Useful Knowledge/Context

Question 1

What perspective is the play written in?

Answer 1

Third person limited.
Allows for the narrative of multiple characters through their individual interactions with the audience. This can be through soliloquies for example.

Question 2

When was the play written and who was the king at that time?

Answer 2

1606
King James I

Question 3

How does the play link to the king?

Answer 3

King James I was very interested in the supernatural. He even wrote a book called Daemonologie which covered witchcraft.

Question 4

How does the play link to the divine right of kings?

Answer 4

This doctrine held that kings were appointed by God and were answerable only to God. Macbeth’s violent usurpation of the throne by murdering King Duncan was seen as a direct violation of this divine right, making him a tyrant and a criminal. His downfall is portrayed as a return to the natural and divine order, where Malcolm, Duncan’s rightful heir, reclaims the throne.

Question 5

What failed plot in 1605 links to the play?

Answer 5

The gunpowder plot. Shakespeare could be warning the audience what would happen to them through the character of Macbeth if they were to commit the greatest sin (regicide).

Question 6

What would you call the audience at that time?

Answer 6

The Jacobean audience

Question 7

What were the religious groups like in 1606?

Answer 7

Prodestant mainly. Catholics were behind gunpowder plot and most catholics were persecuted.