Macbeth Background

1
Macbeth Background

• Influences for the time period, Shakespeare
  himself, and the cursed, Scottish play

2
The English Renaissance

• The Renaissance (rebirth) began in Italy in the
  1300s with a flourish of literature, art, and
  intellectual development.
• The English Renaissance began around 1485 when
  Henry VII took the throne and began the Tudor
  reign.

3
The English Renaisaance

• After the Middle Ages had focused on the after
  life and hell, the Renaissance turned its focus
  to the here and now
• Focus on love
• Human passions
• Pleasure

4
The English Renaissance

• Moveable type was invented Gutenberg developed
  the printing press in the 1450s
• Publishing was easier
• More books were published more people are
  reading
• Scholars and authors began writing in the
  vernacular (common speech) of the time period.
  More people can understand literature and they
  began reading.

5
The English Reniassance

• British Monarchy A lesson in SCANDAL!!
• They say many authors write about what they know,
  and with Shakespeare this is probably true.
  Royalty in England were very prone to doing
  SCANDALOUS things! Heres one example of SCANDAL
  in Shakespeares time

6
The English Renaissance

• Henry VIII, of the Tudor family, took the throne
  in 1509.
• Even though he was once given the title defender
  of faith in 1534, Henry VIII found that his
  marriage to Catherine of Aragon would not produce
  a son. So he wished to have the Pope annul his
  marriage so he could marry Anne Boleyn.
• The pope refused imagine refusing a KING! and
  Henry VIII was MAD and he remarried anyway.
• This was an outrage! Divorce as it would
  have to be without the annulment was a sin!
• SO! To counter this, Henry VIII issued the Act
  of Supremacy, which split England from the
  Catholic Church and allowed him to take full
  control of the Churches of England.
• Henry VIII became the supreme head of the Church
  of England (or Anglican Church)

7
The English Renaissance

• How can one person do all this? Well a few
  things helped
• The Divine Rights of Kings -
• Fierce and Bloody Suppression of the Opposition
  

8
How Does All This Relate to Macbeth?

•  
• The scandalous behavior of the royals during
  Shakespeares lifetime obviously provided much
  food for thought (ideas) for Shakespeare.
• Citizens of England during this time period were
  used to power-hungry rulers and cruel, bloody
  behavior therefore, a play about cruel, bloody
  behavior would suit them perfectly.

9
Several of the themes of Macbeth can be
introduced by this historical account of the
times

• Theme 1 Appearances are deceiving do not
  trust only what you see.
• Theme 2 Greed is very different than ambition,
  and it has a destructive power.
• Theme 3 Power can corrupt. Those who have
  power should use it only for the best of the
  people they govern.
• Theme 4 Going against ones nature can
  result in the destruction of oneself and those
  around him/her.

10
Shakespeare Life and Work

• Shakespeare was born in Stratford upon-Avon on
  April 23rd, 1564.
• In 1582, when Shakespeare was 18, he married Anne
  Hathaway, a woman 8 years older than him, because
  she was pregnant. OOPS!
• They had three children Susanna and then twins,
  Hamnet and Judith.
• In 1592, Shakespeare arrives in London and
  somehow, already has a reputation as a great
  playwright and actor.
• The years from 1585 to 1592 are a mystery
  called by some as the Dark Years.

11
Shakespeare Life and Work

• In 1594, Shakespeare was part owner of and the
  principal playwright for the Kings Men (a
  prestigious acting company) and they built the
  Globe Theater, where most of his plays were
  performed.
• Shakespeare retired from London in 1610 and
  continued to write from Stratford for 6 more
  years until he died on April 23rd, 1616.
• He had written a total of 37 plays, all of which
  were greatly esteemed

12
Background for Macbeth (This play, specifically)

• Setting
• Macbeth is set in Scotland in the 10th and 11th
  centuries (900s and 1000s). Some specific
  settings are
• Inverness (Macbeths castle) on a desolate heath
• Forres, King Duncans royal palace
• You will see that because there was almost NO
  scenery used in the theater during this time
  period, many of the characters describe their
  surroundings in great detail. Subsearch for
  setting!!
• Shakespeare uses the bloody history of Scotland
  as a setting to explore the fearsome and
  destructive powers of greed and the dark side of
  humanity.

13
Background for Macbeth (This play, specifically)

• The Human Side of the Macbeth Monster
• Even though the actions of Macbeth are horrible,
  he is actually a very human character. Watch and
  see how he struggles with his decisions.
• Can you relate to struggling with temptation?
  Have you ever given in?
• Have you ever been punished for giving into
  temptation?

14
Background for Macbeth (This play, specifically)

• Writing Style
• Macbeth is written in blank verse. This means
  that it is unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.
• Whats an iamb, you say?
• Iambic pentameter is the rhythm that most mirrors
  natural speech.

15
Background for Macbeth (This play, specifically)

• When the witches speak they speak in rhyming
  tetrameter very unnatural and charmed or
  spell sounding.
• EXAMPLE Double, double, toil and trouble,
• Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
• Inference time! Why might Shakespeare make the
  witches speak this way?

16
Background for Macbeth (This play, specifically)

• A Tragedy
• Macbeth is a tragedy, which means that the main
  character suffers greatly (often dies) in the
  end.
• The character of Macbeth is a tragic hero a
  tragic hero is a hero (or main character) that
  has at least one fatal/tragic flaw that will
  eventually lead to his downfall.