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Feb 5, 1568
Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England
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Feb 5, 1576
King James I is born
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Plague closes down theatres
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Shakespear joins Lord Chamberlains Men
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First Performed
Macbeth was first performed between 1605 and 1606. This was around when James I took over rule, the reason for this play. -
Macbeth
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Macbeth Written
In 1606 William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, wrote a play which would go down in history as the cursed Scottish play after numerous mishaps during production. It was written for his new patron, James I , following the death of Queen Elizabeth. James was interested in witchcraft and Scotland, and hence the themes in the play. -
Where the play was first performed
According to legend, it was performed at Hampton Court in 1606 for King James I and his brother-in-law, King Christian of Denmark, and was clearly designed to appeal to King James. Not only was Banquo, who just happens to be a part of the Stuart family tree (as was James), portrayed favorably, but the play itself was fairly short, probably because King James preferred short plays. Most importantly, James himself had previously published a book on witches and how to detect them. Because of this -
Shakespeare retires to Stratford
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First Folio Published
