Context Flashcards
(6 cards)
How does King James I link to Macbeth?
-King of England and Scotland : goes against regicide
-Shakespeare may use Macbeth to caution against regicide, especially because some people believed in machivellianism
-Warning of over-ambition as he gained power through regicide which is one of the worst sins
How does King James I link to the witches in Macbeth?
-King James I wrote a book about the dangers of witchcraft and how to identify and punish witches
-The witches mirror the ideas in Daemonologie which embodied the supernatural forces
-The witches manipulated Macbeth
How does the Great Chain of Being link to Macbeth?
-It is a hierarchy that believed in a specific order of importance in society
-Macbeth’s actions disrupt the natural order and Lady Macbeth attempts to alter her own status by telling the spirits to take away her feminine attributes. She also took control which is typically a men attribute which lead to her guilt and suicide.
-Macbeth’s tyrannical reign and murder of Duncan violated this cosmic order.
-The disturbance of this order lead to chaos and unnatural events
How does the Divine Right of Kings link to Macbeth?
-It is a belief the king is chosen by God and therefore is sacred
-Macbeth disrupts this by murdering Duncan and therefore committing a religious crime just to gain power
-Macbeth faces disastrous consequences due to disrupting the divine order
How do the Seven Deadly Sins link to Macbeth?
-Ego, jealousy, rage, laziness, desire, selfishness, excess
-Macbeth and LM embody ego, selfishness and rage which leads to great consequences
-Macbeth’s pride and selfishness push him to murder Duncan
How does patriarchy link to Macbeth?
-It is a society where men hold authority over women
-Lady Macbeth goes against this society by taking control and having influence over Macbeth
-She manipulates Macbeth by being his spur to kill Duncan
-Lady Macbeth challenges the audience’s expectations of women, but her downfall goes with these views
