The Man That Would Be Shakespeare
• Born April 23rd, 1564
• Started out performing
with “The Lord
Chamberlain’s Men”
• Gave him a chance to
write a play
• Henry IV, Pt. 1- It stunk
but they gave him
another shot
• Many playwrights with
nowhere to “play” raised
money to have it built
• Barn turned into theatre
• Puritans burn it down
(Evil theatre! Boo!)
• Globe built! (Yeah!)
• Globe burns (sniff, darn
cannon!)
• Globe rebuilt! (Yeah!)
Reconstructed in the 1990’s
• Globe burns (Dang that
Fire of London!)
o Aristocrats
o The Queen/King
o The Groundlings!
When
in
a
play...
• Only men were permitted
to perform
• Boys or effeminate men
were used to play the
women
• Costumes were often the
company’s most valuable
asset
• Costumes were made by
the company, bought in
London, or donated by
courtiers
The Cost of a Show
• 1 shilling to stand
• 2 shillings to sit in the
balcony
• 1 shilling was 10% of
their weekly income
• Toronto Theatres:
– $120 Orchestra
– $60 Balcony
– 10% of a teacher’s
weekly salary
• Set in Scotland
• Written for King James I
(formerly of Scotland,
now England)
• Queen of Denmark
(James’s sister) was
visiting
• Shakespeare researched
The Chronicles (Banquo
is an ancestor of James I)
& read about witchcraft
• King Duncan of Scotland
– Murdered by cousin Macbeth
– Honest and good
• Malcolm & Donalbain
– Sons of the King
– Malcolm is the eldest son
• Macbeth
– Duncan’s most courageous general
– Ambition to become king corrupts him
causing him to murder Duncan
• Banquo
– General and Macbeth’s best friend
– Suspects Macbeth in Duncan’s murder
– An actual ancestor of King James I
• Lady Macbeth
– As ambitious as her husband
– A dark force behind his evil deeds
• Macduff
– Scottish general, suspects Macbeth of
murdering the king
– Macbeth has his family murdered
– Swears vengeance
The Scottish Play
• It is believed to be bad luck to
even squeak the word ‘Macbeth’
in a theatre
• Legend has it you will lose all
your friends involved in the
production--horribly
• MORE ON THAT LATER...
• Def’n: “Man of high
standard who falls from
that high because of a
flaw that has affected
many” - Aristotle
• Macbeth is one of the
most famous examples
of the tragic hero.
What is Macbeth’s tragic
flaw?
So what really happens?
• Good guy, loved by all (including the king) and all is well with the
kingdom
• Good guy goes bad
• Guy covet power; the power of the king
• Married to a pushy control freak
• She wants power, too
• Seeks out the witches to tell him his fortune & falls into the trap of
only seeing what he wants to see and believe what he wants to believe
• He (with her help) kills people- LOTS of people
• He gets the power he wanted
• He becomes paranoid because of his own
• Ticks off a lot of people along the way; important peopl
• Still wants more power! Kill! Kill!
• Gets what’s coming to him in the end
• Good is restored to the kingdom
“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
V, v, 19-28
It would be a tragedy to NEVER read
Macbeth because it teaches us that the
corrupting power of unchecked ambition is
man’s ultimate downfall.