Relationship Between Context, Text & Values

Times change, and alongside it so does society's values and beliefs. Inevitably a composer of any time would be heavily influenced by heir milieu and its prominent values. Such values are embedded in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth. It is evident in the play how Shakespeare's crafty characterisation, significant themes and the clever use of language techniques has contributed to the relationship between context, text and values. Shakespeare's Macbeth was composed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth/ King Jacob. Macbeth is a world renowned play and all modern adaptations are based on the 17th century version. It was in this time period in England many of the social and cultural values were being questioned which gave rise to new ideologies, such is apparent in Macbeth.

Despite being set in Scotland 'Macbeth' had to cater for an English audience and therefore directly reflected the values held in the Jacobean/Elizabethan England. A key values demonstrated by Shakespeare is Macbeths ambition to gain power. We have a great insight into what power can do, and how blind it can make a person to moral reason and common sense. Throughout the play we see how the ambition for power has led to Macbeth and Lady Macbeths downfall. However the question remains whether all this chaos was the witches making or whether it was all Macbeths doing. We can agree that the witches planted the seed, but it was Macbeth who took it into his own hands and made the prophecy come true, as the witches never prophesised that Macbeth had to kill to become King. This is an example of the relation the context, text and values share as Shakespeare demonstrate witches as the cause of the evil just as they were viewed in the society, in fact belief in witchcraft during the composing of Macbeth was at a high as the monarch King Jacob was a strong believer in demonology.

Another contextual reference Shakespeare made in order to communicate the theme of ambition and power is fate over free will. Similar to the 'Great Chain Being' the English society held strong belief in something called the 'Wheel of Fate' in that everyone's actions were predetermined and that nothing could be changed by ones actions. However one wonders whether fate was responsible for Macbeth's downfall or whether it was his own doing. We see a lot of evidence that Macbeth's future is caused by his own will or free choice. Once the witches disappear and their first prediction is confirmed by Ross; Macbeth begins to deliberate whether or not the "supernatural soliciting" is a bad thing as expressed in his paradox "Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill, Why hath it given me earnest of success... if good, why do I yield to that suggestion, Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair". It is clear at this point Macbeth's thoughts have turned to murdering Duncan as he is the one who stands in the way of the prophecy coming true as long as Duncan is the king Macbeth is not. However the irony lies in Macbeth's reaction to the images he says "Whose horrid image unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs..." he is a warrior a swordsmen and yet the idea of killing in his mind is 'horrid' to him. Essentially he knows it's wrong to kill the man he just defended in battle. All of his thoughts and actions to come is a result of his free will not fate or prophecy. Hence through the values of fate over free will Shakespeare has shown the relationship between context, text and values.

Another contextual reference made by Shakespeare is the reference to 'The Great Chain of Being' however, in this time of flux this system was being questioned and as a result it gave rise to the idea of humanism. Under the belief of the great chain of being everyone and everything had a set place in the society and any change in the order would bring chaos. This aspect of Elizabethan society is also represented in Macbeth as when the murder of Duncan is discovered Ross says "Duncan's horse... Turned wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, Contending 'gainst obedience...".