Macbeth Research

A Concise summary of the playwright (Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare (1564-1616). English poet and playwright –  Shakespeare is widely considered to be  the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets.Due to some well-timed investments, Shakespeare was able to secure a firm financial background, leaving time for writing and acting. The best of these investments was buying some real estate near Stratford in 1605, which soon doubled in value.It seemed Shakespeare didn’t mind being absent from his family – he only returned home during Lent when all the theatres were closed. It is generally thought that during the 1590s he wrote the majority of his sonnets. This was a time of prolific writing and his plays developed a good deal of interest and controversy. His early plays were mainly comedies e.g. Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer’s Night Dream  and histories e.g. Henry V

The political & economic status of the era

 In Elizabethan the person who ruled Queen Elizabeth but when Elizabeth died , King James took over , however, the monarch had the power to summon , prorogue and dissolve parliament . The first of these,legislation, required the consent of Queen , Lords and Commons. The public legislation was often nutted not always introduced by the government. Public and private acts were passed by Elizabeth's parliament and may more be considered.
 Male and female cultural expressions, mannerisms and expectations of the era

In the Elizabethan era, men were the dominant gender. Women were given a lesser stature in society, despite the fact that the ruler was female. It was a patriarchal society where the men were head of the household, earned money and took care of the women. The women were considered to be of the weaker sex and were expected to stay at home, run the household and have children.

Women were literally expected to be weaker than men. Single women were taken care of by their fathers, brothers and other male relatives. Married women were taken care of by their husbands and the husband's family. Women of higher social standing were allowed to be educated privately by tutors. No women were allowed to go to school. They were expected to stay at home and learn the duties of household maintenance. If women did have jobs, they were allowed to perform household duties for others, such as caring for children, cleaning and cooking.

Education of the era

Back then, it was illegal for women to act. The noble children were taught by tutors at home but, from the age of 7 to 14, children of a lower standing went to Grammar Schools - the most common institute for Elizabethan education during the Elizabethan period.Girls were often only educated at home by their parents or a private tutor depending on the wealth of the family. Girls were allowed to attend ‘petty school’, the most elementary school of the Elizabethan times, which they would attend from the ages of 5-7. They were not allowed to attend ‘grammar school’ or university.

Marriage of the era
Disobedience was seen as a crime against their religion. Marriages were frequently arranged so that
both families involved  would benefit. Marriages would be arranged to bring prestige or wealth to the family.With parental permission, it was legal for boys to marry at 14 and girls at 12 although it was not usual or traditional for marriages at such young ages. The age of consent was 21 and boys would generally not marry until this age. The dowry was an Elizabethan Wedding custom which benefited the husband.For example, since William Shakespeare got married at a young age ,in Elizabethan wedding customs and contract would have required that his would have to agree to the marriage. 
During the Elizabethan era of history women were very much 'second class citizens'. Regardless of their social standing, they were expected to marry. Single women who were thought to be witches by their neighbours... Elizabethan marriages were sometimes arranged immediately following a babies birth via a formal betrothal.

Crime and punishment & Entertainment of the era

During the Elizabethan / King James times , Elizabethan English was split into class . The upper class had more advantage than the lower class. The upper class was well educated and wealthy and they would often get in involved in  political intrigue and matter of religion but the nobility could become involved in the crime which was not shared by other people for example

• Spying 
• Murder
• Witchcraft
• Stealing 
• Rebellion 
• Alchemy                                                                                                                                         In results of these crime people committed would get tortured ,iron and hanged  for punishment. For commoners , if you committed a crime for example theft, begging, adultery, cutpurse and poaching especially theft , anything over five pence they will get execute, this was a problem for lower class who were starving even small crimes lead to death sentences. Begging and poaching were a serious crime, for example, poor beggars would be beaten until they reached the stones that marked the town and the lower class punishment and executions was much worse than upper class, for example 

• hanging
• burning
• whipping
• The wheel 
• Boiling in oil water or lead (usually for prisoners)
• Cutting off various items of the anatomy - hands,ears etc

Entertainment

Entertainment was a big thing in Elizabethan time , especially sports for example Bear and Bull were immensely popular , Queen Elizbeth would spend an afternoon watching the bloodthirsty form of entertainment .Hunting was a common sport practised among nobles. They would hunt their game(animals), usually bears or birds, in a nearby forest. Whoever caught the game first won. The game would then be killed and eaten in a big feast. This sport was usually played with dogs help. The dogs would be able to follow the smell of the game and track them down.

Elizabethan Entertainment was extremely important to people who lived in the Elizabethan era. The lives of Elizabethans were hard, the mortality rate was high due to frequent outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague and life expectation was low. Elizabethan entertainment was popular whenever there was something to celebrate. A betrothal, wedding, victories and festivals. Court entertainment was regular, often a nightly occurrence combined with feasts, jousts and banquets often accompanied by music and dancing.

The original staging conditions and How these conditions would impact on acting style and performance.

 The original staging in Shakespeare time there was a different type of theatre for example :

indoor theatre

 Courtyard

Royal theatre
Outplay house

The stage was covered in straw and measured approximately 43ft in width by 27ft in depth, with the audience standing on all three sides. The wall at the back of the stage had a door on both sides for entrances and exits and a central opening that was normally covered with hangings. Above the stage  was a trapdoor and a windlass for lowering performers down to the stage and the stage itself , there was trapdoor for surprise appearances and people from all classes went the theatre. The general public would pay a penny to stand close to the stage and interact with actors. The gentry pays to sit in the galleries brings cushions to make themselves more comfortable. In the theatre , there was no lighting but they will use candles . Men would play woman's role , women couldn't act because in Elizabethan time they believe that only men should be in the theatre , women started to  act in 1660's. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606. It was supposed to be important to know the political context. so he wrote it for the theatre during the reigns of two monarchs, Queen Elizabeth 1 and King James 1.