duncan and the reign of Macbeth


Introduces the idea of the villain as the
hero


Macbeth was a warrior king of Scotland (10401057)
Beginning of the anti-hero
Strong female role in Lady Macbeth
Important questions in Macbeth




Why do people do evil, knowing it is evil?
Does Macbeth do evil because he is
tempted by fate/because he is
pushed/because of his personal ambition?
What is guilt?
Why does Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s
success fall apart so quickly?