In 1606, less than a year after the Gunpowder Plot, Shakespeare was undoubtedly influenced by Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators in writing Macbeth. However, there are also some intriguing personal details that may make the bond between these two influential figures even more compelling. For William Shakespeare, writing for two contrasting monarchs: Queen Elizabeth I and King James I (King James VI of Scotland) meant his works often concerned the political life of the nation. Arguably one of the most influential moments came in November 1605 with the discovery of Guy Fawkes beneath Westminster Hall preparing to light a fuse that would bring death to Parliament and its King.
What Family Connections Did Shakespeare Have with Guy Fawkes?
The most direct link between William Shakespeare and the Gunpowder Plot is via his father, John Shakespeare. John Shakespeare’s true faith is the subject of debate. However, what is known is that illegal Catholic writings were found in the attic of John Shakespeare’s home in Stratford Upon Avon. He was also known to have been friends with William Catesby, father of Robert Catesby (lead conspirator of the Gunpowder Plot). Furthermore, William Shakespeare’s mother’s family, Mary Arden, was descended from a family known for their Catholic faith which had seen several of the family imprisoned and even executed for an attempted assassination of Elizabeth I.
With so many close connections to Catholic sympathisers and radicals, William Shakespeare may have felt compelled to make his loyalty to the Protestant King James I explicit by writing Macbeth.
How Did Shakespeare Address Treason/ the Divine Right of Kings?
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterWhen James VI of Scotland ascended the English throne as King James I he was immediately met with a troubled country. Catholics had been oppressed under Queen Elizabeth I and they would continue to face persecution under their new king. Debate over who should rightfully sit on the English throne mingled political and religious concerns making it an uneasy transition for King James. Although Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot is the most famous of the plots against King James’s life, it was far from the only one. Therefore, Shakespeare (under the King’s patronage) would have felt urged to address the public on the subject of the divine right of kings. The description of the murdered King Duncan as possessing silver skin and golden blood gives the monarch a saintly appearance.
To make the point clearer still, the scene of the crime is described by Macduff: “Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the Lord’s anointed temple, and stole thence the life o’ the building.” There is no ambiguity that regicide is the most terrible of crimes. In the play, the the murder of King Duncan also has a catastrophic impact on the natural world at times describing apocalyptic scenes of floods, storms and cannibalism amongst animals. With vivid imagery, Shakespeare’s play upholds the status quo of hereditary succession and gives a warning to those who would dare to follow in Guy Fawkes’s steps.
How Did the Grisly Execution Affect Shakespeare?
The first death in Macbeth is the reported one of the traitorous Macdonald. The thane has betrayed his king by supporting the invading ‘Norweyan’ force. In the first act of Macbeth, Shakespeare describes the thane’s death in grisly detail “unseamed from the nave to the chops…fixed his head upon the battlements.” Presumably as a stark warning to other would be traitors. Although the thane is killed in battle (by Macbeth), the manner of his death is striking in its similarity to another ‘traitor’ who would have been well known to the original audience.
The execution of Guy Fawkes is perhaps one of the most famous in English history. With wood block carvings of his torture and eventual execution showing in detail the effects of being hung, drawn and quartered. After death, Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters faced the final indignity of their body parts being distributed “to the four corners of the kingdom” as a warning to others. An uncannily similar fate to described both at the beginning and the end of Shakespeare’s play (where Macbeth’s head is the final warning) so that the message is clear to all.
What Role Did the Mermaid Tavern in Cheapside Play?
A popular drinking haunt of Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators, The Mermaid Tavern was once a fixture of Cheapside’s nightlife. It was home to an (in)famous Elizabethan-era drinking club: ‘The Mermaid Club’. As well as being a known location for the Gunpowder plotters to meet, a number of literary minds also found inspiration there: John Donne, Ben Jonson and Francis Beaumont are known to have spent time there. Most significantly, Shakespeare is rumoured to have frequently met with his acting troupe here (a rumour, alas, unproven).
The tavern burnt down during the Great Fire of 1666, but its legend as a hive of activity is memorialised in the poem Lines on a Mermaid Tavern by John Keats. Perhaps suggesting that Shakespeare rubbed shoulders with Guy Fawkes is a stretch…but it is certainly possible.
