Arguably the greatest playwright of his time, perhaps in all of history, William Shakespeare's literary works had a considerable impact (see Appendix 2) . Penetrating 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, especially his writings. The plague outbreak, social disparities, political unrest, some of the historical events that had an impact on Shakespeare's plays including Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Henry IV. Macbeth. The basic setting of Macbeth is a man named Lord Macbeth usurping the Scottish throne. of the legitimate ruler. Shakespeare's writing was based on Holinshed's "Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1577), the authoritative historical text of the time." Within this historical tale, there are stories of murder, deception, and tradition, from which Shakespeare draws inspiration for Macbeth. The way Macbeth murdered his king is extremely similar to the way one of King Duff's servants ended his life. Around 1605, when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, King James I had just ascended the throne of England after being known as King James IV of Scotland. Macbeth's Scottish identity is a nod to James I's original Scottish upbringing and heritage (www.westirondequoit.org). The outbreak of plague during Shakespeare's life was reflected in his writings, resulting in a far more massive number of tragedies than comedies. It is assumed that the tragic death of its main characters refers to the unexpected deaths of important people in its life. There have been periods 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 Early 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