Introduction to Macbeth VWO 4

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 5

 Introduction I

The play -  tragedy written between 1605 - 1606.

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

What do you think? What is Macbeth going to be about? 

Do you agree? People who are striving to get ahead often step on other people.

YES

NO

Do you agree? People who are involved in criminal activities can still feel love, fear, and concern for other people.

YES

NO

The 16th century England: Elizabethan England

By the time Shakespeare was born, Queen Elizabeth - Henry VIII's eldest daughter was in power. Her 44 years on the throne provided the kingdom with more stability than the previous short-lived reigns. All citizens of England were subjects to the whims of the church and the monarchy, but the theatre experienced the greater freedom, unknown to the previous generations. This was partially because Queen Elizabeth herself was a patron of the theatre, and under the patronage of her successor, King James I, Shakespeare's company of actors became known as ' The King's Men'. Of course, this doesn't mean it was a total free-for-all for playwrights like Shakespeare. Much of the subject matter of their plays reflected the sentiments of the sitting monarch, with positive portrayals of their ancestors and references to current politics that were sympathetic to the monarch's cause. After all, there was no 'freedom of speech', and the price of falling out of grace with the king or queen could very well be your life. 

In 1558, Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, came to the throne following the death of her Catholic half-sister, Mary I. Her 44-year reign, though not without ideological tensions and conflict, provided stability to the country, firmly established Protestantism as the state religion and consolidated England’s position as a political power in Europe. This shift in England’s political fortunes was accompanied by a remarkable flowering of vernacular literary expression and an unprecedented increase in knowledge of the world beyond England. The Elizabethan era is considered one of the most prolific in the history of English literature, producing such poets and dramatists as Sidney, Spenser, Donne, Marlowe, Jonson and Shakespeare.

As an unmarried queen, Elizabeth had to establish her authority in a patriarchal society and refute the widespread conviction that women were unfit to rule.  Possibly in order to retain her independence and political power, Elizabeth never married, skillfully prolonging marriage negotiations and playing one faction against the other. This meant, however, that she died childless in 1603, bringing an end to the Tudor dynasty.

The crown then passed to Elizabeth's appointed successor, James VI of Scotland, whose ascent to the English throne marked the beginning of the Stuart dynasty.

25 July 1603

James VI of Scotland is crowned James I of England

On this day in 1603, James VI of Scotland was crowned James I of England and Lord of Ireland – a personal union that helped found today's United Kingdom.

Born in 1566, James became the Scottish king while barely one year old, after the murder of his father (Lord Darnley) and the forced abdication of his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, on the orders of Elizabeth I.

However, he wasn't very patriotic, visiting Scotland only once after being crowned King of England.

The first of the British Stuart kings was also famous for commissioning the Authorised King James Version of the Bible in 1611, hailed as the standard text for the next three centuries.

James's failure to give lenient treatment to Britain's Catholics, however, led to a Catholic plot to blow up parliament in 1605 – the inspiration for Guy Fawkes night. James also annoyed parliament by asserting his divine right to rule, while constantly asking them for more money.

In these post-Brexit times, it is good to note that James encouraged European peace, including ending a long-running war with Spain in 1604.

Lord Chamberlain’s Men, also called Chamberlain’s Men, a theatrical company with which William Shakespeare was intimately connected for most of his professional career as a dramatist. It was the most important company of players in Elizabethan and Jacobean England.

After their patron’s death in 1596, the company came under the protection of his son, George Carey, 2nd Lord Hunsdon. Once more it was known as Hunsdon’s Men, until their new patron himself took office as Lord Chamberlain in 1597. Thereafter, it was known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, until the accession of James I in March 1603, when, by letters patent, it was taken under royal patronage and henceforth known as the King’s Men.

Shakespeare's Globe Theater, London, United Kingdom, designed by Theo Crosby with John Orrell, 1997.

This modern reconstruction of the Globe Theater, Shakespeare's home venue, was completed in 1997, near to but not exactly on the site of the original theater. The first Globe Theater was constructed in 1599 to house Shakespeare's company, The Lord Chamberlin's Men, but burned down in 1613; it was immediately reconstructed, but closed by the Puritans in 1642. Several aspects of note can be seen in this fisheye photograph: for one, the theatre is not terribly large. An actor could see any given person in the audience quite easily. The lowermost tier has no seats; the audience here would have stood through the three and four-hour performances. The upper tiers offered significantly more expensive--and more comfortable--seating.

Read the graphic version of Macbeth and The Historical Context of Macbeth (T & T . Answer the corresponding questions (10 questions). Write down your answers in your exercise book; upload a photo of your answers. Do not forget to add the meaning of the underlined words.