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Macbeth Home Learning Context Booklet
Macbeth Home Learning Context Booklet
Divine Right
Since the Middle Ages, a belief in the divine right doctrine
emerged in Western Christian kingdoms. This doctrine) held
that monarchs (mainly kings, as succession through males made
reigning queens rare) were directly placed on the throne by
gods will. This meant that they had a divine right to rule as they
were Gods representatives on Earth. Killing a king (regicide)
was therefore seen as one of the most abominable crimes a
person could commit. James I was a firm believer in this
doctrine and made it prominent in England when he acceded to
the throne in 1603; Shakespeares audience would therefore
have been aware of this. How might this have impacted their
response to all of the unnatural things that happen during the
night of Duncans murder?
Glossary
accede = to take the throne through royal succession
assassination = killing a political leader or ruler
Daemonologie = a treatise in the form of a dialogue written by
James I in 1605 on witchcraft as an act of Satan
Divine Right = the belief that monarchs were placed by God as
rulers on Earth
doctrine = a teaching or established ruling
Elizabethan = an adjective relating to the period in which
Elizabeth I ruled e.g. Elizabethan customs
Jacobean = an adjective relating to the period in which James I
ruled e.g. Jacobean theatre
Malleus Maleficarum = a handbook written in 1486 on how to
identify and destroy witches
regicide = the act of killing a monarch (Latin: regis (king) + cida
(killing))
supernatural = any creature or influence seen as distinct from
the human or natural world that could influence human or
natural events. The most powerful supernatural being of good
2. Name two texts written in Europe about witchcraft and write a sentence on the
importance of each
3. Explain the divine right doctrine in your own words in 2-3 sentences
5. How many years had James I been king for before Macbeth was written?
The Supernatural
In Shakespeares time witches and witchcraft were believed to be evil they were
agents of the devil. Thousands of people (mainly women) were tortured and
executed for allegedly practising witchcraft.
Witches were intent on performing unnatural acts so as to disrupt Gods natural
order (Chain of Being).
Women
Within the Chain of Being, within the hierarchy of men, there is another hierarchy:
Men
Women
Children
The roles of the sexes were clearly defined BY GOD, and women were expected to
express only feminine qualities. They should be gentle and nurturing, looking after
their husbands and children. They should be completely subservient to men.
Some Facts
The King of England in 1606 was James I, a Stuart.
There was no Tudor successor to the throne of England. Therefore, Elizabeth I chose James
VI of Scotland to succeed her. After her death in 1603, James VI of Scotland became James I
of England.
Elizabeth I had been instrumental in the death of her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots, who was
beheaded.
On her deathbed, Elizabeth wanted to ease her way into Heaven, so she chose Marys son
James to become the next King of England.
The appointment of James I was a good political move, unifying England and Scotland under
one King.
Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606, during King James reign.
King James was a devout advocate of the Divine Right of Kings.
The setting is Scotland, King James homeland.
Banquo was claimed as an ancestor of James and is shown in the play to be a
virtuous person.
James believed himself to be an expert on witchcraft.
James had an interest in faith healing.
Shakespeare demonstrated the belief that the country is stable only if the King is good and
virtuous.
People believed that evil occurs in darkness, which is a recurring theme in Macbeth.
Shakespeare included a lot of blood and murder, which the people expected to see in a play.
The play was considered a thriller a threat to an anointed King and the perceived evil
behind the threat and alluded to the Gunpowder plot of 1605.
Write a newspaper
explaining the Gun Powder
Plot and its causes.