SH+2013+P6+Gun+Powder+Plot

The Gunpowder Plot 

Aim By: Aleisha Lerma

The Gunpowder Plot took place on the 5th of November, 1605 with thirteen plotters who planned to blow up the House of Lords in an failed attempt to assassinate King James I. King James strongly opposed the Catholic Church and ordered the immediate removal of all Catholic priests. The leader, Robert Catesby had recruited fellow plotters including: John Wright, Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, Guy Fawkes, Robert Keyes, Thomas Bates, Robert Wintour, Christopher Wright, JohnGrant, Ambrose Rookwood, Sir Everard Digby and Francis Tresham. One of the main conspirators, Fawkes, was give the duty of preparing and protecting the 36 explosive gunpowder barrels in the basement. The plot was a disaster, “The plot failed when one of the conspirators anonymously warned his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle, not to attend the opening of Parliament” (ABC Clio). Guy Fawkes was found in the basement of the House of Lords and was arrested and tortured until the officials achieved the names of his conspirators. When the names were uncovered, four of the men were killed during arrest. The other eight were tried and hung for conspiracy.

Works Cited: Chris Trueman, “The Gunpowder Plot of 1605.” History Learning Site. History Learning Site 2013. Web. 12 November 2013.

Audience By: Mason Zerbe The purpose of the Gunpowder plot was to kill the king, therefore making him one of the most important observers of the incident. However pretty much any other catholic who heard about this would be important. Through the actions taken to kill the king, even if unsuccessful, could inspire other people. It would really change people's views to know that someone else had come so close to killing the king. It would greatly affect Shakespeare’s writing specifically in Macbeth. Shakespeare was someone close to some of the conspirators and wanted to show that he had no intentions against the king. He did his best to make this apparent in his play Macbeth. This did not cause any immense changes to his writing that would hinder his audience confused by his sudden change in character, but rather smaller details that had to looked for.

Works Cited: Chris Trueman, “The Gunpowder Plot of 1605.” History Learning Site. History Learning Site 2013. Web. 12 November 2013.

Historical By: Camille Spendlove The Gunpowder Plot has had a major effect on history, even though the plot itself completely failed. The plot was created, hoping that after the “deaths of so many of England's Protestant leaders would ignite a revolt by the suppressed English Catholics” (abc-clio). If the plot had worked, it would have radically changed the government through its leadership. In

Shakespeare’s MacBeth, it asks the question of what would happen to history if the king was killed (Marotous). The play was quite possibly affected by the plot that so recently happened in that time because the author relates points back to the attempted assassination. Shakespeare asks the people what would happen if the king had not been so fortunate and died, initiating fears among the people of England for their leaders. After the attempt, there was a flourish in anti-Catholicism that followed. Many theories have also spread about the Gunpowder Plot since the 1600s, making the crime and play live through history.

Works Cited: "Gunpowder Plot." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Marotous, George. "The Gunpowder Plot." Macbeth Historical Background Gunpowder Plot. Melbourne High School, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.

Cultural By: Blaire Krakowitz The Gunpowder Plot had and continues to have a major impact on modern culture because of the chaos that it would have caused had it succeeded. If England’s king had been murdered along with a great number of Parliament members, hysteria and, quite likely, a large amount of fighting would have broken out among the English people. An event that could have caused such a massive amount of mayhem made a large impact on the minds of those living at the time, including famous playwright William Shakespeare. His tragic play Macbeth, written not long after the Gunpowder Plot, was largely inspired by the controversy. A website that specializes on this play and its background states that Shakespeare “wrote it to show what might happen if a king, in this case King Duncan, were to be murdered, and his play would have embodied the worries and fears of the English people at that uncertain time” (Marotous). Macbeth describes the murder of a king by a noble who rises to power and the death and violence that follows the murder. The play is tragic because of the hero’s decline into evil as well as the civil war that results from Macbeth’s actions. This parallels the actions of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators, who wanted Catholics to rise to power in England. Like in Macbeth, civil war most likely would have followed the king’s death had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded. Macbeth reflected the fears of the English people and continues to influence culture today due to its intense themes of evil, ambition, destiny, and corruption. The play has been adapted countless times and is often read in English classes and studied by scholars. Through Macbeth, a play that recounts what might have happened had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded, the Gunpowder Plot lives on and continues to affect modern culture.

Works Cited: Marotous, George. "The Gunpowder Plot." Macbeth Historical Background Gunpowder Plot. Melbourne High School, 14 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.