Macbeth - Context

Question 1

King James I (5)

Answer 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 the supernatural.

Question 2

The Divine Right of Kings (2)

Answer 2

• The belief that God’s will is passed down to the people through the royal family.
• Disrupting the divine right of kings was seen as an act against God - blasphemy as well as treason.

Question 3

The Great Chain of Being (3)

Answer 3

• The belief that God created the world with a clear and deliberate social hierarchy which places the rich above the poor and men above women.
• Feeds into the divine right of kings.
• Evidence of the prevalence of religion in Shakespearean England.

Question 4

Daemonologie (3)

Answer 4

• A book written by James I to emphasise his disdain for witchcraft, and was published in 1597.
• Lays out James l’s ideas for how to punish those practising witchcraft.
• Consulted by people of the time as an educational book.

Question 5

Religion and the Seven Deadly Sins (3)

Answer 5

• Religion was prevalent in Shakespeare’s time, particularly 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 is 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.

Question 6

The Patriarchy (3)

Answer 6

• 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 women in their lives as their property.

Question 7

Shakespeare (2)

Answer 7

• Relied on patronage of monarch
• Plot contains reflections of James’ interests => Scottish royalty, ‘just’ kingship, regicide, witchcraft

Question 8

Medieval Scotland / Scotland in Middle Ages (11th century) (5)

Answer 8

• Source of story = Holinshed’s Chronicles (1587)
• Succession and parental lineage = important at time, although king was able to choose successor
• Play set at time of an unstable land torn apart by divisions
• Strong belief in witches, including ability to make prophecies and to affect the outcome of certain events
• Witchcraft was regarded as an everlasting practice involving a relationship with the devil - threat to social stability + Christianity

Question 9

Jacobean England / Early Modern England (17th Century) (3 - Gunpowder plot)

Answer 9

• Gunpowder plot was an attempt by seven Catholic conspirators to blow up new King and his parliament in 1605 - regicide
• Most famous of the plotters was Guy Fawkes - not leader though
• Plotters were tortured and executed

Question 10

Literary Context (3)

Answer 10

• Shakespeare’s plays have been categorised using 3 genres, and Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy
• Usually, tragedies explore the fall of a heroic character due to their fatal flaw/hamartia
• Macbeth’s fatal flaw is argued to be his ambition