Setting

Click on the images below to find out more about the setting of Macbeth and what we know about where the play is set.

Scotland is ruled by a king.
In Scotland there is a belief in supernatural forces and witchcraft, including spirits.
There is a hierarchy in Scotland in which ‘thanes’ can inherit or be given their title.
Scotland has been at war, crushing a rebellion and defeating Norwegian support.
There is an accepted religion in which people believe in the devil or a force of evil and the fact that murder is a sin.
There are two nearby countries of England and Ireland. England eventually helps Malcolm to raise an army and defeat Macbeth.

Every performance of Macbeth will be set in a place that has all of the things above but they can do that in lots of different ways. For example, the play does not have to be set in Scotland. It could be set in any situation with a regime change, such as the murder of a contemporary dictator or a cold war coup.

Why do you think it might be helpful for modern audiences to change the world of a play? What worlds can you think of where Macbeth might be set?

Teacher Notes

On this page students can explore some of the key things that we know about the setting of Macbeth by clicking on the pictures.

You can use these pictures, or other images, as a starting point to discuss what they know about the setting of the play and to think about where they would set the play if they were creating their own production. A great way of doing this visually is for students to create a mood board or collage of images that could be used as design inspiration.

The activity in the Teacher Notes on the Productions page develops on this and asks students to think about how characters react to the supernatural.