Historical perspective

Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be related to its historical context, the Elizabethan era. The play is believed to have been first performed in 1606 and was probably written shortly before that. This places Macbeth somewhere between two historical contexts: the Elizabethan era, named after Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603) and the Jacobean era, named after the Scottish King James VI (reigned 1603-1625). 

This means that the play would have been highly influenced by the ideas of the Elizabethan era, which is why we refer to the play’s historical context as mainly Elizabethan. However, the play also seems to comment on the politics of the Jacobean era, such as King James’ right to the English throne.

The Elizabethan era existed within the wider European historical...