1. Context of production and of reception
‘Macbeth’
Context of production and of reception

2. Background Written in 1606 King James I came to the throne in 1603
He elected Shakespeare’s company (the Lord Chamberlain’s Men) as his favoured one – Sh. correspondingly flattered him
Gunpowder Plot of 1605 – classic!
His father and mother were murdered
Elizabethan audiences enjoyed violence and the supernatural – bear-baiting, public hangings.
The audience was sophisticated in part, as this was one of the few sources of narrative of the age
After the Armada, patriotism led to greater knowledge of history through plays as well as law

3. Jacobean Theatre The Globe was a decadent arena
Crowd participation was important and to be expected
Theatre troupes would not do repeat performances over months/years – plays would usually differ from day to day
The history play (‘Richard III’, ‘Henry V’), tragedy (‘Hamlet’, ‘King Lear’) and comedy (‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’) were all popular genres of the time

4. James I Divine right to rule
James 1 superstition, power and supernatural – wrote a book on witchcraft
Divine right to rule
Had been James VI of Scotland; set in land of ancestors
A descendent of Banquo, who is clearly shown in a role of ‘good’ as opposed to Macbeth’s ‘evil’, an (inaccurate) stylisation of history

5. The ‘Real’ Macbeth
Actually had quite a solid rule of 14 years with many children
Macbeth was a king of the Scots whose rule was marked by efficient government and the promotion of Christianity
Kills Duncan (actually a weak ruler) in 1040 and is killed by Malcolm (III) in 1057.
He was also a brave leader and made successful forays over the border into Northumbria, England
This illustrates the great écart between him and the Macbeth of ‘Macbeth’

6. Modern Reception Often read today rather than watched
The importance of text over image is illustrated in the (filmed) adaptation which places the action in Communist Russia (using Scottish place-names..) which still makes sense
More help on the vocabulary although parts of the audience may have also had some trouble understanding Sh’s style
We have emerged out of the superstition of the past so look back on it as something less pertinent to ourselves, unlike ‘R and J’

7. 
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Cheers