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Themes, characters and plot of Macbeth
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Arguably the greatest playwright of his time, perhaps in all of history, William Shakespeare's literary works have had a tremendous impact (see Appendix 2). Reaching into the pop culture of the modern world through movies and quotes used in everyday conversation, Shakespeare's influence is astounding (see Appendix 1). One rarely stops to think, however, about events that had an impact on Shakespeare's life, particularly his writing. The outbreak of the plague, social disparity, political unrest, just a few of the historical happenings that impacted Shakespeare's plays, including Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Henry IV
Macbeth
The basic setting of Macbeth is a man named Lord Macbeth usurping the Scottish throne from the rightful ruler. Shakespeare's writing was based on "Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577), the authoritative historical text of the period". In this historical account, there are stories of murder, deceit, and tradition, from which Shakespeare draws his inspiration for Macbeth. The fashion in which Macbeth murdered his king is extremely similar to how one of King Duff's retainers ended his life. Around 1605 when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, King James I had recently taken the throne of England after having been known as King James IV of Scotland. Macbeth's identity as a Scot is a nod to James I original Scottish upbringing and heritage (www.westirondequoit.org).
The outbreak of the plague during Shakespeare's life reflected in his writing, resulting in a far more massive number of tragedies than comedies. The tragic deaths of his main characters are speculated to have been reference to important people in his life dying unexpectedly. There were time periods in which the plague ...
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...y IV. "Henry IV". August 1996. http://dsc.dixie.edu/shakespeare/henry4ess.htm Princeton University. Great Plague of London. "Outbreak." February 2014. http://www.prince-ton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Great_Plague_of_London.html Sommerville, J.P. Economy and Society in early modern England. "Health, mortality and popu- lation." February 2014. http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/361-02.htm
Sommerville, J.P. Economy and Society in early modern England. "Social structure."
February 2014. http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/361-02.htm
Sparknotes. Romeo and Juliet. "Context." February 2014. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/context.html Thomson Gale. The Historical Context of Macbeth. "The Historical Context of Macbeth."
February 2007. http://www.westirondequoit.org/ihs/library/his.html
Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare, portrays Macbeth as a kinsman, subject and trusted friend to King Duncan I of Scotland. A trusted friend, that is, until Macbeth has a chance encounter with the “three witches” (Shakespeare) or the “Weird Sisters”. The witches predict that Macbeth will become the next King and that his fellow companion, Banquo, will be the father of a line of kings. A change comes over Macbeth after his meeting; he is no longer content to be a follower of the King, he will “be” King at any cost. After killing the King and his friend Banquo, losing his wife to madness and ordering the execution of many, Macbeth is killed in much the same fashion as he has killed. But does this really reflect the real King MacBeth of Scotland? While examining the characteristics and actions of the two Macbeths and decide if Shakespeare’s writing was historically sound or was it just “double, double, toil and trouble” (4.1.22-26) playing with MacBeth’s character.
“Macbeth” was written between 1603 and 1606, when James VI of Scotland, became James I of England. It could be argued, this play was definitely constructed with James in mind, as he was interested in witchcraft and superstitious activity, which feature in Macbeth, as illustrated in this essay.
Macbeth is a tragedy written by Shakespeare roughly between the years 1603 and 1606. It was a play written following the death of Queen Elizabeth. The king at the time - James I of England/King James VI of Scotland was known to be a big supporter of theatre, witchcraft and demonology. Shakespeare and his associates soon into their career became known as the King’s men. The Kings ancestry was traced back to Banquo, a character from the play.
The ability of an author to capture the interest of the audience has and will always be an important factor in the art of storytelling and even the expression of research or related material. When an author is able to seize the attention of any partaking of their work, curiosity will develop which will lead to the wonder of what the conclusion my bring about. Not only is it important to snatch the audience’s attention in the beginning, it is necessary to hold it prisoner throughout the tale. Authors do this by having an interesting plot development in which many unexpected details come into play and the course of the story is thrown from the norm and into the conflict. Shakespeare was a master of this art in the work he produced throughout his life and was able to create stories of humor and those of tragedy. For example, his play King Lear is a terrible tragedy in which many awful things take place and the story ends by disastrous means. While in the play Much Ado About Nothing, very little conflict is present and if it is, it is resolved quickly and the play concludes with the joyfulness of marriage nuptials. His ability to develop plot and story in a way in which the audience who love to devour, Shakespeare will in a way immortalize himself, “Shakespeare proved himself to be both the "soul of the age" his works reflected and adorned and the consummate symbol of the artist whose poetic visions transcend their local habitation and become, in some mysterious way, contemporaneous with ‘all time.’” (Andrews) As stated, Shakespeare went beyond his time and created traditions, symbols, sayings, and even stories that people today will remember forever. King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing are each examples of Shakespeare's detailed ...
Written early in the reign of James I (16031625), Shakespeare's Macbeth is a typical "Jacobean" tragedy in many important respects. Referred to superstitiously by actors as "the Scottish play," the script commemorates James's national heritage by depicting events during the years 1040 to 1057 in his native Scotland. The play also celebrates the ruler's intense interest in witchcraft and magic, which was recorded in a book he wrote in 1597 entitled Demonology. Further topical allusions to the king include all the passages in the script mentioning sleeplessness, which are relevant since James was a well-known insomniac.
Mehl, Dieter. Shakespeare's Tragedies: An Introduction. Cambridge, New York, New Rochelle, Melbourne, Sydney: Cambridge U, 1986.
William Shakespeare’s tragedy play Macbeth bears little resemblance to the actual history of Scotland. Through his writing he praised King James I’s ancestor, Banquo, as an innocent victim who was betrayed by his good friend, Macbeth. However, in reality he helps Macbeth kill Duncan. Shakespeare even changed history by creating Macbeth as a dark and evil human and also including scenes of witchcraft. William drastically altered history for the approval and satisfaction of King James I.
Shakespeare's works have persistently influenced humanity for the past four hundred years. Quotations from his plays are used in many other works of literature and some common phrases have even become integrated into the English language. Most high schoolers have been unsuccessful in avoidance of him and college students are rarely afforded the luxury of choice when it comes to studying the bard. Many aspects of Shakespeare's works have been researched but one of the most popular topics since the 1960s has been the portrayal of women in Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies, histories and sonnets.
Shakespeare has created stories that are so powerful, emotional, comedic, tragic and romantic that they are still continuously remembered and studied in the modern era. Though the essence of his talents does not lie in the simple themes behind his plays, but more so in
William Shakespeare has become landmark in English literature. One must be familiar with the early days of English literature in order to comprehend the foundation of much of more modern literature’s basis. Shakespeare’s modern influence is still seen clearly in many ways. The success of Shakespeare’s works helped to set the example for the development of modern dramas and plays. He is also acknowledged for being one of the first writers to use any modern prose in his writings.
Shakespeare’s dramatic theatre performances have long endured the test of time. His tales of love and loss, and even some history, make a reader think about events in their own life and what they wish to accomplish in life. Though written for the stage, Shakespeare’s plays have life lessons that readers of the great works can take put into effect in their own lives. Some may say that his plays are out dated, and are something of the past; though they were written in the 1600’s, they have morals and themes that can apply to life. “You've got to contend with versification, poetic license, archaisms, words that we don't even use any more, and grammar and spelling that were in a state of flux when the works were written,” says Pressley in an attempt to explain how to read Shakespeare. Once read and understood, however, one can start to compare and contrast different plays. The ways in which Shakespeare’s two plays King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing are similar out numbers the instances they are different, even though one is a Shakespearian tragedy while the other is a comedy.
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a hyperbole based off of real history, as the story is compared with real history there are many similarities and many differences. Macbeth was written between 1603 and 1607 but is commonly dated 1606. It was most likely written during the reign of James I, who was James VI of Scotland before he became King of England.
Shakespeare's works have been a major influence on theatre. Not only did Shakespeare create some of the most admired plays in literature, he also transformed theatre by expanding expectations through characterisation, plot, action, language, and genre. He raised the status of popular theatre, permitting it to be admired by all.
Every American high- school student knows the name of Shakespeare. The reason is fairly simple- Shakespearean studies are a necessity enforced by nationwide curriculum. However, one could say, albeit intense studies into his works, few of these students are well versed in Shakespeare’s personal life. Shakespeare had an unusual life- his unorthodox early childhood, strange teenage years, and mysterious “lost years-“that may surprise many.
Due to the amount and context of the information used by Shakespeare, I have decided to