Resources:
Resource Sheet 5: The truth about Macbeth / Outcomes:
- Students should understand some elements of the cultural, social and historical circumstances in which the play was produced, and why this is important
- They should understand how Shakespeare took the historical reality and adapted it for his own purposes
►Initial work
▲Activity 1: Do a quick brainstorm with the whole class to establish what, if anything, students know about the timesin which Shakespeare wrote his plays. At this stage, avoid details of his life – this is about the context in which he wrote. Key ideas to elicit might be: the two monarchs (Elizabeth, James I), the Renaissance; the development of art and literature; the expansion of English power; travel and exploration; civil strife/rebellions; concerns over rights to the throne; religious dissent/conflict; court intrigue/political power games; Christian and pagan beliefs.
Note ideas on board for reference purposes.
►Focused work
▲Activity 2: In small groups, ask students to consider the following questions:
- Why would a play such as Macbeth have been of interest to the monarch of the day, and his/her court?
- What elements were likely to interest ordinary people, given what you know of the story and themes of the play?
Feed back responses and talk about how the political and social issues of Shakespeare’s time are considered in the play: Key issues include:
- the politics of the court
- political unrest and upheaval
- disputes over the ‘rightful’ monarch
- superstition versus religion
Discuss the idea that the story of a great man brought down – at the heart of dramatic tragedies – is always compelling.
▲Activity 3: Distribute Resource sheets 5 (a) and (b):The truth about Macbeth.This detailed and lengthy account of the historical Macbeth – and his link to James I – is worth reading carefully, although you may prefer to use a selected sample from it.
Once students have read the resource sheets, they should discuss the key differences between the reality and the fictional story. Why do they think Shakespeare made these changes? Why make Macbeth a murdering thane with an ambitious wife? Why make Duncan saintly and respected? Students should then write a paragraph or two on the key differences between the play and the historical facts.
Feed back ideas and point out that this is not the only play in which Shakespeare manipulated historical fact to serve a dramatic purpose. One example is Richard III: a key character in the play, Queen Margaret, would have been dead long before most of the action of the play took place; several events, years apart, are brought together, as if they happened at the same time.
Aim High
Students who are interested in taking their study to a higher level, could look at one of the more challenging areas: religious divisions in England under James’s reign, and how he dealt with religious dissent.
Moving On
As follow-up or homework, students can be given one of the following areas to research and report back on. However, point out to them that what they find out would need to be related to the play if they were writing about it for coursework.
- Witchcraft and demonology; James’s writings, and his actions
- Rebellion against James
- Catholics and Protestants in Tudor and Jacobean society
Check the web
Students who are interested in the way in which literature of the period reflected court intrigue may like to read the poem ‘Whoso list to hunt’ by Thomas Wyatt, allegedly about Anne Boleyn, with whom the poet may have had an affair. They can read and listen to the poem at whosolist.htm
Further information about the historical Macbeth, and what Scotland was like, can be found at
Although Shakespeare’s Macbeth is listed among his Tragedies rather than his Histories, the play is based on real events. Macbeth did rule as one of Scotland’s kings and there was a real Lady Macbeth; many of the other characters from the play, including Duncan, Malcolm, and Siward are also based on real people. However, the story of the real Macbeth is rather different to the tale told by Shakespeare. Macbeth, far from being a power-hungry nobleman under the influence of sinister and supernatural forces, was simply a typical aristocrat of his time, no better or worse, for the most part, than many of his contemporaries. He became king not by succession, but in a way that was rapidly becoming the norm in the Scotland of the time: deposition.
The Scottish monarchy had been founded by Kenneth McAlpine in 843 AD when he united the Scots and the Picts, the then rival kingdoms of Scotland. His descendants ruled after him, but not in direct succession. More often than not, kings were chosen on their suitability for the throne as much as for any other reason, and this had the effect of creating rivalry for the throne. Eventually, two lines of succession existed. Infighting between these two lines meant that more than one of Scotland’s early kings met with an untimely death. However, the situation stayed relatively stable until the reign of Malcolm II who became king in 1005 by dispatching his predecessor, Kenneth III. Malcolm, who reigned until 1034, only had daughters – who could not inherit the throne. He married one, Bethoc, to the lay abbot of Dunkeld. Malcolm nominated their son Duncan as his successor. One of his other daughters was married to Findlaech of Moray and they also had a son: Macbeth.
Duncan acceded to the throne in 1034 after the murder of Malcolm II. He was at this time in his mid twenties, married with two sons, Malcolm and Donal Bhan. His rule was marred by uprisings and civil unrest throughout Scotland. This culminated in a disastrous raid on Durham in 1040 after which Macbeth began to rise to prominence. Until this point, Macbeth was most likely an ally of Duncan. He was an important general in the army and was at this stage married to Gruach – the granddaughter of Kenneth III, who already had a child by a previous marriage, Luach.
After the debacle at Durham, Duncan tried to make his young son Malcolm heir to the throne. Macbeth’s moment had come. Forming an alliance with another cousin, Thorfinn of Orkney (known as the ‘Raven Eater’), he defeated Duncan in battle later that year. With Duncan dead, Macbeth ruled over the south and central areas of Scotland, while Thorfinn governed the north. Duncan’s son and heir took refuge at the court of Edward the Confessor in England.
Why did Macbeth act the way he did?
From a modern point of view, it might look as if Macbeth had no right to the throne. But people in the 11th century would have seen it very differently.
In medieval times, a weak king could be a threat to the very survival of a kingdom, and kings such as Duncan were likely to be deposed by powerful nobles. Kings were toppled not only in Scotland, but also across Europe, one of the most famous examples being Edward II of England.
An infant king was also a threat to stability. The kingdom would be ruled by a regent until the new king reached adulthood; some regents ruled tyrannically, which could lead to unrest and even civil war. This would have the knock-on effect of making the kingdom vulnerable to unwanted interest from potential invaders.
Faced with the prospect of the infant king Malcolm, many Scots would have supported Macbeth’s decision to seize power, as the best chance of creating stability within the country. For better or worse, Macbeth did became King of Scotland in 1040, and ruled for seventeen years. Not much is known about his reign, though it seems to have been a relatively stable one. Though there were uprisings, these were fairly commonplace at the time in many kingdoms. Macbeth and his queen became renowned for their piety and their gifts to the Church, not only in Scotland but also abroad; when he visited Rome in 1050 he was praised for his generosity to the poor of that city.
From about 1050 onwards the situation in Scotland became more unstable. In 1054 Malcolm, who had now reached adulthood, allied himself with Siward Earl of Northumbria and invaded Scotland. At Dunsinane and Birnam Wood their combined forces defeated Macbeth, though he remained king for a further three years. In 1057 Siward's successor, Tostig, and Malcolm launched another attack; Macbeth was killed in battle at the head of his forces at Lumphanan, near Aberdeen. He was succeeded by his stepson Luach, who reigned until 1058 when he was deposed during another invasion by Malcolm.
Malcolm ruled Scotland until 1093, when he was killed during a raid against his former allies in England. He was succeeded by his six sons, the last of whom, David I can be said to be the true ancestor of King James I of England and the Stuart kings of Scotland.
With thanks to the Education Office, Lyric Theatre, London
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