Renaissance England

Rebirth and Reformation

Life in William Shakespeare’s England

Renaissance – begins 1485 Shakespeare – 1564 – 1616 proud nation with a strong sense of national

identity still largely rural – pre-industrialization decline of feudalism rise of capitalism large gap between rich and poor

The Renaissance

Renaissance means “rebirth.” Rebirth of classics (Roman and Greek) Intellectually, the discovery, translation, and printing of

Greek and Roman classics were making available a set of works and worldviews that interacted with Christian texts and beliefs

The result was a questioning, a vital intellectual climate, that provided energy for the period’s amazing dramatic and literary output

Also, period of much discovery and expansion (geographically, scientifically, economically) leading to modern age

William Shakespeare

born in April 1564 died in April 1616 world’s greatest dramatist poet, actor, playwright quintessential “Renaissance Man” well-versed voracious reader – classics, the

Bible, Latin, Greek, History, Mythology (Virgil, Ovid, Plutarch, Holinshed’s Chronicles)

Social Change

rapid economic advancement much more contact with other nations more cosmopolitan culture sources of social change as well as much

conflict and fracturing

Religious Conflict

England under the Tudor kings Battle over religion affected almost every

area of life. Read background article.

Queen Elizabeth and Tudor Absolutism

The divine right of kings king = God’s appointed deputy on earth The divine right of kings is a political and religious

doctrine of royal absolutism. It asserts that a monarch is subject to no earthly authority, deriving his right to rule directly from the will of God The king is thus not subject to the will of his people, the aristocracy, or any other estate of the realm, including the church. The doctrine implies that any attempt to depose the king or to restrict his powers runs contrary to the will of God and may constitute heresy.

Shakespeare’s Theater

The actors of Shakespeare’s time are known to have performed plays in a great variety of locations:

court halls of universities of Oxford and Cambridge Inns of Court (residences of London of the legal

societies) theaters – (open-air playhouses) – held vast

audiences of two or three thousand

Background to Macbeth

1603 – new monarch ascended the throne after Elizabeth I

James VI of Scotland, who was to become James I of England

Interest in all things Scottish Raphael Holinshed – History of Scotland –

material for a tragedy In Scottish history of the 11th century,

Shakespeare found a spectacle of violence Macbeth – first published1623

Background to Macbeth

Macbeth is the last of the four “great tragedies,” and perhaps the darkest.

Intensive study of evil at work in the individual and in the world at large

Celebrates the establishment of the first Stuart king of England

Holinshed’s account of the reigns of Duncan and Macbeth (1034 – 57)

“All Things Scottish”

In Scottish history of the eleventh century, Shakespeare found a spectacle of violence

the slaughter of whole armies and of innocent families the assassination of kings the ambush of nobles by murderers the brutal execution of traitors stories of witches and wizards providing advice to

traitors Shakespeare appealing to the new interests in

London brought about by James’s kingship

Macbeth Act I

Foreshadowing the weather thunder and lightning witches – their presence, stories, and prophecies

– witches represent fate and foreknowledge Witches know Macbeth’s fatal weakness and

know they can manipulate his hunger for power Physical manifestation of the powers of darkness

within Macbeth’s character.

Characters

Macbeth – “vaulting ambition” – perversely ambitious, weak, vulnerable, insecure tragic hero

Lady Macbeth – wicked, ambitious, and manipulative (perhaps the fourth witch)

Banquo – general in Duncan’s army; Macbeth’s closest friend – literary foil for Macbeth in the play

Duncan – the king of Scotland

Paradox

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” Reversals – unnaturalness – mirrors the

unnaturalness in Scotland Physical appearance of the witches Lady Macbeth’s desire for a gender

transformation – sexual inversions disharmony in nature and in man

Major Imagery

Blood imagery – not only a literal sign of disorder but an metaphor for Macbeth’s evil

Seeds and plants imagery – sowing the seeds of new power

Instruments of darkness – witches Baby imagery – birth of Macbeth’s ascendancy to

power Illness imagery – illness in the body politic and

mental illness Night, colors, weather, sleep

Dramatic Irony

Audience knows Macbeth’s situation and fate from the beginning.

Literary Foils

Macbeth and Banquo established as literary foils

Macbeth – attracted to temptations and predictions of witches

Banquo – suspicious of witches

Major Questions

Why do people do evil knowing that it is evil???

Why does Macbeth commit evil? (due to fate, his wife, his ambition)

Why does Macbeth fall?

The Tragic Hero

Macbeth established as the tragic hero noble and esteemed but flawed character doomed from birth Notice behavior and character parallels

between Macbeth and other tragic heroes: Oedipus, Creon, Caesar

Sources

Introduction to The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. Folger Shakespeare Library. 1992.

Introduction to The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Edited by Frank Kermode. The Riverside Shakespeare Edition. 1997.