Literary perspective

Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be related to the literary era it was part of. Overall, English literature in the Elizabethan era was influenced by classical European literature, such as the tragedies of Ancient Greek writers like Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides. However, English literature also went through great developments. New Elizabethan authors like William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson explored what literature could do, just like adventurers such as Sir Francis Drake explored the boundaries of the world itself on their sea voyages.

It is generally believed that Shakespeare received a thorough education in classical literature as a boy; his plays certainly show inspiration from ancient drama. For instance, Macbeth follows the cla...