Strong, dominant female characters were not accepted by society and viewed as unnatural by the majority and most likely even Shakespeare himself. Women’s accepted roles during this time were also vastly different from today. The majority of the audience at the time the play was conceived also shared this belief of witchcraft and it being evil which contrasts with audiences of Macbeth today. He strongly believed in witchcraft and wrote a book titled daemonology in which he associated the powers of witches and their magic with that of the devil. James the First was a strict protestant and a firm believer in the supernatural which was common during this period. It is also likely that Shakespeare saw in the public at large the interest created by these plots against James the First and the ensuing trials that took place. Macbeth may have even been written directly for James the First and the fact that several of the major characters in the play such as Banquo and Duncan are based on relatives of the king lends credence to this. King James and the political climate of the time seem to have been a big influence on Shakespeare. The most famous of which was the gunpowder plot of 1605. James the First, both before and after his ascension to the throne had encountered acts of treason against him.
Shortly after becoming king, James the First took Shakespeare and his company under his personal patronage and renamed those “The King’s Men”. Macbeth was written by Shakespeare sometime between 16 James the First was king at that time having succeeded the throne in 1603. However, before looking at them I believe a brief look at the background to the play would be beneficial in order to help understand the way in which they were presented in context with Jacobean times. In this essay I will look at the way in which Shakespeare presents the witches to us in Macbeth and the role they play. Analyse the role and presentation of the witches in Macbeth with reference to Shakespeare’s use of language, his historical and contemporary influences and the themes addressed by the play.
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