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Setting in Macbeth
In this resource, you’ll find a background to Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” and its historical, cultural and political setting.
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SETTING IN MACBETHSETTING IN MACBETH
• Macbeth is set in Scotland - it’s part of the United Kingdom, but a separate country from
England. The country is in the far North, and it is known for dramatic weather and wild
landscapes - particularly the moors or ‘blasted heath’ upon which we meet the Witches. The
opening of the play begins this way: [Thunder and Lightning. Enter three Witches]. A storm is
brewing and they talk of ‘rain’. This creates a dark, dramatic mood that lasts throughout the play,
using pathetic fallacy to foreshadow the brutal events that are about to come.
• The play is set in the 11th Century. Shakespeare wrote it in 1606, so it is set about 500-600
years before the time of writing. It is in some senses based on historical events; Macbeth was a
real king, though Shakespeare alters his behaviour and personality a lot to suit his own story.
• Within the play, there are many changes of setting. Macbeth moves from his own castle at
Inverness to Dunsinane when he becomes king. The Witches are always depicted in wild,
implacable landscapes. Pay attention to the different atmosphere of each place, and think about
how it reflects the action of the scene:
» The barren moorland / A desert place - the opening of the play
» A cavern - an unspecified place where the witches meet in Act 4
» Duncan’s army camp at Forres - Duncan’s base of military operations during the war with
Norway and the Scottish rebels
» Macbeth’s castle at Inverness - in the North of Scotland
» Dunsinane Hill - the castle that the Macbeths move into once Macbeth is king England -
another kingdom to the south of Scotland
» Macduff’s castle at Fife - where Lady Macduff and their son are killed
» Birnam Wood - the forest that Malcolm’s soldiers cut down as they march towards
Dunsinane
• In Shakespeare’s time there were no settings onstage - so audiences had to imagine castles and
backdrops themselves.
• Most of the scenes take place either in darkness at night, or in a foggy atmosphere. How do
these two atmospheric conditions contribute to the mood and overall feeling of the play?
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