Introduction to Shakespeare & Macbeth

The play is a tragedy employing many literary techniques, especially (according to Coles)

According to Coles, they play's flaws include:

The world of Elizabethan and Jacobean England was a world of great change.

James VI of Scotland became king of English in 1603 joining the two kingdoms for the first time

No fewer than five of the virtuous characters in Macbeth are direct ancestors of King James.

Dating Shakespeare's early plays usually puts them at around

Religious tensions between Catholics and Protestants were rife in this era.

Writers of this time frequently reflect the disillusionment and sadness of society

In religion he:

The king presided over a trial of a group of witches who had tried to kill him via shipwreck.

Contemporary events included:

Shakespeare’s father was

Shakespeare had a personal reason to honour King James after he assumed the throne:

Shakespeare based the play on historical ‘chronicles’ but changed many of the details.

Plague was common and medical cures were amputation, leeching and bloodletting.

King James was well read in theology, political science and literature.

Despite the scholarship it has generated, knowledge of Shakespeare’s early life is sketchy.

The Tragedy of Macbeth was written between:

There was a reluctance to publish plays at the time because:

There are many references in the play to public events of that period