DAVINA:  Bear baiting was a popular sport in Shakespeare’s day. Inside a small arena filled with spectators and gamblers,  a bear was tied to a stake. Then a pack of aggressive dogs were let loose and a bloody fight to the death ensued. Hard to believe that people considered that entertainment!

RALPH:  True, but it’s a pretty good description of how Macbeth must be feeling.  Sounds like he has nowhere to turn. The enemy, like the dogs in bear baiting, have surrounded him.  

DAVINA:  Ralph, when Macbeth says that he must fight the “course,” what does that mean?

RALPH:  “Course” derives from the Latin “currere,” to run. It originally meant a race, or a charge toward an opponent. In Shakespeare’s time, it often also referred to the chase of a wild animal during a hunt. That’s how it’s used here; Macbeth can’t flee and lead his opponents on a course; he’s stuck in one location, like the bear.

DAVINA:  Makes you wonder, Ralph… I know this is just a play, but some of the same people who were watching the bear baiting back in Shakespeare’s day were coming to the theater to watch Macbeth get taken down, too.  Just how similar were these two forms of entertainment?