Macbeth context Flashcards
Who was King in Shakespeare times?
King James 1
When was it written?
1606
What was the king to God?
Gods deputy on Earth.
-This was the CHAIN OF BEING
What was the Divine right of kings?
-If a person kills a king to be king, that is regicide and goes against the gods divine order
Assassination attempts to King James the 1
-1605 and was on King James 1
-This was the gunpowder plot.
What performance art did Shakespeare belong to?
-Belonged to “the kings men”, where King James 1 sponsored Shakespeare company (for money).
What were James 1 opinions on witches?
-He was paranoid about witches.
-This is why witches were portrayed in a bad way which Shakespeare done to satisfy King James opinions.
What book was written in 1597?
-DAEMONOLOGIE, which proclaimed his superstitious belief in existence of witches and his hellish powers.
What was a strong belief about witches?
-Witches performed “black magic”.
What did King James 1 do to witches
-He hated and killed and prosecuted witches.
-Killed them in 1600s
What were the Holinshed chronicles?
-Popular text during 1500’s and 1600’s which chronicled ancient tails
-Shakespeare took inspiration from this as story of Macbeth was in this but portrayed in a different way.
-Shakespeare changed the story to infer King James 1 was a good king.
Who was Banquo to King James 1
-Descendant who was supposed to be king
What were women in Jacobean times?
-Kindness
-Motherly
-Honest
-Emotional
-Obedience
-Subordination to men
-Financially dependant on male relatives
-Lady Macbeth was the opposite of these and was a lot stronger
What was the “spot” in Act 5 Scene 1?
-It was a devilish mark and has phycological competition with engaging with witches
