Macbeth: King James I of England (and Scotland!)

KING JAMES I

SHAKESPEARE

MACBETH

GENERALLY, ABOUT KING JAMES I

• The "infant king", he inherited the Scotland crown when he was only 13 months old.

He was crowned so young because his father was murdered and his mother was imprisoned FOR the murder.

At the age of 36 he became the king of England as well, holding rule over both Scotland and England until the day he died, at age 58.

He mainly ruled in England (being the larger of the two countries) and joined the crown, although each country still had its own parliament, constitution, law system, etc.

He grew up to be a noble and fair ruler despite his hard childhood, but was also rumored to be a loving and devoted husband and father.

Born: June 19, 1566 (Scotland)

Died: March 27, 1625 (England)

RELATIONSHIP WITH SHAKESPEARE

The relationship between King James and Shakespeare was rumored to be close, but professional at the same time.

There was still a suspected friendship between the two, and even a rumor that parts of King James' bible was not ENTIRELY written by King James.

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to win the favor of the king and use the king's support to make himself more money and a stable lifestyle.

This transformed Shakespeare from a public artist to a personal performer of sorts for the king, and this new-found money allowed him to expand and create a second theater aside from the Globe.

It appears that Shakespeare's goals in writing Macbeth were:

1. To capture King James' beliefs

2. Put great references to King James' book (Daemonology) to further flatter him.

The style of the play even suggests that Shakespeare wrote the play and tailored it specifically to flatter King James.

Shakespeare's inclusion of Macbeth's guilty conscience both intrigued and complimented the king.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO HISTORY

James was very involved in the witch hunts, most notably the case of Agnes Sampson, where she had been accused of sending storms on King James' ships.

The King was said to have personally attended torturings and executions in the witch hunts.

James wrote two notable works, Royal Gifts and The True Law of Free Monarchies. Which both explained the bases of monarchy.

The True Law states a more absolutist theory of monarchy, sand lays out the right of kins, even to impose new laws basically on a whim, but still having to consider traditions and God.

A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION DIRECTLY CITED FROM THE MIND OF ALEXIS BUKATY

This source substantiates importance to the underlying themes of this particular assignment; how originally "good" people can be driven mad with power, as well as how our upcoming units in class cover the Shakespearean classic of Macbeth in contrast to Sophocles' Oedipus Rex.

Because the class is analyzing contributing factors to behavior and control, this was a mind-opening source to utilize.

First impressions of kings and dictators, especially from long ago, may become blurred in the reality of today without using primary sources to analyze these notions, however biased they may be.

Creating the colony of Jamestown was no facile mission to achieve.

King James I was a fiercely religious man, set out to make a united community, whom would be devoted to their country, themselves, and respect out of God.

His aspiration faced challenges like unpredictable terrain, angry Native Americans, scarcity of resources and obedience of his men. However King James I achieved a thriving community for the sake of his people which is certainly no accomplishment "to sneeze at".

FIN

Shakespeare's official title was "official entertainer of the palace", and his acting troop had the name "King's Men".