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Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606. It is important to understand the political context in which it was written, as that is the key to the main theme of the play, which is that excessive ambition will have terrible consequences. Shakespeare was writing for the theatre during the canada goose jacket outlet reigns of two monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. The plays he Canada Goose sale wrote during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, such as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, are often canada goose outlet online uk seen to embody the generally happy, confident and optimistic mood of the Elizabethans. However, those he wrote canada goose outlet new york city during James’s reign, such as Macbeth and Hamlet, are darker and more cynical, reflecting the insecurities of the Jacobean period. Macbeth was written the year after the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, she had no children, or cheap Canada Goose even nephews or nieces. The throne was offered to James Stuart, James VI of Scotland, who then became James I of Britain. Brought up by canada goose Protestant regents, James maintained a Protestant regime in Scotland when he came of age, and so was an acceptable choice for England which had become firmly Protestant under Elizabeth. However, his accession was by no means a popular choice canada goose outlet uk uk canada goose sale with everyone. Since canada goose outlet black friday he was not a direct descendant of Elizabeth, there were other relatives who believed they also had a Canada Goose Online strong claim and James feared that discontented factions might gather around them. At first the Catholics had hoped James canada goose outlet sale might support them, since his mother canada goose outlet shop had been such a staunch canada goose outlet store uk Catholic, but when they realised this would not happen conspiracies developed, one of which was the Gunpowder Plot. Guy Fawkes and his men tried to blow up James and his parliament in 1605. The conspirators were betrayed, and horribly tortured on the rack until they confessed. They were then executed in the most brutal fashion canada goose outlet parka as canada goose clearance a warning to canada goose outlet uk other would be traitors. This was the belief that God had designed an Canada Goose online ordered system for both nature and humankind within which every creature and person had an allotted place. canada goose outlet store It was considered an offence against God for anyone to try to alter their www.unicorndesigns.ca station in life. After death, however, all would be raised in the kingdom of heaven, if canada goose outlet nyc they respected buy canada goose jacket cheap canada goose factory cheap canada goose uk outlet God’s will. canada goose uk black friday Since royal rank was bestowed by God, it was a sin to aspire to canada goose outlet jackets it. This doctrine a convenient one for King James was still widely held in Shakespeare’s day.
Although his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, goose outlet canada was a beautiful and charming woman, James I was aware he was ugly and lacking in the charisma which inspired loyalty. But he was an intelligent and well canada goose coats on sale educated man, and espoused various beliefs which he felt would keep his position secure. One of these canada goose clearance sale was canada goose outlet in usa the so called ‘divine right of kings’. This was the canada goose factory sale belief that the power of monarchs was given directly by God, and thus canada goose coats monarchs were answerable only to God. Any opposition to canada goose outlet toronto factory the King was an attack on God himself, and therefore sacrilege, canadian goose jacket the most heinous of sins. The anointing ceremony at the coronation made the King virtually divine. All the Stuart kings strongly supported the belief in their ‘divine right’ to rule as uk canada goose outlet it was an effective safeguard of their position. They even claimed Christ like powers of healing. In Macbeth, Shakespeare alludes to King Edward of England successfully healing the sick: ‘such sanctity hath heaven Canada Goose Outlet given his hand’. Queen Anne was the last British monarch who used ‘the Queen’s touch’ in this way.
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