CONTEXT & THEMES.
Everything you need to know about the context of Macbeth, as well as key themes in the play
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- Fact sheets
- Videos
- Themes
- Directors notes
Understanding Shakespeare’s life and times, as well as the history of the Globe Theatre, can enhance your exploration of Macbeth. Key themes and topics are also great discussion points for students.
THEMES: TYRANNY & POWER
THEMES: TYRANNY & POWER, AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR, CRESSIDA BROWN
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From Duncan, to Macbeth, to Malcolm – we look at the different kings in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and explore the themes of tyranny and power.
What makes a tyrant? What do kings do with their power? Is the enabling of a tyrant just as bad as being a tyrant yourself?
THEME: THE WITCHES, AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR, CRESSIDA BROWN
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When shall we three meet again?
We take a look at the witches in Macbeth, and how they’ll be portrayed in our Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank production this spring.
Take a look at other resources around the witches, their character profile and a blog post.
FACT SHEETS
Find out more about the world that Shakespeare lived in with our fact pages.
Audiences
By 1600 several theatres offered plays most afternoons, with between 10,000 and 20,000 people a week going to London theatres. Find out about the people who went to the theatre, how much they paid and more.
Writing plays
Going to the theatre was a popular pastime in Shakespeare’s day. Just about everyone in London went to the theatre, but what did they go and see? Learn about the people who wrote plays and what they were about.
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Playhouses
There were two different types of playhouse in London during Shakespeare’s time, outdoor and indoor playhouses. Discover more about these very different theatres and the audiences they attracted.
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The Globe
Many of Shakespeare’s plays were first performed at the Globe. Find out what happened to the first Globe, when and where it was built and what plays were put on there.
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Special effects
Playwrights in Shakespeare’s time used language to describe ‘special effects’ much of the time; but acting companies could also produce very dramatic special effects. Discover how the Globe uses special effects, trap doors and more.
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London
London was the biggest and richest city in England and was the home of the first permanent playhouses. Find out what the city was like and its major landmarks.
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is world famous. We know quite a lot about him but there is still much that remains a mystery. Learn when and where Shakespeare was born, and about more his life.
Discover MoreVIDEOS
Learn context around costumes, printing the plays and the Globe Theatre itself.
Globe Theatre Tour
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Elizabethan Costume Dressing
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Printing the plays
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THEMES
Use these four topics as a starting point to discuss the main ideas in the play.
Share your insights with others, and see what the actors have to say!
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
The director of this year’s production of Macbeth, Cressida Brown, explains her understanding of context when directing the play.
Audience and the edit
The only way that I am altering this production for a younger audience is that I am going to strive to make it better. It’s got to be clearer, it’s got to be more exciting, it’s got to be bolder. Adults are good at pretending they like something when they don’t, whereas young people are very honest and will tell you if they don’t like it!
Globe as a space
The Globe is an incredible space, and unique in the fact that the actors can see the audience that they are talking to. Shakespeare comes alive in that space and the audience members become cast in the play as particular characters. I hope in a world of online video games and even compared to other theatres where the audience sit in the dark, the young audience will bring their energy to the performance because they are as present as the actors.
OTHER RESOURCES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Context & themes
Everything you need to know about the context of Macbeth, as well as key themes in the play
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