Context Macbeth Flashcards
King James 1
The first monarch to rule over England, Scotland and Ireland at the same time
Scottish born and raised
Patron of the King’s men, Shakespeare’s company
Very religious
Staunchly against witchcraft, and supernatural
The divine right of kings
The belief that God will is passed down to the people through the royal family
Distributing the divine right of kings were seen as an act against God –blasphemy in me as well is treason
The great chain of being
The belief that God created the world with a clear and deliberate social hierarchy which places is the rich above the poorand men above women
Feeds into the divine right of kings
Evidence of the prevalence of religion in Shakespearean, England
Daemonologie
A book written by James, the first empathise, his disdain for witchcraft
Lays out James, 1s ideas for how to punish those practising witchcraft
Consulted by people of the time as an educational book
Religion and the seven deadly sins
Religion was prevalent in Shakespearean is time, partially in relation to Christian faiths
People of all social classes were led by the Bible and by their faith. Religion wasn’t a personal choice as much as it’s today – it was expected that people would be devoted to God.
The seven deadly sins were considered a rule of law, and committing any of them was considered a sign of the devil
The patriarchy
Shakespearean society was incredibly patriarchal, informed by the great chain of being and thousands of years of tradition
Women were expected to be subservient to the men in their lives
Men saw, the woman in their lives as their property
