The Man That Would Be Shakespeare

• Born April 23rd, 1564• Started out performing

with “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”

• Gave him a chance to write a play

• Henry IV, Pt. 1- It stunk but they gave him another shot

• Many playwrights with nowhere to “play”

• Barn turned into theatre (Yeah!)

• Puritans burn it down (Evil theatre! Boo!)

• Globe built! (Yeah!)• Globe burns (sniff, darn

cannon!)• Globe rebuilt! (Yeah!)• Globe burns (Dang that

Fire of London!)

Reconstructed in the 1990’s

o Aristocrats

o The Queen/King

o The Groundlings!

When in a play...• Only men were permitted

to perform• Boys or effeminate men

were used to play the women

• Costumes were often the company’s most valuable asset

• Costumes were made by the company, bought in London, or donated by courtiers

The Cost of a Show• 1 shilling to stand

• 2 shillings to sit in the balcony

• 1 shilling was 10% of their weekly income

• Broadway Today:– $85 Orchestra

– $60 Balcony

– 10% of a teacher’s weekly salary

• Set in Scotland

• Written for King James I (formerly of Scotland, now England)

• Queen of Denmark (James’s sister) was visiting

• Shakespeare researched The Chronicles - Banquo is an ancestor of King James I

• King Duncan of Scotland– Murdered by cousin Macbeth

– Honest and good

• Malcolm & Donalbain– Sons of the King

– Malcolm is the eldest son

• Macbeth– Duncan’s most courageous general

– Ambition to become king corrupts him causing him to murder Duncan

• Banquo– General and Macbeth’s best friend– Suspects Macbeth in Duncan’s murder – An actual ancestor of King James I

• Lady Macbeth– As ambitious as her husband– A dark force behind his evil deeds

• Macduff– Scottish general, suspects Macbeth of

murdering the king– Macbeth has his family murdered– Swears vengeance

• Lennox, Ross, Menteith, Angus, Caithness– Scottish generals

• Fleance– Banquo’s son

• Siward– Earl of Northumberland, general of the

English forces

• Young Siward– His son

• Seton– An officer attending Macbeth

• Boy– Macduff’s son

• An English Doctor

• A Scottish Doctor

• A Captian

• A Porter

• An Old man

• Three murderers

• Lady Macduff

• A Gentlewoman attending Lady Macbeth

• Hecate

• Witches

• Apparitions

The Scottish Play• It is believed to be bad luck to

even squeak the word ‘Macbeth’ in a theatre

• Legend has it you will lose all your friends involved in the production--horribly

• MORE ON THAT LATER...

• Def. “Man of high standard who falls from that high because of a flaw that has affected many” - Aristotle

• Macbeth is one of the most famous examples of the tragic hero.

So what really happens?• Good guy goes bad

• Guy wants power

• Married to a pushy control freak

• She wants power

• Kills people- LOTS of people

• Gets power

• Gets paranoid (a.k.a. goes crazy)

• Ticks off a lot of people

• Want more power! Kill! Kill!

• Gets what’s coming to him in the end

“Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And is heard of no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

- Act V; s.5