Shakespeare wrote Macbeth sometime between 1605 and 1606, coincidently just as the new king of England, James I, rose to power. Some scholars believe that Macbeth was not supposed to be a public play, but a private play that was only to be seen by the king (The Historical 1). The reason why some scholars believe this to be true is because the play “contains many reflections of James' interests: the family tree of Scottish royalty, the issue of "just" kingship, the threat of regicide, and witchcraft (The Historical 1). However, Whalen’s research has found that there is no reason for people to believe that Shakespeare wrote this play for King James because of Macbeth’s violent and bloody death scene. Whalen argues that everybody during that time period knew of King James’ fear
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His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was beheaded and his father was assassinated (1). If this is true, there would be no reason for Shakespeare to write King James as Macbeth because Shakespeare could have gotten in trouble with the King. Also out of respect for his new king, Shakespeare would want to flatter the king, not embarrass him.
One of the major historical texts some historians believe Shakespeare used to gain knowledge about the historical Macbeth was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, written in 1577. Not only did he use Holinshed’s texts but he also used different versions of the story and combined them together to get the base of his play. According to “The Historical Context of Macbeth,” the Holinshed has the most informational resources about Macbeth’s life. Holinshed’s Chronicles report about the real Macbeth’s life. From them readers can see some similarities from the actual story to the play. The Chronicles say that when King Malcom II of Scotland died, He commanded that his oldest grandson Duncan receive the throne. This, however, went against the Celts tradition of succession. The tradition is that the
His mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was beheaded and his father was assassinated (1). If this is true, there would be no reason for Shakespeare to write King James as Macbeth because Shakespeare could have gotten in trouble with the King. Also out of respect for his new king, Shakespeare would want to flatter the king, not embarrass him.
One of the major historical texts some historians believe Shakespeare used to gain knowledge about the historical Macbeth was Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, written in 1577. Not only did he use Holinshed’s texts but he also used different versions of the story and combined them together to get the base of his play. According to “The Historical Context of Macbeth,” the Holinshed has the most informational resources about Macbeth’s life. Holinshed’s Chronicles report about the real Macbeth’s life. From them readers can see some similarities from the actual story to the play. The Chronicles say that when King Malcom II of Scotland died, He commanded that his oldest grandson Duncan receive the throne. This, however, went against the Celts tradition of succession. The tradition is that the