History+of+MacBeth

=General History of the play Macbeth =  The research for Macbeth was taken from Raphael Holinshed's "Chronicles of England and Scotland" (1587) The play, despite its historical sources, is considered a tragedy rather than a history. This may be due to the fact that the play contains many fabrications, including the entire character of Banquo who was fabricated by a 16th-century Scottish historian in order to authenticate the Stuart family tree. Shakespeare also manipulated the personalities of Macbeth and Duncan to suit the nature of his play. According to Holinshed, Macbeth was a hard and valiant ruler who leads competently after killing Duncan, whereas Duncan is portrayed as a young and soft willed man. Shakespeare drew out some characteristics in order to create a strong sense of opposition.

=Political Envoironment and King James =  It is believed that Macbeth was initially performed between 1605 and 1606. Evidence suggests that Macbeth was written by command as a play to be performed for King James I and his brother in law the King of Denmark. It was written for the new patron following the death of Queen Elizabeth and it was intended to put the Globe Theatre and the Kings Players in James' favor.

=King James and William Shakespeare =  Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1605 or 1606 in order to please King James I. Whether it was first performed in the royal court or at the Globe is unknown, but there is little doubt that it was written intentionally to please the King who had recently become the patron of Shakespear's theatrical company. The play Macbeth was also quite short, possibly because Shakespeare knew that King James preferred short plays. The play also contains many supernatural happenings, which would have undoubtably pleased the king who himself published a Demonology book based on the detection and practices of witchcraft.



=Macbeth Play History, Actors, and Productions =  When Charles II took the British throne in 1660, he gave //Macbeth// to William Davenant and the Duke's Company. Not content to produce the original form of the play, Davenant altered it considerably. He drew out the witches' scenes, introducing all kinds of dancing, singing, and gibberish. He also amplified the role of Lady Macduff. He incorporated many scenes between her and Lord MacDuff that mirrored the scenes between Macbeth and his conniving wife. Lady Macbeth was assigned a new scene where she is haunted by the ghost of King Duncan, which convinces her to attempt to persuade Macbeth to give up his quest for power and the crown.



David Garrick, during his management of the Drury Lane Theatre (1742-1776), revived //Macbeth// exactly as it was written by Shakespeare. He played the starring role of Macbeth. Although he kept Davenant's witch scenes, he got rid of the scenes with Lady and Lord MacDuff and the bit with the Porter. He also added a climactic speech for Macbeth,that he wrote himself. In the speech the tragic hero mentions as he's dieing, his guilt, delusion, the witches, and his fear of eternal punishment. Garrick's acting in one instance was so fierce and realistic that when he told the First Murderer "There's blood upon thy face," the actor in question involuntarily replied, "Is there, by God?"

 John Philip Kemble (1757-1823) and his talented sister, Sarah Siddons, at the Drury Lane Theatre made a suprising change when it came to the sleep-walking scene. In their performance she put the candle down, defying the tradition of carrying the candle throughout the scene. Siddons imagined the character as a fragile and delicate blonde who manipulated Macbeth by the dual exercise of intellect and beauty. She embodied every part of the role she envisioned except for the blonde fragility, which was beyond her stately, statuesque appearance.

 Samuel Phelps (1804-1878) is credited with removing the last traces of adaptation from //Macbeth// during his management of Sadler's Wells (1844 -1862). Phelps made very few minor cuts and transpositions.

Charles Kean and his wife Ellen Tree staged a spectacular, long-running //Macbeth// at the Princess's Theatre in 1853, famed for its historically accurate scenery and costumes. Kean apparently performed considerably less ferociously than his wife.

The last great pair of the 19th Century were Henry Irving and Ellen Terry at the Lyceum Theatre in 1874 and later in 1889. Terry's Lady Macbeth was less fearsome than sympathetic. The 20th Century has seen numerous great revivals, especially Orson Welles' // "Voodoo" Macbeth // at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem (1936).

=Fun Facts about Macbeth =
 * Macbeth means "Son if Life" in Gaelic, ironic considering how he killed so many people.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Many actors consider the play "cursed" and will not say its name aloud, instead they refer to it as "that Scottish play"
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Lady Macbeth's first name was Gruoch
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">The real Macbeth's reign lasted 17 years

media type="youtube" key="i5rZrfTBjaQ" height="315" width="560" align="center"

=<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Links = <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Audio of Macbeth ­ clickable <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">[]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;"> Macbeth's Curse: the link Between Insomnia and Paranoia <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">[]

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Themes found in Macbeth <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">[] =<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Bibliography =
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Nostbakken, Faith, and William Shakespeare. //Understanding Macbeth//. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997. Print.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Thrasher, Thomas. //Understanding Macbeth//. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2002. Print.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">"Macbeth Background | GradeSaver." //Study Guides & Essay Editing | GradeSaver//. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://www.gradesaver.com/macbeth/study-guide/about/>.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">"Macbeth the Play by William Shakespeare." //WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE//. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. <http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-macbeth.htm>.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Stewart-Zimmerman, Margaret. "Macbeth History." //RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative//. Ancestry.com, 22 May 1998. Web. 10 Dec. 2011. [].
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%;">Kinney, Arthur F. //Lies like Truth: Shakespeare, Macbeth, and the Cultural Moment//. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2001. //Google.com//. eBook. 10 Dec. 2011.