Political and Social World of England in 1606

The political and social context surrounding the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare has a great impact on the play itself. Written in England in 1606, there are many aspects of the world at this time that have a great influence upon the characters, plot and setting as referred to by Shakespeare. In order for the reader to better understand the context of the story in the time it was written, the reader must go back and learn of the social and political context. Only then will they be able to understand certain aspects of Macbeth, as well as being able to recognize any relationships between the two.

Political Context in England 1606

Rulers:

1. Mary I (1553 – 1558)
2. Elizabeth I (1558 – 1603)
3. James I (1603 – 1625)

- When James I became king he had many financial problems. The previous monarch, Elizabeth I, had left him a debt of over 400,000 pounds and in 1606, England had a debt of over 600,000 pounds

- James I had hoped to unify England and settle religious matters in Europe but he lacked in finesse and was ignorant of the public and limitations of power.

- Approximately 30 years later, his son, Charles I would try to accomplish his father’s dream with a bit of an iron fist, resulting in the English Civil War

- An Act of Parliament (Act to restrain abuses of players) was passed in 1606 that stated that if any person or persons use or profanely speak of the name of God or of Jesus, of the Holy Ghost and of the Trinity in any play, they would have to forfeit ten pounds

Social World of England in 1606

- 1533 – Elizabeth I was born (to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn)

- The conflict between Catholics and Protestants was a serious problem

- As well, there was little money left in the royal treasury (because of Mary)

- In terms of continental conflicts, Spain as well as France posed a threat

- Elizabeth began by eliminating religious conflicts

- Mary Queen of Scots was executed in 1587

- After defeating the Spanish Armada, England became the strongest naval power in the world

- There was a general acceptance of the hierarchy of the time. Although there were complaints among the people, they did not challenge the order but just sought help from the people “above” them.

- Many European wars had occurred bringing in a very large amount of refugees to England.

- Music was a very prevalent source of entertainment for people in this era.

- In Elizabethan times, drama grew as a form of entertainment. Nearing the end of Shakespeare’s life however, there was a decline the popularity of theatre in England.

- Some other large parts of Elizabethan society were the feasts and festivals. People would often gather at feasts and banquets.

- At this point in England’s history a new class was beginning to emerge. This class, named the merchant class, was the beginning of the modern middle class. This new merchant class allowed people of talent, such as Shakespeare and others to rise to prominence and some wealth.

- At this point in England colonialism had begun. The East India Company controlled much of India and England started its colonization of the West Indies and North America. This allowed much of the poor the opportunity for work in the New World.

- Demonology was also present in England in 1606 and was commonly believed by the common person. James I himself wrote Daemonology a few years before

Civil War. 2001. BBC. 31 Jan. 2007.

"Elizabeth I." 30 Sept. 2006. It's All Politics. 25 Jan. 2007.

"Historical Background." . Center for History and New Media. 21 Jan. 2007.

Internet Shakespeare Editions. . University of Victoria. 31 Jan. 2007.

"United Kingdom." Encyclopædia Britannica.2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 31 Jan. 2007.

The MIT Experience

OXFORD VS. MIT: Credibility in Shakespeare

Macbeth was written in the early 1600s by William Shakespeare, and since then, many different versions of the play have been produced. Little changes are made over time, and as these changes begin to build up, they can greatly change the play. So we have decided to compare two texts, the Oxford print version and the MIT online text. From the offset the MIT and Oxford versions are quite similar versions. However the careful observer will be quick to note that the MIT version has several additions that make a much more specific and complete text.
The stage directions are the first major difference between the two texts. The MIT version has one thing that Oxford lacks: mise-en-scène. For example at the beginning of Act I, Scene I the MIT version specifies “A desert place” as the setting. Another slight presumed error in the Oxford edition is the character known simply as the “captain”. However, in the text proper he is named the “sergeant”, which the MIT edition recognises. There are also slight differences in the time of exits and some punctuation is changed for emphasis. Although these small differences do not make a huge difference, the MIT version will most likely be a much longer lasting text. It is also more reliable as a purer form of the text. The MIT text of Macbeth is plain, and quick to load, and easy to read. They provide a table of contents which links to specified scenes so the reader can quickly get to the preferred scene, but it still provides the whole play on one page, which makes browsing very convenient when analyzing multiple scenes. Nonetheless, some major flaws are the lack of footnotes, which would aid the reader’s understanding, and the absence of line markings, which would make it difficult to locate specific sections of text.
Regarding the language used, MIT caters their version to pronunciation, and thus it is geared towards the performance of the play. This variation in language also affects the meter and rhythm of the text. The Oxford text is by far the more reader-friendly edition of the play, as it converts certain older spelling to a 21st century common spelling. Accordingly, the rhythm and meter in the Oxford text are manipulated to allow for more dramatic stresses and pauses.
However the biggest discrepancy between the two texts is the mysterious character Angus. The Oxford text enters Angus along with Ross in scene 1.2. Angus does not have any lines and has practically no influence. Interestingly enough, the MIT text does not include this character. The most mysterious fact about this character is the reference to the name Angus in the Oxford text’s dedications. The editor, Stanley Wells writes “To Angus Wilson and Tony Garrett for their enduring friendship and to Angus for the greatest English novels of my time” (Oxford 1990). Is this a coincidence? Not likely.
Another example of this inconsistency occurs when Oxford refers to a place as Saint Colum’s Inch while MIT refers to the same place as Colme’s inch. Notably, Google searches only returned relevant results for Colme’s inch.
On the whole, the MIT version is definitely truer to the original text, as proved by some secondary research and characters like Angus. Of course, the lack of footnotes limits the use of the MIT page to a source for performers, which may limit its’ lifespan for analysis readers, while the Oxford edition changes a lot to accommodate the average reader. Ultimately though, the MIT is more specific, making it the better text to get a more complete, original version of the play.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Nicholas Brooke. New York: Oxford, 1998.

Macbeth: Entire Play. 2000. MIT. Jan. 18, 2007 <http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/macbeth/index.html>.