Ms. Hamden
Background to Macbeth
When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, James I had been King of England for three years. He had previously been James VI of Scotland. King James symbolized the union of the Scottish and English crowns, a union to which Shakespeare refers in the play. It was well known that the new king was fascinated by witchcraft; Shakespeare might have been trying to win his approval by introducing the figures of the 'three weird sisters' into the play.
Macbeth was first performed at Hampton Court Palace before James I and his guests in 1606. The storyline, like that of most of Shakespeare's plays, was not original, and in this case was based on fact. The story was familiar to James: he had inherited the throne of Scotland through his ancestors Banquo and Fleance. The real Macbeth reigned in Scotland from 1040 to 1057. Of the fourteen kings who reigned between 943 and 1097, ten were murdered. Events such as these were not uncommon in the 'barbaric' feudal Scotland of the eleventh century.
Ø Macbeth ruled wisely for seventeen years. During his reign the north and south of Scotland were united for the first time.
Ø He was defeated in battle near Aberdeen by Malcolm III, the son of Duncan I, who had invaded Scotland with the help of Edward the Confessor, King of England. This marked the end of the purely Celtic, exclusively 'barbaric' Scottish folk as it led to the gradual breaking down of barriers between England and Scotland and to the introduction of English ways and customs.
Shakespeare never let historical fact get in the way of a good story. He changed several key aspects of the original story, either to intensify his drama or to ensure political correctness.
The Gunpowder Plot
Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot, goes the old English song, and every year at that time bonfires are lit all over England, and a ‘guy’ filled with straw is burned to symbolize an event that never quite took place. The ‘guy’ is Guy Fawkes, and the event was an attempt to blow up King James, his family, and most of the nobility of England during the opening of Parliament in 1605. The Gunpowder Plot was discovered just in time, and Guy Fawkes was captured in the cellars of the building with twenty barrels of gunpowder, but the attempt shocked the people of England. At that time the king was regarded as God’s ruler on earth, and thus to kill the King was not only murder but sacrilege, a crime against something holy.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in the first half of 1606. He wrote it to show what might happen if a king were to be murdered, and his play would have embodied the worries and fears of the English people at that uncertain time.
Witches and Witchcraft
When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, witchcraft was a topic of considerable interest. The new king of England, James I, had written a book called Demonology which was published in 1597.Until the time of Queen Elizabeth, no one could be executed simply for being a witch. But in 1604, witchcraft became a capital offence. Evidence of a relationship with evil spirits condemned a suspect to death by hanging, burning or drowning. Whether Shakespeare himself believed in witches does not matter.He used them for his play, and many of his audience would have believed in them as thoroughly evil servants of the devil.
Witches were supposed to be capable of doing all the things that the three weird sisters are said to perform in Macbeth. It was believed that they could see into the future; that they could create storms, hail, thunder and lightning; that they were able to sink ships; dry up springs; stop the sun and change night into day and day into night. They could also cause the death of their enemies, and could make themselves invisible. In order to work their charms they would open graves and steal parts of the bodies to make potions. For this purpose the bodies of unbaptized babies were especially prized. And witches could call up the dead.
For a king like Macbeth to visit and have dealings with witches would have seemed both a crime and a sin. Macbeth is easily captured by their power and by their prophecies. But note that they never tell him a lie. However, they do allow him to deceive himself. The devil does not lie...but leads us into temptation.
The Wheel of Fortune
In the Middle Ages particularly, but also later in the Elizabethan times it was widely believed that Fate (or Fortune) was the main controlling force in life. Just as a part of a wheel moves from a low to a high position or from high to low, so does a person’s life. A person in a high position (such as a King, Nobleman or General) could expect (owing to a change in fortune) to suffer some disappointment or “fall”. Similarly, a person in an unhappy, lowly position could hope for a change in fortune and consequently rise to a higher position. However, there was no way of knowing where the wheel would stop, where fortune would lead.
It is thought by some scholars that the belief in the turning wheel of fortune had its beginnings in early seasonal rituals. The decline into misfortune or death was seen to be linked to the beginnings of autumn and the approach of winter; improvements in one’s fortunes were linked to the renewal of life in spring and the fruitfulness of summer.
This belief, like the belief in the Zodiac and the humours, tends to be in opposition to more humanistic beliefs that man could control his own destiny (fortune).
Fate
• life is predestined
• controlled by impersonal forces (gods, stars, unknown being)
• has effect on human lives
• what happens is not your fault
• is Shakespeare suggesting this in the play?
Ms. Hamden
Reading Schedule
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Common Assessment
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Macbeth Act I
Friday, December 21, 2012
Half-Day Macbeth Act I
______
Wednesday, January 3, 2013
Act II
Thursday, January 4, 2013
Act III
Friday, January 5, 2013
Act IV
______
Monday, January 7, 2013
Act V
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Complete discussion
Assign Paper
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Movie—Macbeth
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Hamlet—Act I
Friday, January 11, 2013
Hamlet —Act II
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Monday, January 14, 2013
Hamlet—Act III
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Hamlet—Act IV
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Hamlet—Act V
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Complete discussion
Assign Paper
Friday, January 18, 2013
Movie—Hamlet