Historical Context
Shakespeare Macbeth is an original and masterpiece of all time. This play would never have been constructed the way it was, without the influences from society around 1606, the Seventeenth Century. Macbeth was written in the early reign of James I, who had been James VI of Scotland before he succeeded to the English throne in 1603. Shakespeare wrote his plays to attract and interest society but by doing this, he had to please the royal hierarchy. Shakespeare soon became educated on the ruling kings (James 1) interests. Shakespeare soon found out that these included supernatural accounts and witches.
The seventeenth era saw witches being burnt on streets, guillotined or hung to death all across Europe and England. James the First did not believe in these actions as he only brutally punished those who disagreed with him. These included Catholics and other supposed “heretics”. Heretic is a person believing in or practising religious heresy, meaning that they are practising a belief or customs which is against social morals. With King James’s passion with supernatural accounts, Shakespeare believed it was only correct to include three witches in his play. This not only appealed to the King but also added humour to the play as well as a ‘break’ from all of the blood and gore. The witch’s prophecies are evident in Act V, Scene 5 as they tell Macbeth that he should not fear until the woods of Dunsinane begin to move.
During the seventeenth century, religious orders believed in the ‘Great chain of being’. ‘The Great chain of being’ was the belief that God created a natural order among humans and animals. This meant that everyone must keep their position in life and if anyone tried to alter this, it was considered an act against God. The king was at the top of the chain, meaning he was believed to be the human descendent of God. Anyone who tried to kill the King would be murdered brutally as the King was God and if you killed God, you would live in ‘hell’. Shakespeare was influenced by this moral as he wanted to contrast society’s beliefs and see how they would act with the idea of someone breaking the chain of being and killing the King. This is evident in Act 5, scene 5 as the audiences sees the effects and consequences if someone broke the chain. Shakespeare did not want to attack people to do these acts but rather to stop them as they could see their future and the consequences if they were to do this.
The seventeenth era saw witches being burnt on streets, guillotined or hung to death all across Europe and England. James the First did not believe in these actions as he only brutally punished those who disagreed with him. These included Catholics and other supposed “heretics”. Heretic is a person believing in or practising religious heresy, meaning that they are practising a belief or customs which is against social morals. With King James’s passion with supernatural accounts, Shakespeare believed it was only correct to include three witches in his play. This not only appealed to the King but also added humour to the play as well as a ‘break’ from all of the blood and gore. The witch’s prophecies are evident in Act V, Scene 5 as they tell Macbeth that he should not fear until the woods of Dunsinane begin to move.
During the seventeenth century, religious orders believed in the ‘Great chain of being’. ‘The Great chain of being’ was the belief that God created a natural order among humans and animals. This meant that everyone must keep their position in life and if anyone tried to alter this, it was considered an act against God. The king was at the top of the chain, meaning he was believed to be the human descendent of God. Anyone who tried to kill the King would be murdered brutally as the King was God and if you killed God, you would live in ‘hell’. Shakespeare was influenced by this moral as he wanted to contrast society’s beliefs and see how they would act with the idea of someone breaking the chain of being and killing the King. This is evident in Act 5, scene 5 as the audiences sees the effects and consequences if someone broke the chain. Shakespeare did not want to attack people to do these acts but rather to stop them as they could see their future and the consequences if they were to do this.