Arguably the greatest playwright of his time, perhaps in all of history, William Shakespeare's literary works had an enormous impact (see Appendix 2). Reaching the pop culture of the modern world through films and quotes used in everyday conversations, Shakespeare's influence is astonishing (see Appendix 1). However, we rarely stop to think about the events that had an impact on Shakespeare's life, particularly his writing. The outbreak of the plague, social disparity, political unrest, just some of the historical events that had an impact on Shakespeare's works, including Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Henry IV. Macbeth. The basic setting of Macbeth is a man named Lord Macbeth who usurps the Scottish throne. by the legitimate sovereign. Shakespeare's writing was based on Holinshed's "Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (1577), the authoritative historical text of the period". In this historical tale there are stories of murder, deception and tradition, from which Shakespeare draws inspiration for Macbeth. The way Macbeth killed his king is extremely similar to how one of King Duff's servants ended his life. Around 1605, when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, King James I had recently ascended the throne of England after having been known as King James IV of Scotland. Macbeth's Scottish identity is a tribute to James I's Scottish upbringing and heritage (www.westirondequoit.org). The outbreak of the plague during Shakespeare's lifetime is reflected in his writings, resulting in a much larger number of tragedies than comedies. It is speculated that the tragic deaths of his main characters were a reference to important people in his life dying unexpectedly. There were times when the plague…… middle of paper……y IV. "Henry IV". August 1996. http://dsc.dixie.edu/shakespeare/henry4ess.htm Princeton University. Great Plague of London. "Epidemic." February 2014. http://www.prince-ton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Great_Plague_of_London.html Sommerville, JP Economy and Society in Modern England. "Health, mortality and population". February 2014. http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/361-02.htmSommerville, JP Economy and Society in Early Modern England. "Social structure". February 2014. http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/361/361-02.htmSparknotes. Romeo and Juliet. "Context." February 2014. http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/context.html Thomson Gale. The historical context of Macbeth. "The Historical Context of Macbeth". February 2007. http://www.westirondequoit.org/ihs/library/his.html