William Shakespeare

• Life and Times• Macbeth

Birth• William Shakespeare was born

in Stratford-upon-Avon, England on April 23, 1564.

• The only evidence we have of this date are the baptism records of the local church. According to tradition, a

baby was always baptized three days after birth. The records show that William Shakespeare was baptized on April 26.

Meet the Shakespeares• William Shakespeare was the

third out of eight children born to John and Mary Shakespeare.

• His father John was a glove maker and served on the town’s city council.

• During Shakespeare’s youth, the family was financially comfortable, but had troubles later on when John Shakespeare received many fines for not attending church.

Elizabethan England

• The time in which Shakespeare lived is called Elizabethan England. It is called this because of Queen Elizabeth I, who was on the throne at the time.

Elizabeth England: Facts

• This is a time very different from our own. Here are a few facts about this era.– The life expectancy was 47 years of age – Half of women died in childbirth– The average marriage age was 16 for women and

17/18 for men– Hygiene was an unheard of concept; most of the

deaths were a result of disease or infection

Facts Part II– Only wealthy male children were

educated and knew how to read– Female children who were not

wealthy learned domestic tasks such as taking care of the home, children and leaning how to cook

– Wealthy female children learned how to organize the duties for the many servants and to keep the household in order.

Facts Part III

– Wealthy or not, the main job of the male was to provide for his wife, children and any helpless relatives living in his home

– It was the duty of women to marry and provide heirs for the family. This was particularly important for wealthy families because they needed to keep the money in the family.

Background Information

During Shakespeare’s time, the two religions, Protestant and Catholic had many disagreements with each other. It is difficult to understand Shakespeare without understanding the religious world in which he lived.

Although the queen was a Protestant, there were many people who disagreed with her and refused to follow her religion

Henry VIII

• Queen Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII brought the Protestant Reformation to England; however, he did not do so for religious purposes.

• Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, and when the Pope refused to allow this to happen, he left the Catholic Church and began his own church in England.

Henry VIII continued

• This split from the Catholic Church left many people upset, and they refused to change their religion. They felt that they should not have to change their simply religion because their king was not granted the divorce he wanted.

Because of this, many civil wars between Catholics and Protestants occurred, which resulted in the deaths of many people on both sides.

Elizabeth I

• By the time Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth, inherited the throne, the country had been torn apart from all the religious wars.

• To unite her country, Elizabeth insisted that everyone followed the same religion. She argued that if the country did not stay united, they could fall to foreign powers.

• Therefore, everyone had to follow the Protestant religion and were fined for not doing so.

Protestant Education• According to Elizabeth’s laws, everyone had to follow

the Protestant religion and all the schools had to teach the same religious texts.

• It is through this religious environment and Protestant textbooks that Shakespeare learned his lessons as a small boy.

• Many historians believe that John Shakespeare was fined for skipping church because he was secretly a Catholic.

• Those who were Catholic were accused of being spies for foreign countries, mainly Spain.

• At this time, the two biggest threats to England were Spain and Italy.

Anne Hathaway (not the actress)

• When he was 18 years old, William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 at the time.

• Shakespeare had to get a special license to marry her because one was not allowed to marry during Lent.

• Six months later, their first child Susanna was born followed by twins, Hamnet and Judith twenty months later.

The Lost Years

• From 1585-1592, there is no record of Shakespeare’s activities. For this reason, these years are known as the “lost years”.

• The only information we have is that Shakespeare left Stratford sometime after 1585 and ended up in London in 1592.

• Many historians have different ideas of Shakespeare’s activities during his time, but no one knows for sure.

Elizabethan Theater

• During the Elizabethan era, people had different ideas about the theater. Some religious groups felt that acting was a sin and that all who participated in the theater were going straight to hell.

• These religious groups (who later formed into the Puritans) felt that it was their duty to save the actors, writers and other theater workers from a life of sin.

The Theater Continued…

• However, those groups were in the minority. Most Elizabethans loved the theater and would see a play whenever they could afford to do so.

• The theater was the main source of entertainment; the main reason for this is that Queen Elizabeth herself was a very eager fan of the theater.

• She went to many plays and funded theaters, acting groups and other sources of entertainment.

The Globe• The most famous theater

during this time was the Globe Theater.

• This was the theater in which Shakespeare worked during the first half of his career.

• Unlike today’s theater, the most expensive seats were in the back.

• The middle class would sit on wooden benches below the balconies.

The Globe Continued…The lower classes would stand on the ground in front of the stage. They were called the “groundlings.”

The cost of a show:

• 1 shilling to stand as a groundling (estimated 10% of a groundling’s income)

• 2 shillings to sit in the balcony

Women in the Theater• Women were strictly prohibited

from acting or participating in any way on stage. It was considered very improper and immoral for a woman to act on stage.

• The female roles were played by men as well, particularly, boys whose voices had not changed yet.

• The only involvement women had in the theater was backstage as seamstresses.

Shakespeare’s Death

• Throughout his career, Shakespeare wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 narrative poems.

• Shakespeare retired from the theater business in 1613 and moved back home to Stratford.

• He died on April 23, 1616.• His fortune was left to his wife and daughters

(his son had died at the age of eleven)• One unusual item he left for his wife in his will

was his second best bed.

Shakespeare’s Grave

GOOD FRIEND FOR JESUS’ SAKE FORBEARE,TO DIGG THE DUST ENCLOASED HEARE.BLESE BE THE MAN THAT SPARES THES STONES,AND CURST BE HE THAT MOVES MY BONES.

• Because of limited spacing, graves were usually dug up a few years after the person died to make room for the newly deceased.

• In order to avoid this happening to his grave, Shakespeare put a “curse” on his tombstone.

AristotleAristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who is known to the be father of drama (theatre, not the girls’ bathroom).

In his writing, Poetics, he documents the criteria for both comedies and tragedies, the formulas for which are still followed to this day.

Shakespeare adheres to Aristotle’s formulas, but adds a Christian perspective to them.

Key Points of a Tragedy

As documented in Poetics, the elements of a tragedy are thus stated:

• The hero (protagonist) must have a flaw which leads to his downfall. Aristotle called this hamartia

• There is a reversal of fortune• His fate is brought about by the gods (or in

Shakespeare’s case, God); he has no control over it

Key Points of a Comedy According to Aristotle, a comedy must have the following criteria:

• The main characters involved must be nobility

• There must be a threat of death• The conflict must be resolved from an

unlikely source• The story must end in a marriage

(promise of children—mainly sons)

Macbeth Introduction• Macbeth was written between 1605-1606 and first

performed in the Globe Theatre. It was published in the First Folio in 1623

• “The Scottish Play” is loosely based on the historical event of the murder of King Duncan at the hands of Macbeth

• Shakespeare’s source of his story is Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland by Raphael Holinshed

• Macbeth takes place in the eleventh century, a time when Scotland was experiencing turbulent battles within clans as well as invasion from Vikings and Norsemen

• The play is the shortest, but most bloodiest of Shakespeare’s tragedies

• Macbeth chronicles the titular character’s seizing of power and subsequent destruction

Historical Background

• Macbeth was intended to gain the influence and patronage of the new king, James I, who had recently ascended to the throne after the death of Elizabeth I.

• The play’s focus on regicide tied into the November 1605 Gunpowder Plot where English Roman Catholic conspirators plotted to blow up Parliament and assassinate King James, his queen and their oldest son.

• The plays pays tribute to the interests and knowledge of King James. With patronage, a writer produces work for a king, queen or other affluent persons of noble status.

• This play compliments King James by making Banquo, who is said to be his ancestor, a a hero in the play. Historically, Banquo never existed.

• Macbeth focuses on issues of kingship and loyalty, important ideals to King James, who had survived an assassination attempt in his youth; additionally, his father had been murdered and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, had been executed for treason against the English government

Historical Background Continued…• The questions of the role of the monarch and the major duties of their subjects

toward them were of major importance to King James• One historical document shows that King James wrote a letter of acknowledgment

about the play to Shakespeare• Another major issue around this time was that of witchcraft, the fascination of which

had become widespread by now• In 1604, the practice of witchcraft became punishable by death because practicing the

dark arts was believed to be an attempt to change the natural order set forth by God

The Historical Macbeth• Born in 1005 to a family that ruled Moray and Ross

(two Scottish provinces)• He married Gruach, granddaughter to the High King

of Scotland; the couple had no children• No historical evidence shows of Lady Macbeth’s

notorious influence on her husband• Duncan, an ineffective king, was 38 when he was

killed by Macbeth• Macbeth ruled for 17 years and was elected High

King of Scotland in 1040• Although the play will show otherwise, the real

Macbeth was a competent ruler who led Scotland to a long period of peace and stability

• There is no evidence to support he consulted with witches or engaged in sorcery; rather he was reputed to be a very strong supporter of the church

• Duncan’s son, Malcolm invaded Scotland, supported by the English King, Edward the Confessor

• Macbeth was killed on August 15, 1057 and buried at Iona, the sacred burial ground for the kings of Scotland

Themes in Macbeth• Ambition and the devastation which follows

when ambition oversteps moral boundaries• Kingship and the difference between

appropriate use of power and the abuse thereof which leads to tyranny

• Fate and Free Will and the extent to which we control our own destinies

• Appearance and Reality and the notion that people and events are often not as they seem

• Divine Right of Kings and the natural order, set forth by God, must not be disturbed or questioned

Macbeth

• Macbeth is a Scottish general and the Thane (Scottish term used for a noble landowner) of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches

• He is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one

• He is easily tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned king of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease

• His response and solution to every problem is violence and murder

• Although he engages in criminal behavior easily, he is never comfortable in his role as a criminal; he is unable to bear the psychological consequences of his atrocities

Lady Macbeth• Lady Macbeth is one of

Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters

• She is a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and social status

• Although she and Macbeth are presented as being deeply in love, many of Lady Macbeth’s soliloquies imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual

• Like her husband, she will do anything for power and wealth, but she is not able to deal with the psychological guilt either

The Three Witches• The Three Witches otherwise known as The Weird Sisters plot mischief against

Macbeth using charms, spells and prophecies• Throughout the play, the witches lurk in the dark and plant evil thoughts into

Macbeth’s subconscious• Even though they are “black and midnight hags” and in appearance are the clichéd

version of witches one expects, they are the most dangerous characters in the play, being both tremendously powerful and utterly wicked

• They take a perverse delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human being; they represent evil which is instinctive and unreasoning

• Hecate is the Celtic goddess of witchcraft who helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth

Secondary Characters• Banquo is a brave and noble general whose children, according to the witches’

prophecy will inherit the Scottish throne• Like Macbeth, Banquo has ambitious thoughts, but does not act upon them• King Duncan is the good and kind-hearted king of Scotland whom Macbeth

murders for the crown• Duncan is the model of virtue and benevolence; his death symbolizes the

destruction of order and civilization in Scotland• Macduff is a Scottish Thane who is hostile to Macbeth’s reign from the start; he

eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth• Malcolm is the elder son of Duncan whose restoration symbolizes Scotland’s

return to order