Macbeth Lesson Plan

Macbeth was most likely written in 1605 or 1606, and was performed at Hampton Court in 1606 for King James I and his brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark, at the Globe Theatre. At the time, King James had recently become the patron of Shakespeare's theatrical company, and it is likely that the play was intended to please the King. For example, King James I was a member of the Stuart family, and the character of Banquo—the legendary root of the Stuart family tree—is depicted very favorably. The play is also quite short, perhaps because Shakespeare knew that James preferred short plays. And the play contains many supernatural elements that James, who himself published a book on the...