Performance History
Macbeth was first published in the First Folio of 1623, and is known as Shakespeare's shortest tragedy.
Your students will notice that the Director of the USQ production has taken a fantastical approach in the interpretation of this play, and does not include the usual references to the Scottish background. No matter what this particular director has decided to omit or interpret for aesthetic purposes, the play is famously known as 'The Scottish Play', as it was influenced by a historical event, where a tyrant named Macbeth killed the King of Scotland.
But it's more often referred to as 'The Scottish Play' out of superstition rather than its historical background. Legend has it, that because Macbeth used notions of sorcery and witch craft, the witches of the Renaissance became angry and cursed the play (www.wikipedia.com.au). Since the play was first performed, accidents have befallen many casts and productions with real murders onstage, fires and accidental deaths. Whether this is purely a coincidence or not, the curse has puzzled actors and theatre goers for generations. However many are still wary not to utter the name 'Macbeth' within theatre walls, for fear it will bring bad luck on the production. This is why theatre professionals to this day, continue to referred to Macbeth as 'The Scottish Play'. USQ's production team has been referring to the play as 'The Big Macca' for similar reasons. Should an actor accidentally say this forbidden word, they can only reverse the curse by running outside the theatre and spinning three times while shouting the most profound word they can think of, before asking for permission to re-enter. Curse or no curse, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most popular tragedies and has been produced both on stage and film numerous times through the centuries.
We can't state for certain the exact date Macbeth was written, though it is thought to have been written in 1606. Three years prior to this, Shakespeare's company of actors known as ‘Lord Chamberlains Men' were officially renamed the ‘Kings Men' in honour of their new royal master King James, whose lineage can be traced back to Banquo, a noble Scottish Thane whose murder Macbeth orders. This is only one of the many ties to James I history and political beliefs that can be seen in Macbeth, which is thought to have been written to please the King (Garber 25).
Even though play is now over 400 years old, it is important that we still notice the references to the culture and politics of the time in order to gain a greater understanding of the play and its history. For instance, it's interesting to note the witches' role in the play. Why did Shakespeare add witches and sorcery to his play? James I believed that a King was a sacred figure, and that regicide was the ultimate crime; so horrible that he believed that any attack against a king must have witchcraft and devilry behind it. (Garber 24). He was an expert on witchcraft and had written a book on demonology. So it can be assumed that as Shakespeare was writing about such a delicate topic for the King, James' political beliefs influenced the play.
Not only was the play in tune with the King's beliefs, it was also full of references to contemporary issues which the Renaissance audiences would have understood and most likely found amusing.
Today's audience will find the scene with the drunken porter comical for the porter is fairly intoxicated while he recites his monologue. However the Renaissance audience in 1606 would have seen a comic reference to Henry Garnet who had been recently executed after the investigation of the Gunpowder plot. When the porter pretends he is the gatekeeper to hell, and opens the door to the arrival of a new sinner "that could swear in both scales against either scale; who committed treason enough for God's sake yet could not equivocate to heaven" (Act II Scene II) it is an illusion to the very recently executed Jesuit (Cohen 2556).
At the end of the play the audience learns that Macbeth can indeed be killed by Macduff as he is not actually ‘of woman born'. Today's audience will understand that this is in reference to the caesarian section, and that technically Macduff was not born naturally by a woman. The Renaissance audience would have seen a joke in this however, as they were aware that caesarian sections were only performed by doctors, and in their society only males could be doctors. Therefore the joke within it is that Macduff was not born by a woman, but a man.
These are just a couple of examples where the play has what would have been contemporary jokes and references. These are important to know and understand, to appreciate the further depth and history of Shakespeare's work.