![]() James had Parliament replace the 1563 act against “Conjururacions, Inchantments, and Witchcraft” with harsher laws (Lee, Christopher, 1603: The Death of Queen Elizabeth I, the Return of the Black Plague, the Rise of Shakespeare, Piracy, Witchcraft and the Birth of the Stuart Era, 1st Edition , 247). He is remembered for ordering a new translation of the Bible, known as the King James Version of the Bible. He considered himself to be a “scholar of witches and witchcraft,” (Garber, Marjorie B, Shakespeare After All, 1st ed. , 697), and he authored the book *Daemonologie,*which was driven by his concern to explain evil phenomena. James thought of himself as a fighter of evil and a true man of God with the Divine Right to Rule. The play also centers on many of the king’s beliefs and interests. Scottish lords imprisoned her until she was able to flee to England, never seeing her son again. Shortly after, Mary was abducted and raped by one of her noblemen ( Mary, Queen of Scots, 315–316). Within a year after James’s birth, Scottish earls murdered his father and the king’s house at Kirk o’Field was destroyed with gunpowder ( Mary, Queen of Scots, 302–303). When his mother was six-months pregnant with James, her secretary was murdered by Scottish nobles in the queen’s presence in her own apartments (Fraser, Antonia, Mary, Queen of Scots , 252–253). Ruthless nobles repeatedly threatened the king’s mother, Mary Queen of Scots, and his father, Lord Darnley. In addition to the identifiable characters from Scottish history, Macbeth’s story of ambitious and murderous Scottish lords was relatable for James I. In the scene, the eighth king enters holding a glass, which was thought to reflect the image of James seated in the audience: “and yet the eight appears, who bears a glass / Which shows me many more” (4.1.119–120). ![]() The Show of Kings in act four, scene one represents the posterity of the Stuart line, which stretched to King James. In the play, Fleance escapes Macbeth’s clutches, and is able to avenge his father by siring a long line of kings. By contrast Macbeth wears a “fruitless crown” and holds a “barren scepter” (3.1.60–61). The king speaks of his wish to enfold Banquo to his heart and Banquo replies with “There if I grow, / The harvest is your own” (1.3.32–33). When Banquo converses with King Duncan, who calls him “noble” and “valiant,” their language is filled with the imagery of healthy growth. The witches respond that Banquo’s sons will be kings, an idea that haunts Macbeth and prompts him to murder Banquo. In act one, scene three, Banquo addresses the witches with “If you can look into the seeds of time, / And say which grain will grow, and which will not, / Speak then to me” (1.3.58–60). While Macbeth and his lady are barren, much is made of Banquo’s seed, and his lines are filled with images of fertility. In the play Shakespeare glorifies Banquo and his son Fleance, founder of the Stuart line. Blakemore, The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd edition , 1356). The Chronicles of Holinshed, Shakespeare’s primary source for Macbeth, links Banquo to the Stuart line of Kings, from which James I is descended (Evans, G. Shakespeare alters the historical accounts in order to write a story that will flatter King James. Macbeth is set in Scotland during the reigns of Duncan and Macbeth, who were kings of Scotland between 1037 and 57 C.E. ![]() Macbeth is also a product of its setting as Shakespeare wrote the play in a frightening political climate. Some of the characters in the play are thought to be direct relatives of the king, and a number of situations in the play mirror the king’s own life experiences. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare pays tribute to the king’s homeland, his people, and his beliefs. ![]() This young and energetic King of Scotland took the English throne in 1603, and Shakespeare’s company was renamed the King’s Men that year in honor of James. Shakespeare was a great entertainer who knew his audience, and the primary audience member for Macbeth was King James I. William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth is unique in both story and presentation.
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