Wednesday, October 8, 2008

3 Important Literary Works Instrumental in Shakespeare's Inspiration for Macbeth

Prof. Little mentioned three literary works that were instrumental in Shakespeare's inspiration for the play Macbeth...

1. The Basilikon Doran - This was a treatise on government written by James 1st to his son... The term 'Basilikon Doran' means royal gift in greek; thus, this work may be interpreted as being both a literal gift and also a symbol of the passing on of the throne (royal gift). This document laid out James' absolutist policies and basically asserted that he was absolutely in charge and owed nothing to parliament... this is where we get the famous quote "there shall be no parliament." That mere statement sums up King James' political stance in a nutshell... furthermore, he claims that he despises both Catholics and Puritans. If by chance you were curious to why he loathed these religious sects so much, here is the reasoning: King James hated Puritans simply because they didn't believe in authority; as for the Catholics, they represented the old order of Europe which James 1st wanted to disassociate himself with... James the 1st wanted to make his own rules... this is part of the reason why the Gunpowder Plot was devised by Catholic revolutionaries... King James continuously moved farther and farther away from the interests of traditional English Catholics.

2. Daemonolgie - This publication, also written by James 1st of England was divided into three books and included large amounts of research and insight into "white magic..." We learn in this document that James 1st sees himself as supernatural and belonging to another realm.... When we read the play Macbeth we see lots of witchcraft, we see characters responding to a world of absolutism.. contrasted with characters driven by ambition, etc. If James wants to hold onto absolutism, this is what absolutism looks like (chaos, confusion, murder etc.). Macbeth belives in absolutism and has converted to it almost as if it were a religion… this is commentary on King James! There is a sense that Macbeth begins to think of himself as belonging to a separate realm or having supernatural qualities... James 1st saw himself in this manner as well... Quite ironically, James 1st warns his son about witchcraft in the The Basilikon Doran, notating that it can be dangerous and corrupt power... quite inappropriate for such a fan/practitioner of witchcraft...

3. The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland - Written by Raphael Holinshed, The Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland was just a portion of the full work Chronicles which set out to tell the history of the world from the Great Flood to the reign of Queen Elizabeth... This is relevant for us because Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland was not only the primary source of information for most of Shakespeare's historical plays but it was also the source of much of the plot of Macbeth! (dramatized, of course!) The real Macbeth ruled for 10 years without incident…

James Steel
142 B - Dis: 1D

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