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William Shakespeare wrote ‘Macbeth’ in 1606, and the historical context of this time plays a critical role in understanding the play. In 1606, King James I ruled over England, and it is often thought that ‘Macbeth’ wrote the play with the King in mind in an attempt to win his approval. During this time, English society greatly believed in the Elizabethan world order and the divine right of kings. There was also a great interest in the supernatural, and women who were thought to be witches often faced cruel death. Women were also viewed as inferior to men and misogyny was the norm. This historical context of King James I ruling England, the belief in the Elizabethan world order, and the views held towards women and the supernatural have all informed my reading of ‘Macbeth’ and given me a deeper understanding of this play.
Through knowledge of the historical context, the audience can see that the ruling of King James I had a significant influence on the plot of ‘Macbeth’. King James I had been King of England for 3 years when Shakespeare wrote ‘Macbeth’, and before this, he had been King James VI of Scotland. In ‘Macbeth’, the entire play is centered around a family of Scottish royalty. It’s set in both Scotland and England, and the English army led by Malcolm helps to defeat Macbeth’s rule of Scotland. Malcolm tells the English troops: “Let every soldier hew him down a bough and bear’t before him; thereby shall we shadow the numbers of our host and make discovery err in report of us”. And they do just this. This makes it appear that Birnam Wood is moving towards Dunsinane, as the soldiers have disguised themselves as trees, and as the witches predicted Macbeth would be defeated when these woods came to Dunsinane, therefore the English army helped to defeat Macbeth. This scene shows the unity of Scotland and England which would have flattered King James I as he represented the unity of Scotland and England. By centering ‘Macbeth’ around a Scottish family of Royalty, Shakespeare also reflected King James I’s life and interests. Shakespeare also refers to the Gunpowder Plot in ‘Macbeth’, which is when Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up King James and the royal family in 1605. This plot is referenced when the porter states: “Knock, knock. Who’s there in the other devil’s name? Faith, here’s an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God’s sake, yet could not equivocate to heaven”. This is a reference to the priest Henry Garnet, who attempted to lie his way out of being hanged due to his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. Since Porter’s were often seen to guide people through the gates of hell, Shakespeare is essentially saying that Henry Garnet went to hell for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot, and this would have again pleased King James. Through my knowledge of the historical context of Macbeth and King James I ruling England, I am able to see how Shakespeare wrote ‘Macbeth’ in a politically strategic way that likely was aimed to please King James I.
My knowledge of the belief in the Elizabethan world order in 1606 has also influenced my understanding of the value of the divine right of kings, which is present in ‘Macbeth’ and the plot of the play. In ‘Macbeth’, the plot is centered around the disruption of the natural world caused by the murder of King Duncan. This disruption is eventually resolved by the murder of Macbeth to restore world order. In 1606, English society believed in the Elizabethan world order and the Great Chain of Being. This Great Chain of Being is the theoretical hierarchy of beings based on Aristotle’s ideas. In the Great Chain of Being, God sits at the top, beneath him angels, beneath them kings, then nobility, artisans, and peasants. After this comes animals, although certain animals such as lions have higher rankings than others, and beneath animals came plants, and then rocks. Kings were also viewed as having been selected by God to rule and thus had ‘the divine right of kings’. Any break in the Great Chain of Being or an act that disrespected the divine right of kings was believed to result in the disruption of the natural world. These views are reflected in ‘Macbeth’ when Macbeth murders King Duncan. When Macbeth commits this regicide, he is committing an act against God as Duncan had been chosen by God to rule and has the divine right of kings, and this results in chaos. This chaos is shown when an old man states that “‘tis said they eat each other” when referring to Duncan’s horses, and “A falcon … was by a mousing owl hawked at it and killed”. This disruption to the natural world caused by King Duncan’s murder reflects the common views of Shakespeare’s time and the belief in the Great Chain of Being and the divine right of kings. In order to restore harmony to the world, Macbeth is murdered. This murder of Macbeth would have pleased King James I, as not only did it reflect his views and value of the divine right of kings, but if Macbeth was able to get away with regicide, then it would have been seen as an insult to King James.
During Shakespeare’s time, society was heavily misogynistic and also believed in the supernatural, which resulted in many women being labeled as witches and facing cruel death. My knowledge of these common beliefs furthers my understanding of the underlying theme of the supernatural and the negative portrayal of Lady Macbeth. Not only did the majority of English society believe in the supernatural and witchcraft in 1606, but King James I was especially fascinated by witchcraft. In fact, King James published ‘Daemonologie’ in 1597, a book about witchcraft and the supernatural. From my knowledge of King James’s interest in witchcraft, I can see how Shakespeare may have included the Weird Sisters in the play in an attempt to win King James’s approval. Due to the misogynistic views of English society and the church in the 17th century, women were often accused of being witches and were credited with causing chaos and disaster. In ‘Macbeth’, the Three Witches reflect this stereotype as they are seen as agents of disorder and chaos with diabolical powers, who set off the chain of events that lead to Duncan’s murder and the disruption of the natural order by telling Macbeth about the prophecy. Lady Macbeth calls upon these witches and demonic forces to “unsex her” so that she can be powerful enough to force her husband to kill Duncan without feeling remorse. Through this affiliation with the witches, Lady Macbeth reflects the common view of the times, which was that women could not possess power without supernatural help. After Lady Macbeth is filled with these demonic powers, she is portrayed as the villain and shown to corrupt Macbeth, a good man and tragic hero, by persuading him to kill Duncan. This reflects how Elizabethan society believed, and the church often promoted, that women and the supernatural were the cause of men’s mistakes and were a threat to social stability. My knowledge of this context also allows me to see how Lady Macbeth’s eventual madness and suicide reflect how it was not seen as natural for women to yield power or display stereotypically masculine qualities.
My knowledge of the historical context of ‘Macbeth’ allows me to understand how the reign of King James I influenced the plot, themes, and values in the play in Shakespeare’s attempt to ensure political correctness and win his approval. My knowledge of the belief in the Great Chain of Being also furthered my understanding of the plot of ‘Macbeth’, and my knowledge of the views on women and the supernatural allowed me insight into the negative portrayal of Lady Macbeth. All this was critical to my reading of ‘Macbeth’, as this play was not only a performance but also a show of political allegiance to the King.
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