English: Macbeth

Three witches tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be King of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king, becomes the new king, and kills more people out of paranoia. Civil war erupts to overthrow Macbeth, resulting in more death. (www.shakespeare.org.uk).

Macbeth as Tribute to the King: Shakespeare wrote a number of historical plays about royal characters. Macbeth was largely written in tribute to King James I. Prior to serving as King of England, James I had served as King of Scotland. He took the throne in 1603 when Queen Elizabeth I died without an heir. Though James I was widely accepted as the new king, he was not as charismatic or endearing as the beloved queen. As the son of the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, a woman who had been beheaded when she tried to overthrow Elizabeth’s Protestant throne, James suffered more political insecurity than his predecessor.

In Macbeth, the witches predict that Banquo will have a long line of successors to the throne was included to flatter the king. The Stewart kings, such as James I, claimed to be descendents of Banquo, even though it is inconclusive whether or not Banquo was a real person.

In the Holinshed Chronicles, from which Shakespeare got his source material, Banquo was a ruthless collaborator who helped Macbeth kill Duncan and take the throne. However, as a tribute to King James I, Shakespeare changed the character to be wise, noble, and morally righteous. This move would have endeared Shakespeare with his new king.

The Real Macbeth: Macbeth’s character refers to the 11th King of Scotland, named Mac Bethad mac Findláich. He ruled Scotland from 1040 to 1057 after murdering King Duncan. However, the real Duncan was a weak man about the same age as Macbeth. He was not popular or widely respected like the king in the play. Murdering for power was also not uncommon in Scotland in those times. Of the fourteen kings who ruled over Scotland between 943 and 1097, ten were killed in attempts to seize power. Shakespeare’s themes and characterizations within this play can then be read as a reflection of his own time and political instabilities rather than a historically accurate account of Scottish history. (www.owleyes.org). 

Shakespeare’s father was a glove-maker, and Shakespeare received no more than a grammar school education. He married Anne Hathaway in 1582, but left his family behind around 1590 and moved to London, where he became an actor and playwright. He was an immediate success: Shakespeare soon became the most popular playwright of the day as well as a part-owner of the Globe Theater. His theater troupe was adopted by King James as the King’s Men in 1603. Shakespeare retired as a rich and prominent man to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1613, and died three years later.