Like many of Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth was based on existing material. In this case, the source materials included a few historical documents, primarily Holinshed's "Histoirie of Scotland" from the 16th century. In it, Holinshed describes Macbeth, a king who ruled Scotland from 1040 - 1057 after defeating King Duncan I in battle. Shakespeare made changes to Macbeth's character, as well as the timeline, events, and general mood of his reign in order to make a better play. For a more thorough look at how Shakespeare changed the historical source material, see the first link.
Equally relevant to Shakespeare's creative decisions were the politics of the day. Queen Elizabeth I had recently died, leaving rule of England to King James of Scotland. The political insecurities of Macbeth's Scotland reflect the insecurities of the Jacobean period. Additionally, Shakespeare would be wise to seek the new monarch's favor and patronage, as his acting company had regularly performed for Elizabeth's court. Macbeth is full of things to interest and flatter King James, including naming the honorable Banquo as his supposed ancestor, validating his right to rule, and including supernatural elements, of which King James was particularly fond. In fact, another one of Shakespeare's sources was written by James himself in 1599: Daemonologie.
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