DAVINA: Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, and it was written around the year 1605, when he was well into his career. It’s considered one of his great tragedies, along with Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear.
RALPH: Macbeth is based on historical events that occurred in 11th-century Scotland. Part of what Davina and I will be doing is explaining the play’s historical context. 
DAVINA: Actually, we’ll be explaining two historical contexts – that of 11th-century Scotland, when the events of the play take place, but also that of Shakespeare’s 1605 England, because Shakespeare was writing for an audience with beliefs, customs, and experiences often very different from ours. 
RALPH: By the time he wrote Macbeth, Shakespeare had already written a number of “history” plays, as scholars call them, in which historical events and their political ramifications are explored.
DAVINA: Although Macbeth deals with important political events in Scotland’s early history, it is not technically a “history” play. Using historical events for inspiration, the play is more of a psychological drama focusing on the two main characters, Macbeth, and his wife, Lady Macbeth.
RALPH: The play is concerned with the conflict between political ambition and loyalty, the difficulty of achieving peace and happiness while haunted by guilt and insecurity, and the fragility of one’s sanity when living in a state of fear.
DAVINA: It is these timeless psychological elements in the play, along with Shakespeare’s genius as a writer, that make Macbeth so engaging and enjoyable 400 years after it was first performed.