Macbeth Key Context Flashcards
When was Macbeth written?
in 1606 early in the reign of King James 1, who succeeded to the English throne in 1603 after being King of Scotland
Does King James 1 like witches?
He hates witches and the witches’ prophecy that Banquo will found a new line of Kings is a nod to James’ family’s claim to have descended from the historical Banquo
What is the Divine Right of Kings?
the idea that kings got their power from God and not from their subject. King James 1 was a believer in this , and therefore any treasonous activity was a crime against God
what is patriarchy
patriarchal societies are those in which men dominate, and inheritance passes
through male heirs.
How were women expected to act at time of macbeth?
Women were expected to follow social expectations with their behaviour towards men. They were meant to obey all men, be faithful and respectful, not be violent and be religious. they would have been regarded as a possession, first owned by the father, then given to and owned by the husband. they were supposed to be meek and delicate, always doing what their husband wanted
Who were Adam and Eve?
In the bible, Adam and Eve live peacefully in the garden of Eden until Eve is tempted by the serpent and eats the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. She convinces Adam to eat as well, so God banishes them to earth. the serpent is frequently alluded to in Macbeth
Witchcraft?
– in Shakespeare’s time there was no scientific knowledge to explain natural
disasters such as earthquakes, floods and droughts. One of the ways they accounted for the
unexplained was the idea of witches. In Elizabethan England, hundreds of thousands of
women were tortured and executed in Europe because they were accused of witchcraft
What did King James 1 write a book about?
The
King wrote a book on the subject entitled ‘Daemonologie’ and appealed to parliament to pass
the following act in 1563 which was still a part of English law until 1951. At the time
Shakespeare was writing, many people thought that witches were real, so the weird sisters
would have seemed believable and frightening to an audience in the 1600s
