Macbeth - Context

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  • Context
    • Witchcraft
      • Many women were accused of being witches and were tested and over 100,000 were put to death for this
      • King James I was very interested in witches and supernatural and wrote a book on them, called "Daemonologie"
      • Witches were believed to be able to predict the future and affect the weather
      • People did not have much medical and scientific knowledge at the time so they would have strange superstitions
    • Gender Roles
      • During the Jacobean Era, women were usually less powerful than men
      • Men worked and made money while women stayed at home and looked after the family
      • Queen Elizabeth I was a very powerful queen and had a very close relationship with Shakespeare
    • Religion
      • In Shakespearean England, kings were believed to be a representative of God on Earth
      • Many people were strong Christians at the time and disliked the King because he was not Catholic
    • Monarchy
      • James was the king of Scotland before he became King of England in 1603, 3 years before Macbeth was first performed in 1606, which is why Shakespeare set the play in Scotland
      • The political issue of succession and who would be king or queen next was a very important issue during that time
      • Shakespeare wrote the play for King James I and the play clearly reflects their close relationship
      • During Shakespeare's time, many monarchs were losing control of their power, which was reflected in Shakespeare's plays

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