Episode 0: Introduction

00:00:00 - Good morning. Today I will be telling you the introduction of the book Macbeth of

00:00:09 - William Shakespeare about the author. William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 points and is probably the most important writer and poet in

00:00:25 - English Literature. He was born in Stratford, upon Avon, England in 1564. We don't know many details about Shakespeare's personal life. We know that he married in Hathaway in 1582 and they had three children together. Around 1590 he traveled to London where he worked as an actor and wrote plays.

00:00:54 - Shakespeare wrote during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, and both monarchs admire his work greatly. Shakespeare returned to Stratford and died in 1616 at the age of 52, even today more than 400 years after his death, Shakespeare plays our performance all over the world and are still very popular.

00:01:40 - Now the background.

00:01:42 - In James I becomes king of England, Shakespeare was already a successful writer and had been popular with Queen Elizabeth I. Shakespeare probably wanted to please the new ruler and remain a favorite with the royal court.

00:02:01 - So around 1666 he wrote Macbeth, a story based on a real king and it's likely that he put many elements into the play that he thought would please James.

00:02:18 - First of all, the play takes place in Scotland, where James had already been king for many years.

00:02:25 - Not only that, Banquo Macbeth Friends was an ancestor of King James, so Shakespeare made sure that he present him as a virtuous character.

00:02:38 - In addition to all this, it was well known that King James was fascinated by witches and demons, so it is likely that Shakespeare included the mysterious witches in his play to make it even more interesting for the new king.

00:02:57 - Finally, people in the early 17th century strongly believed that the monarch ruled because it was God's wish.

00:03:11 - Shakespeare probably want to show his support for the new king and demonstrate that he will live in these two.

00:03:19 - So in Macbeth he present the idea that to kill a king will never bring fortune to the people of, to the people or the country.

00:03:33 - Now the characters of this book.

00:03:36 - First we have the Hickey, the three wishes, Macbeth, the principal character, and his wife, Lady Macbeth.

00:03:47 - Thank you.