The play MacBeth, by William Shakespeare, was written in 1606 for the social context at the time. It can be said that this is the perfect example of where the viewer has to be aware of the social context in which it was written so that it may be fully understood. Although there may be an easily accessed overall story line, aspects such as social order, kingship, the order of being, the supernatural and the language used are no longer prominent in today's society and can both block a viewer from making meaning of the play, and completely change the way in which it is interpreted.

In Elizabethan times, witches were a reality. The king of Scotland, James 1st, was a firm believer in witchery and this placed a large influence on the audience that Shakespeare was to write MacBeth for. People of the time believed that witches had certain powers that included creating storms, having demon 'followers,' the ability to transform into animals and the prediction of the future. Witches were associated with disorder in nature, which meant the disruption of the right of a king. Because of this, they were believed to be palpably evil. In

Although it is in great debate as to whether or not they are to blame for the corruption of MacBeth, Shakespeare's society would have had no doubt in holding them responsible. However, today witches are much of a myth and as a result, modern viewers would question just how evil these witches are. It is fair to say that Shakespeare was making a statement, saying that maybe the current persecution of witches that was taking place under James' rule was an unnecessary action that was in fact a jump to the conclusion that all women who defied masculine power and looked like 'the inhabitants of the earth' could possibly be innocent victims of a society looking to point the finger of blame at someone. Without the knowledge of the social context that existed in Shakespeare's time, we would overlook the underlying message embedded in such characters such as the witches in MacBeth.

Men on the other hand, represent the civil order. This is in itself already placing masculinity above any females in the text. Elizabethan society would have accepted this as being normal, however a modern audience would interpret it as sexist and unnatural. In comparison, there are two completely different meanings being made from the same situation, purely because society has changed. If we acknowledge the beliefs and social contexts of Shakespeare's times, we can appreciate what gender was like in his era and understand and reason with the story in a view that could previously not have been taken.

Another prominent belief at the time was that of 'cosmic order' and the 'Chain of Being'. The universe was thought to be in certain order such that the earth stood the centre and

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