Macbeth: A Scottish Play for a Scottish King

By Kathryn Neves

The year was 1606. Queen Elizabeth I had died three years earlier, and a brand new king sat on England’s throne––James I: the same individual known as James VI of Scotland, the son of a well-known English traitor, and a man paranoid about political assassinations, coups, and—of all things—witchcraft.

Shakespeare had done well under Elizabeth; she was a well-known patron of theater, and his company had flourished under her reign. By the time of her death, they’d become popular enough to attract the attention of the new king—an opportunity that left Shakespeare’s troupe more profitable than ever. In 1603 they became the King’s Men: King James was their official patron. Now all they had to do was stay on the king’s good side.

To that end, Shakespeare wrote a play tailor-made to cater to all of James’ interests; a Scottish play for a Scottish King. The result was one of the great masterpieces of the English language. 

Gunpowder Plot Paranoia

At the time Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, James was reeling from a major assassination attempt: the Gunpowder Plot. A group of Roman Catholics, tired of religious persecution, viewed James as a tyrant—and they wanted to get rid of him. They planned to blow up the House of Lords while James and other powerful nobles were all together in one place, then establish James’ 9-year-old daughter on the throne. However, after an anonymous tip, authorities found Guy Fawkes with dozens of barrels of gunpowder, leading to the arrest and execution of all the conspirators.

With this in mind, Shakespeare wrote a political thriller all about a man who assassinates a king. Macbeth conspires with his wife to murder King Duncan in his sleep, as part of a plot to place himself on Scotland’s throne. But Shakespeare doesn’t let Macbeth get away with it. Instead of ruling peacefully, the Macbeths are crippled by guilt, fear, and their own ambition. They spiral deep into madness and evil. And at the very end of the play, Macbeth dies and his head is paraded around Scotland.

A clear and visceral message for anyone considering regicide.

Besides the general theme of political assassination, scholars have found a few specific references inside Macbeth. One of these is the practice of equivocation. Equivocation is the practice of concealing the truth without lying; it’s a way to confuse, misdirect, and obfuscate. The Gunpowder Plotters all famously used equivocation in their defense. 

You can see equivocation all throughout Macbeth; especially with the Weird Sisters. “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him,” they tell him, without mentioning that soldiers will carry branches from the forest when they march on the castle. “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth,” they tell him—not revealing that Macbeth’s mortal enemy was born via C-section. 

The famous porter scene contains an even more specific reference to the Gunpowder Plot. Rambling to himself, the porter brings up an equivocator: “Faith, here’s an equivocator that could swear in both the scales against either scale, who committed treason enough for God’s sake yet could not equivocate to heaven.” In the same passage the porter refers to a hanged farmer. One of the more famous Gunpowder conspirators was named Henry Garnet—and he used “Farmer” as an alias. Of all the conspirators, he was the most famous for his equivocating defense.

The Gunpowder Plot was the big news of the day, and Shakespeare’s audiences would definitely have picked up on the references—especially King James.

King James’ (Fictional) Ancestor

Macbeth, while mostly fictional, is loosely based on accounts of a historical Scottish king. Various parts of the play come from Hollinshed’s Chronicles—including key characters like Lady Macbeth, the Weird Sisters, and Banquo. It was later proven that these last two were fictional, but during Shakespeare’s time, everyone thought they were real. Banquo was especially interesting; people—including the king—believed that Banquo was a direct ancestor of James I—and, therefore, proof that the Stuart line had a solid claim to Scotland’s throne.

Knowing this, Shakespeare included Banquo in the play, and even took it a step farther; he made Banquo into a heroic and tragic figure. In Hollinshed’s Chronicles, Banquo was listed as a co-conspirator in Duncan’s murder. Shakespeare, though, needed King James to like him; so he made James’ (fictional) ancestor into a sympathetic victim of the Macbeths’ ambition.

An Obsession with Witchcraft

Of all the Macbeth elements Shakespeare wrote for James, the most interesting is definitely the witchcraft. The Weird Sisters, and the chaos they bring, turn Macbeth from a standard tragedy into a horror. 

The play opens with the Weird Sisters plotting to meet Macbeth, and just a few scenes later they seal his fate. They prophesy he’ll be king, and later entice him with a terrifying ritual and more dangerous prophecies—all of which lead to his eventual death. While the Weird Sisters do appear in some historical accounts, Shakespeare’s versions are tailor-made for King James. They take front and center in the play, and they provide the driving force of the conflict. This was all meant to appeal to the king—who had a strong obsession with witchcraft.

James’ interest in witches dates back to an incident from 1590. While travelling on the seas, James’ ship was suddenly caught in a massive tempest, and almost sank. James was convinced that the stormy weather was actually supernatural—a targeted attack from nearby witches. His paranoia resulted in the North Berwick witch trials. Under torture, the suspected women “confessed” to using witchcraft, and ultimately around 70 people were executed.

James’ fascination with witches eventually led him to write Daemonologie—a book all about witchcraft, demons, and the supernatural. He tried to prove the existence of witchcraft, and even included some rituals and incantations—which the Weird Sisters end up performing in Macbeth.

A Timeless Classic

Four centuries later, the connection between James I and Macbeth is mostly just trivia for scholars and hardcore Bard lovers. The real excitement comes from the play itself. With terrifying characters, beautiful language, and an edge-of-your-seat plot, there’s a reason Macbeth is considered one of Shakespeare’s best. 

Don’t miss your chance to see this incredible show. Directed by Festival Artistic Director John DiAntonio, and starring returning actors Walter Kmiec as Macbeth and Cassandra Bissell as Lady Macbeth; this season’s production will have you coming back “tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.”

For tickets or more information, visit bard.org.