Examine how Shakespeare uses Macbeth to Pay Homage to King James VI/I Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragic play about Macbeth, a loyal warrior from Scotland, who becomes a traitor after hearing a prophecy of him becoming king.This eventually leads to his downfall, where he becomes an insane tyrant. This play is likely written in 1606, shortly after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, and the rise to power of King James I of England, who is also King James VI of Scotland. He creates a union between the two countries, which forms Great Britain; he rules over the two countries until his death in 1625. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to pay homage to King James VI/I by: creating the play based off of James’ lineage, placing a supernatural theme in the text-
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(Shakespeare III i, ll 51-52,54-55)
Macbeth describes Banquo as a noble man, which makes Macbeth fear him. It discusses how Banquo is a man who is brave and wise, but is also careful and thinks about his decisions. This is a contrast from Macbeth being an immoral man who acts without thinking, making Banquo look superlative in comparison. Shakespeare makes Banquo into a noble man to satisfy King James I, and expresses that by making Macbeth- who is a traitor- fear Banquo because of his greatness. In the true story, Macbeth is a noble king in the eleventh century, and Banquo aides Macbeth with killing King Duncan I. The play Shakespeare creates only tells a small part of the true story, since: “ it would be tactless to suggest that James was descended from a regicide.” (Kneen vi intro) This is the reason why Banquo is an innocent and noble man. Shakespeare creates Macbeth for King James to watch as entertainment; if he shows Banquo as a traitor, it would be likely that James would not appreciate his lineage being portrayed negatively. Representing the king’s lineage in a respectful manner, is an important part in Shakespeare using Macbeth to honour King James I; he did so by making Banquo a brave and wise man, and altering the true story of …show more content…
He believes in the supernatural and is quite religious; many of his works are based off of Christianity and his obsession of the dangers of the supernatural. The theme of supernatural beings can easily be found in Shakespeare's Macbeth, which is a correlation to James’ beliefs. Macbeth’s main source of the supernatural are the three witches, who make a prophesy about Macbeth becoming king. It can be seen that James’ fascination with witches could inspire the addition of the three witches in the play. King James I is extremely against witchcraft; his book, Daemonologie, endorses the practice of witch hunting. His book also describes how the witches prophecies work; witches can either infer predictions on their own, or get permission from their God. The three witches do both in Macbeth, Hecate -the goddess of witchcraft-
(Shakespeare III i, ll 51-52,54-55)
Macbeth describes Banquo as a noble man, which makes Macbeth fear him. It discusses how Banquo is a man who is brave and wise, but is also careful and thinks about his decisions. This is a contrast from Macbeth being an immoral man who acts without thinking, making Banquo look superlative in comparison. Shakespeare makes Banquo into a noble man to satisfy King James I, and expresses that by making Macbeth- who is a traitor- fear Banquo because of his greatness. In the true story, Macbeth is a noble king in the eleventh century, and Banquo aides Macbeth with killing King Duncan I. The play Shakespeare creates only tells a small part of the true story, since: “ it would be tactless to suggest that James was descended from a regicide.” (Kneen vi intro) This is the reason why Banquo is an innocent and noble man. Shakespeare creates Macbeth for King James to watch as entertainment; if he shows Banquo as a traitor, it would be likely that James would not appreciate his lineage being portrayed negatively. Representing the king’s lineage in a respectful manner, is an important part in Shakespeare using Macbeth to honour King James I; he did so by making Banquo a brave and wise man, and altering the true story of …show more content…
He believes in the supernatural and is quite religious; many of his works are based off of Christianity and his obsession of the dangers of the supernatural. The theme of supernatural beings can easily be found in Shakespeare's Macbeth, which is a correlation to James’ beliefs. Macbeth’s main source of the supernatural are the three witches, who make a prophesy about Macbeth becoming king. It can be seen that James’ fascination with witches could inspire the addition of the three witches in the play. King James I is extremely against witchcraft; his book, Daemonologie, endorses the practice of witch hunting. His book also describes how the witches prophecies work; witches can either infer predictions on their own, or get permission from their God. The three witches do both in Macbeth, Hecate -the goddess of witchcraft-