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The Renaissance

Explore the historical context and background of Shakespeare's Macbeth during the English Renaissance. Learn about key figures, literary influences, and the cultural movements shaping the play. Discover the intertwining of ambition, greed, and witchcraft in this classic tragedy.

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The Renaissance

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  1. The Renaissance Historical Context and Background for Shakespeare’s Macbeth

  2. Brainstorm… What do you already know about Shakespeare and/or the Renaissance in Great Britain?

  3. The English Renaissance • Cultural and artistic movement in the 15th-17th centuries • Particular influence on literature and music • Marlowe, Spenser, Donne, Jonson

  4. Elizabeth I • Reigned 1558-1603 • Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn • United a divided country • Died unmarried, without children

  5. James I • Reigned 1603-1625 • Son of Mary Stuart, Elizabeth’s cousin • 1597: Wrote Daemonologie, an opposition to witchcraft • 1605: The Gunpowder Plot • Descendant of Banquo

  6. Guy Fawkes Day Remember remember the fifth of November
 Gunpowder, treason and plot.
 I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
 Should ever be forgot...

  7. William Shakespeare • 1564-1616 • Notable by 1592 • Wrote approximately 38 plays and 150 sonnets • Life shrouded in mystery

  8. Macbeth “It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks.”

  9. Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. • Shakespeare’s main resource for historical background • Mainly gossip, rumor, and legend • Adapted even further by Shakespeare

  10. The “Real” Macbeth • Ruled Scotland starting in 1040 • Defeated Duncan in battle • Duncan was a young, weak ruler • Lady Macbeth hardly mentioned

  11. The Play • Written between 1603-1607 • First performed 1611 • First published 1623 • Deals with ambition, greed, corruption • Cursed

  12. Witchcraft • Main concern of King James I • 4,500 – 8,000 supposed witches executed in the 16th and 17th centuries • Main trickery in Macbeth

  13. Literary Focus • Use of language for deception • Motif vs. theme • Poetic devices • Shakespearean language

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