 Are you studying William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, but not entirely sure what to remember and what to include when writing essays relating to context? Make sure you watch this video where we'll go into lots of detail as to what to consider if you want to get really high marks when writing about Macbeth. Now do bear in mind that we do have a Macbeth model answers pack which features five model answers written on different pass papers relating to Macbeth, so do make sure you check out our link. And of course, if you do need more information, do feel free to check out our website, which is www.firstreadsheeters.com. Now, when it comes to context, the first thing to remember when it comes to Macbeth is Shakespeare wrote Macbeth sometime between 1603 and 1606. And one of the key monarchs during this period was King James the first. Now, of course, as I mentioned, this coincides the time that he wrote Macbeth with the accession, in other words, with the rise of King James, the sixth of Scotland to the English throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth the first. And this is when he became King James the first of England in 1603. Now, this play appeals to many of the king's interests, his obsession with the supernatural, so witches and prophecies, and complements him by making his ancestor, Banquo, a hero in the play. Now, King James also survived an assassination attempt on his life in 1605. This was known as the gunpowder plot. So questions about the role of the monarchy and the duties of the subject that this play explored would have been really pertinent to Shakespeare's contemporary audience. Now, when it comes to the historical accuracy of this play, the storyline of Macbeth is actually based on historical fact. Now, as I mentioned, King James the first was descended through both Banquo and Flayance, who were heroes in the play. The role Macbeth reigned in Scotland from 1040 to 1057. And he killed his predecessor, King Duncan the first, and was in turn killed by Duncan's own son, Malcolm the third. Now, eventually, sources these were not uncommon in the barbaric feudal Scotland of the 11th century. And in the play, King Duncan is portrayed as a good and wise king, but actually in reality, he was a terrible and despised ruler who made lots of disastrous choices in battle. Also, the role Macbeth, on the other hand, ruled wisely and really well for 17 years. So during his reign, the south and north of Scotland were reunited for the first time, and he was defeated in battle near Aberdeen by Malcolm the third, the son of King Duncan the first, who had invaded Scotland with the help of Edward the Confessor, King of England. Now, Malcolm slaughtered Macbeth's family so that his own kingship would be stabilised. This thus marked the end of the purely Celtic exclusively barbaric Scottish folk. As it led to the gradual breaking down of barriers between England and Scotland and the introduction of English ways and customs, however, Shakespeare didn't let historical fact get in the way of a good story, and he did change several key aspects of this original story, either to intensify the drama in Macbeth or to ensure some form of political correctness. Now, one of the main things that you need to understand and need to discuss when you're writing any essay related to Macbeth is this notion of the divine right of kings. Now, in Shakespeare's time, monarchs believed in this concept and it was the idea that the king was directly appointed by God to rule. Therefore, disobedience to the king was tantamount to disobedience to God. And King James himself said, the state of monarchy is a supremist thing on earth. The kings are not only God's lieutenants upon earth and sit upon God's throne, but even by God himself are called gods. Therefore, to kill the king was seen as a heinous, unthinkable and blasphemous act that not only defied God, but also nature. So it went against nature and it was unnatural. This, of course, stems from the notion that existed at the time, which was called the Great Chain of Being. Now, in the Elizabethan era, of course, this era changes the Jacobean era with the accession of King James. People, including Shakespeare, believed in what was known as the Great Chain of Being, which is a divine order. And it was the belief that everything in the universe has a specific place and rank in order of the perceived importance or spiritual nature. And God was seen, of course, as being the most important being. Then he was followed in importance by angels in the realm, however, on earth. Kings were the most important, followed by queens, nobles, merchants and peasants. Also, when it comes to the Great Chain of Being within the family, fathers were higher in the chain than mothers, husbands higher than wives, sons higher than daughters. During this time, when it came to succession and order, this was of great importance during the 16th and 17th century. Do remember that Queen Elizabeth I, who preceded King James I, was known as the Virgin Queen throughout her reign. She had no natural success as she never married and she never had children. And this created some instability and fear in England during the time, as people were unsure of who would be next on the throne. Now, another element that's really exploited within Macbeth is this notion of witches and the supernatural. So witches were believed to be women who'd made a pact with the devil. And in 1590, 300 women in Scotland were accused of witchcraft and of plotting King James's murder and consequently, they were burnt at the stake. Also, King James himself hated witchcraft. In 1592, he interrogated the witch called Agnes Samson and was astounded when she revealed to him the words he and his wife had exchanged each other in private on the wedding night and she was later burnt at the stake. King James thus considered himself an expert on the supernatural, so much so that he wrote a book called Demonology. And this was an 80 page book with three separate sections of magic, sorcery and witchcraft and one on spirits and ghosts. Having produced this book, King James decided to end the standing commission that had been established to hunt out witches. However, the prosecution did not end. And by the time he left for England in 1603, which was still being arrested and those arrested, half of them were executed. And between 1603 and 1625, there were about 20 witchcraft trials a year in Scotland, nearly 50 in total. And half of the accused were ultimately found guilty and executed. So that's it when it comes to understanding key contextual ideas when writing about Macbeth and do bear in mind if you want to aim for the higher marks, level eight and level nine marks, which is equivalent to a grade, you do need to be able to incorporate these elements in your writing. Of course, do remember that we do have a Macbeth model answer pack, which you can find on our website and download. This includes five model answers written on past paper questions of Macbeth. But also do make sure you follow us and socials on both TikTok and Instagram, where we're really active. We offer lots of revision material, worksheets and so on. So do make sure you check us out both on TikTok and Instagram. Just check out first rate tutors. Thanks so much for listening.