Renaissance England
Rebirth and Reformation
Life in William Shakespeare’s
England
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Renaissance – begins 1485
Shakespeare – 1564 – 1616
proud nation with a strong sense of national
identity
still largely rural – pre-industrialization
decline of feudalism
rise of capitalism
large gap between rich and poor
The Renaissance
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Renaissance means “rebirth.”
Rebirth of classics (Roman and Greek)
Intellectually, the discovery, translation, and printing of
Greek and Roman classics were making available a set
of works and worldviews that interacted with Christian
texts and beliefs
The result was a questioning, a vital intellectual climate,
that provided energy for the period’s amazing dramatic
and literary output
Also, period of much discovery and expansion
(geographically, scientifically, economically) leading to
modern age
William Shakespeare
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born in April 1564
died in April 1616
world’s greatest dramatist
poet, actor, playwright
quintessential “Renaissance Man”
well-versed voracious reader – classics, the
Bible, Latin, Greek, History, Mythology (Virgil,
Ovid, Plutarch, Holinshed’s Chronicles)
Social Change
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rapid economic advancement
much more contact with other nations
more cosmopolitan culture
sources of social change as well as much
conflict and fracturing
Religious Conflict
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England under the Tudor kings
Battle over religion affected almost every
area of life.
Read background article.
Queen Elizabeth and Tudor
Absolutism
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The divine right of kings
king = God’s appointed deputy on earth
The divine right of kings is a political and religious
doctrine of royal absolutism. It asserts that a monarch is
subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule
directly from the will of God The king is thus not subject
to the will of his people, the aristocracy, or any other
estate of the realm, including the church. The doctrine
implies that any attempt to depose the king or to restrict
his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may
constitute heresy.
Shakespeare’s Theater
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The actors of Shakespeare’s time are known to
have performed plays in a great variety of
locations:
court
halls of universities of Oxford and Cambridge
Inns of Court (residences of London of the legal
societies)
theaters – (open-air playhouses) – held vast
audiences of two or three thousand
Background to Macbeth
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1603 – new monarch ascended the throne after
Elizabeth I
James VI of Scotland, who was to become
James I of England
Interest in all things Scottish
Raphael Holinshed – History of Scotland –
material for a tragedy
In Scottish history of the 11th century,
Shakespeare found a spectacle of violence
Macbeth – first published1623
Background to Macbeth
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Macbeth is the last of the four “great
tragedies,” and perhaps the darkest.
Intensive study of evil at work in the
individual and in the world at large
Celebrates the establishment of the first
Stuart king of England
Holinshed’s account of the reigns of
Duncan and Macbeth (1034 – 57)
“All Things Scottish”
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In Scottish history of the eleventh century,
Shakespeare found a spectacle of violence
the slaughter of whole armies and of innocent
families
the assassination of kings
the ambush of nobles by murderers
the brutal execution of traitors
stories of witches and wizards providing advice
to traitors
Shakespeare appealing to the new interests in
London brought about by James’s kingship
Macbeth Act I
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Foreshadowing
the weather
thunder and lightning
witches – their presence, stories, and
prophecies – witches represent fate and
foreknowledge
Witches know Macbeth’s fatal weakness and
know they can manipulate his hunger for power
Physical manifestation of the powers of
darkness within Macbeth’s character.
Characters
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Macbeth – “vaulting ambition” – perversely
ambitious, weak, vulnerable, insecure tragic
hero
Lady Macbeth – wicked, ambitious, and
manipulative (perhaps the fourth witch)
Banquo – general in Duncan’s army; Macbeth’s
closest friend – literary foil for Macbeth in the
play
Duncan – the king of Scotland
Paradox
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“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
Reversals – unnaturalness – mirrors the
unnaturalness in Scotland
Physical appearance of the witches
Lady Macbeth’s desire for a gender
transformation – sexual inversions
disharmony in nature and in man
Major Imagery
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Blood imagery – not only a literal sign of
disorder but an metaphor for Macbeth’s evil
Seeds and plants imagery – sowing the seeds of
new power
Instruments of darkness – witches
Baby imagery – birth of Macbeth’s ascendancy
to power
Illness imagery – illness in the body politic and
mental illness
Night, colors, weather, sleep
Dramatic Irony
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Audience knows Macbeth’s situation and
fate from the beginning.
Literary Foils
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Macbeth and Banquo established as
literary foils
Macbeth – attracted to temptations and
predictions of witches
Banquo – suspicious of witches
Major Questions
Why do people do evil knowing that it is
evil???
Why does Macbeth commit evil? (due to
fate, his wife, his ambition)
Why does Macbeth fall?
The Tragic Hero
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Macbeth established as the tragic hero
noble and esteemed but flawed character
doomed from birth
Notice behavior and character parallels
between Macbeth and other tragic heroes:
Oedipus, Creon, Caesar
Sources
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Introduction to The Tragedy of Macbeth by
William Shakespeare. Edited by Barbara
A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. Folger
Shakespeare Library. 1992.
Introduction to The Tragedy of Macbeth by
William Shakespeare. Edited by Frank
Kermode. The Riverside Shakespeare
Edition. 1997.