In 1606, Shakespeare wrote Macbeth for King James VI of Scotland, after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Macbeth was set in various locations in Scotland; and also briefly in England. Shakespeare continues to grasp the relevance of the Gunpowder Plot, Elizabethan notions of kingship, and the importance of witchcraft. The Gunpowder Plot (1605) was a plot to destroy the Houses of Parliament and kill the king; Fortunately, this attempt was somewhat unsuccessful and Macbeth thus describes the basic mood of the times. King James looks so much like the portrait Shakespeare paints for King Duncan, and so having a play with a very strong warning is useful because it discourages any ambitious Macbeths from overthrowing the king, otherwise the same horrible fate would occur. for you. King James was fascinated by witchcraft and therefore began writing his Demonology in 1597, hence the supernatural theme of the play which seems particularly tropical. The three witches don't have much character on their own; they are in many ways central to the plot and themes of the play. The first scene takes place amidst thunder and lightning where the three witches plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells and prophecies. Their predictions inspire Macbeth to murder Duncan; however they do not invite him to kill and do not suggest anything either. When Banquo says: "What! can the devil speak the truth? (1, 3, 107), we do not really know if they fulfill their own prophecies, nor where they get their knowledge from. Their speech is full of paradoxes and equivocations; because they represent a malignant and demonic intelligence As the whole play revolves around Duncan's murder, I think he has a minor role but is an important character...... middle of paper. .....36).Shakespeare uses blank verse for dialogue between characters to elevate the poetry of the drama and punctuation marks are added at the end of each line to reinforce the rhythm in order to complete many. scenes, rhyming couplets are used to create suspense, for example when Macbeth murders Duncan and declares: “Listen not, Duncan; for it is a death knell / That calls you to heaven or hell (2, 1. , 63-64).In conclusion, Shakespeare's writing features many double meaning puns and clever rhetorical flourishes. York Notes on “Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare, ISBN: 978-0582505919DVDMacbeth (1971) John Finch, Francesca AnnisDirected by: Roman Polanski