1. The History of macbeth

2. Holinshed’s Chronicles
Chronicled the entire history of England, Scotland, and Ireland through about 1580
Shakespeare used this for the source material for his history plays
Macbeth
Henry V
King Lear

3. Macbeth is real…somewhat
Scottish king named Mac Bethad
Translates to Macbeth
Ruled from
Play was written in and based on Scotland in about 1044
Some parts of the play are taken from the history of King Duffe, a king who ruled about a century before Macbeth

4. So who was the real Macbeth?
Overthrew King Duncan, his cousin
A poor king who was thought to be a military failure and a tyrant
Thought to be a rebel and a tyrant
Married Guach, the granddaughter of King Kenneth III
She’s named Lady Macbeth in the play
Killed the son of the Earl Siward in a battle

5. Who was Banquo?
Holinshed’s Chronicles name Macbeth and Banquo as alliances
Banquo helped Macbeth overthrow Duncan so he could be King
Considered a traitor and portrayed really negatively

6. Cue: King James I A ridiculous king Very self-centered
Thought he was better than everyone
Anti-Witchcraft
Enjoyed theater and even wrote a few books including Daemonology
Influenced by Malleus Maleficarum

7. King James (Continued…)
King James was born to Mary Queen of Scots and had a legitimate claim on the English Crown. His mother, Mary, was forced to give up the throne and James was crowned King at 13 months old.

8. King James ( Continued…)
James demanded that the king be an ABSOLUTE Monarch
He was chosen & ruled by DIVINE RIGHT
Believed that King should be master of Church and State
The Church was not happy with that decision so…

9. Gunpowder Plot Guy Fawkes Day (in charge of the explosives)
November 5th, 1604
“Remember, remember, the fifth of November”
Planned to blow up Parliament & assassinate King James
The plan was discovered and the conspirators were tortured

10. King James & Shakespeare
Shakespeare was a subject in the King’s court
James preferred shorter plays.
Macbeth is some 2,000 lines while Hamlet is ~ 6,000.
Banquo (in the story) is a direct descendent of King James…
SO…Shakespeare painted him in a good light to maintain favor with him.

11. Macbeth’s Weird “Sisters”
AKA “The Witches”

12. Superstition & The Supernatural
Remember Monty Python?
That actually was common!
1600’s Witch Craze
James instigated a witch hunt in 1590
Witchcraft acts of 1596 & 1604
All reserved harsh consequences for lawbreakers that were involved in witchcraft

13. Association with Witches
Anyone who associated with witches would also be punished
Think about how the witches were portrayed
Keep an eye on the characters who associate with the witches
Who are they? Are they good or bad characters?