History behind the drama of Macbeth

INTRODUCTION

History behind the drama of Macbeth

Eleventh-century Scotland was a violent and disturbed country. Feuding families and cliques fought to preside over trade and territory. For in this vicious and unruly time the castle was the commanding foundation of each rival warlord. For Invasions and attacks on castles were extremely frequent from the rampant Vikings and local Scottish men whom endeavoured to banish the obstinate forces that hindered their way to triumph over the Scots. Political murder and revenge killings were also commonplace.

Macbeth was born into this vicious and brutal environment in 1005, for he was the son of the great family whom fixed their authority on Moray and Ross, which were major areas the Scottish surroundings.

However Macbeth’s family were psychologically ill at ease with one anther and so as a consequence his father was assassinate by his cousins.

So inevitability Macbeth was obviously emotionally troubled by the shocking circumstances regarding his father’s death, and tried to lead a normal life with his wife Gruach, whom was granddaughter to a high king of Scotland.

The present ruler of Scotland was king Duncan, whom had been an extremely ineffectual and unpopular ruler amidst all the civil problems.

Duncan was inevitably murdered when he was thirty-eight, historians believe it might of probably been Macbeth, whom as a result of Duncan’s eagerly awaited death, was coroneted high king of Scotland in 1040 and ruled for seventeen years. For the first ten years in reign he brought the country much needed peace and stability and in doing so he was acknowledged as the reforming king.

Incidentally there is no evidence to conclude that Macbeth dabbled in witchcraft, for indeed like most kings of his time he was a strong supporter of the church. However it is acknowledged that King James the first, whom was in power at the time of Shakespeare’s play righting years, in fact a large minority of the general public were fascinated by the world of witchcraft, for during this time of witch –mania it is stated that horrific numbers of people (usually women) were trial, more often than not executed for actually being a witch would you believe!! So therefore I believe this is one of the foremost reasons why Shakespeare uses the idea of witchcraft as a bases of his play to attract the audience.

Macbeth’s most deceptive obstacle provoked when Duncan’s son Malcolm invaded Scotland in 1054 aided by the English king, ‘Edward the confessor’. Macbeth was killed on the 15th of August 1057 at Peel Ring Lumphanan in Mar. He was buried at Iona, the sacred burial place of the kings of Scotland.

This epic period of Scottish history was the basis for Shakespeare’s MACBETH.

William Shakespeare was an English poet and a playwright, whom is recognized in much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. His date of birth is traditionally known to be April the 23rd 1564. For Shakespeare was a playwright, not a historian. However he acknowledged that history provided a spectacular basis for plays, for instances like resembling war, conflict, ambition and the downfall of great rulers. Nevertheless William Shakespeare did not simply copy down the exact sources and events that happened in that specific time in history were by his righting concerned. For he used his Imagination to conjure up superlative characters complementing with truthfully magnificent story lines to achieve maximum dramatic effect. For in Macbeth, I believe that Shakespeare invented one of the most significant characters in this Tragedy that being Macbeth’s beloved wife Lady Macbeth whom I regard as the Lady that corrupted Macbeth’s mind into the killing of king Duncan. I consider it is particularly significant to establish that the play of Macbeth is extensively based on the idea of the ‘corruption of power’. Shakespeare also fabricated the banquet scene much remembered for Macbeth’s hallucinations of the bloody slashed beaten up ghost of Banquo.

The essay is to be written from a director’s point of view, as if I was going to direct the particular scenes that I’ve chosen.

I have nominated to direct these following three scenes from the breathtaking tragedy of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

* Act one scene one
* Act one scene three
* Act one scene five

I have selected these three particular scenes, for the reason that I believe that they give the audience an extremely good representation for the plays basis and plot. For all of these scenes resemble around the aspect of ...