Macbeth Novel Essays (579 words) - Characters In Macbeth

Macbeth Novel Macbeth was one of William Shakespeare's finest plays. Although many people have read Macbeth, not many people know that King Macbeth of Scotland actually existed and what influenced Shakespeare to write about him. English culture and society as well as the historical figure Macbeth impacted Shakespeare's infamous play. The historical King Macbeth reigned in Scotland for 17 years from 1040-1057. He had a wife named Coruoch and a stepson named Luloch. Although Macbeth did kill Duncan, he was not the gentle king as described in Macbeth. Killing a king was not uncommon at this time as, Macbeth's 7-9 predecessors were killed as well. In 1050, Macbeth went on a religious pilgrimage to Rome to seek absolution for Duncan's death. Unlike Macbeth, Malcolm (rather than Macduff) killed the historical Macbeth. Luloch, known as the "Idiot," reigned for five months after Macbeth's death until Malcom overthrew him. Although there are differences between Shakespeare's Macbeth and the historical figure Macbeth, it is obvious that Shakespeare based his character on this Scottish king. The person who influenced Shakespeare to write Macbeth was King James I of England, who reigned from 1566 to 1625. King James, who was also known as King James 6 of Scotland, succeeded the throne of Queen Elizabeth. James' mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was known as a tragic queen since she killed James father. At age sixteen, rivals kidnapped James and at age 20, James' mother was executed. King James was intellectual, scholarly, and an"insatiable curiost." His ideal of heaven was the Oxford Library. In 1584, while he was only 18 years old, James wrote Essays of Apprentice in Fine Arts of Poetry. He discussed a new translation of the bible, The Authorized Version, which is the most popular bible today. James also wrote in defense of the Divine Right of Kings- that kings were chosen by God, but they must rule well. King James succeeded in ruling an authoritarian government, but he ruled no better than today's democratic governments. He was known as the wisest fool in Christendom. James was also eager for social reform. He wrote A Counterblast to Tobacco, which is much like the anti-smoking campaigns of modern times. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, he was obviously aware of James concern with witchcraft. King James wrote the Daemonologie, an account of his experiences with witchcraft. Once a witch tried to melt James' image in wax, and another witch tried to poison him with toad venom. James is skeptical of witchcraft, but does not dismiss it. One significant event during King James' reign was the gunpowder plot. A party of Christian zealots attempted to blow up Parliament. Henry Garnet, a Jesuit, knew of the plot but lied under questioning sine he thought it was justifiable to conceal the truth. James resented this, and many people sympathized with him. The writing of Macbeth was aimed at the head of King James. James was Scottish, like Macbeth, and enjoyed the play. Shakespeare and his actors were known as the "King's Men" and Grooms of the Chamber. They received increased pay and production time. King James found an ancestor in Banquo and believed that man could ally himself with evil, but cannot create it. Macbeth emphasized the savagery of Scotland, which was all too real for James, who knew the throne of Scotland was worth struggling for. It was King James who conceived the term "Great Britain" when he united England and Scotland. Macbeth was deliberately written for King James I, who influenced many factors of the play. While Macbeth was a real king, Shakespeare intertwined the history of Macbeth with events of King James' life to create this masterpiece.

5 Powerful Words and Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Leader

5 Powerful Words and Phrases That Make You Sound Like a Leader Words have an incredible amount of power. Using the right words in the right setting can be a tool with enormous potential. Your choices in phrasing  can make you respected or reviled. Great leaders use words to inspire, intimidate, engage. Here are 5  phrases great and powerful leaders use- and you should too, if you’d like to  sound like a leader.1. â€Å"And†Saying â€Å"and† instead of â€Å"or† shows that you don’t think in terms of black and white, and you don’t limit your options. You add a third possibility to every either/or situation by adding the idea of both. Even if it doesn’t work out that way, there’s no use limiting your options just by the words you choose to delineate them.2. â€Å"Why†You know how little kids have that phase of â€Å"Why? Why? Why?†? Ask yourself why adults don’t use the word more often. It’s a great way to engage with the situation at hand, think outside the box, understand the problem, and come up with a more targeted and inspiring solution.3. â€Å"Tell me more.†Your impulse is to say â€Å"no.† How about saying â€Å"tell me more† instead? You might be missing something. Either way, you give your questioner  the chance to make a better case. If you  withhold your judgment until you have a more nuanced sense of what it is you’re judging, you’ll see more of the situation before deciding. It also signifies that you are willing to listen- even if you end up saying â€Å"no† in the end. Great leaders are good listeners.4. â€Å"Whether†We often get caught up in how we’re going to do something and bogged down in details of how to accomplish a task that might not be worth all the time and effort if examined more closely. If you remember to ask â€Å"whether† it’s worth approaching first, then you can save yourself and your team a lot of wasted resources and energy. As k â€Å"how† second.5. â€Å"What do you think we should do?†This is not just a great way of getting ideas from your colleagues, it’s a good way of thinking outside the box, seeing things through others’ eyes, and not limiting the variety of options at hand. You call can brainstorm together and bounce ideas off one another. Asking this question makes you the ultimate team player, someone who knows he needs others to get the task at hand done. Plus: discussion always encourages innovation. Everybody wins.