Possible first performance of Macbeth
- When
- 1606
- Where
- Unknown
- Episodes
- 2
Macbeth is estimated to have been first performed in 1606, though the specific date of 1 August is unsupported. The only recorded eyewitness account from Shakespeare's lifetime dates to 1610. Scholarly consensus places the composition in 1606, potentially influenced by the Gunpowder Plot aftermath.
Episodes
- Estimated First Performance
Macbeth is estimated to have been first performed in 1606, with the specific date of 1 August 1606 being a placeholder lacking primary source confirmation.
- Scholarly Dating Evidence
Scholars date the play to 1606 based on allusions to the Gunpowder Plot, Henry Garnet's execution, and the ship 'Tiger', though some argue for an earliest date of 1603.
Background and detail
Performance Date Uncertainty. The play is estimated to have been first performed in 1606. However, the specific date of 1 August 1606 is not supported by primary evidence. The only eyewitness account from Shakespeare's lifetime records a performance at the Globe on 20 April 1610, indicating the 1606 date is an estimate rather than a documented event.
Scholarly Consensus on Composition. Many scholars agree that Macbeth was written in 1606, citing internal allusions to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and its trials. References to the execution of Henry Garnet and the ship 'Tiger' support a composition date in 1606, though some argue for an earliest date of 1603.
People involved
- William Shakespeare · Playwright
- Simon Forman · Eyewitness
Sources
- Macbeth Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.