'Macbeth' is set in various parts of Scotland
Here's a plan of the important places in the play, showing where all the important action happens.
Theatre was an important form of entertainment
There was no TV, radio or internet in Shakespeare's time, so going to the theatre was really popular.
The theatre wasn't just for rich people - Shakespeare audiences included servants and labourers. Audiences could get rowdy during performances.
The poorer people in the audience stood in front of the stage - if it rained, they got wet. The richer people sat in the covered galleries above.
Shakespeare's theatre company, the King's Men (previously called the Lord Chamberlain's Men), performed in the Globe Theatre in London. This was rebuilt in 1997.
It was illegal for women to act, so the women's parts were played by young boys (even Lady Macbeth...).
ACT 1 Scene 2
Glossary
PAGE 2
Alarum trumpet call to battle
broil battle
nave to th’chaps navel to the jaws
surveying vantage seeing an opportunity
furbished polished, cleaned
PAGE 3
composition a peace treaty
deign permit
bosom interest heartfelt concerns
present immediate
CAST - Lines to Learn
Background Information
