James VI of Scotland, the only son of Mary, Queen of Scots, began his rule in 1567 at the precocious age of 13 months. He added England to his realm in 1603, ruling both countries as James VI and I until his death in 1625.
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Shakespeare, and theatres in general, had lost their good relationship with Elizabeth I by the end of her reign. So it would have been a cause of some relief to actors and dramatists that, on being crowned King, James reopened theatres and took under his wing nine actors, including Shakespeare – honouring them with the title of The King’s Men. This company regularly performed at court, sometimes up to 15 times a year. It could be argued that it was this greater security that freed up Shakespeare to concentrate on some of his greatest works, and it can be little wonder that flattering references to James begin to creep into his work. Early on, Shakespeare inserted an addendum to his description of Elizabeth in Henry VIII, writing of James that: “His honour and the greatness of his name / Shall be, and make new nations.” However, it is perhaps in Macbeth that Shakespeare’s desire to applaud the King, who had done so much to turn his fortunes around, can best be seen. That King James influenced the choice of play can be little doubted. Macbeth is historically inaccurate and appears to flatter King James: the character of Banquo, from whom James was said to be descended, is described as noble and incorruptible, a very different description from that given by Holinshed, an English chronicler whose writings inspired many of Shakespeare’s works. James himself was terrified of the occult. When he was nearly shipwrecked in a storm on his return from Norway and Denmark, he blamed witchcraft for his near-death. Shortly afterwards, he attended the North Berwick Witch Trials, the first major persecution under the Witchcraft Act of 1563, where a number of locals were convicted of causing the shipwreck in league with the devil. James was known to attend the torture of witches in person, and became so obsessed that in 1597 he wrote the Dæmonologie, a book which promoted the use of witch-finding and witch-trials. It is not hard to see in the witches’ scene in Macbeth, with their “eye of newt and toe of frog” boiling away in their cauldron, a fictional rendition of the scene alleged to have taken place in North Berwick. The King must have enjoyed the play, and continued to support both Shakespeare and the rest of the acting troupe. Shortly after the first performance, Shakespeare and his company moved from the Globe to Blackfriars – a smaller, more expensive theatre, where the increase in admission prices brought great wealth and status to Shakespeare. Such was the regard in which James is known to have held Shakespeare, it has led to rumours that the playwright became involved in the writing of the King James Bible. The translation was undertaken by 47 scholars and whilst there is no proof that Shakespeare was among them, a strange puzzle in Psalm 46 points, for some, to his involvement. In the Psalm, the 46th word from the start is “shake” and the 46th word from the end of the text is “spear”. Whilst this is perhaps a fanciful notion, there can be little doubt that the translators would have known Shakespeare’s work and may well have been influenced by his style and use of English as they undertook their translation. As for King James, by supporting both Shakespeare, and for commissioning his Bible, he has arguably done more than anyone to influence the English language, helping to shape it into what it is today.Donate to us: support independent, intelligent, in-depth Scottish journalism from just 3p a day
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