When was Macbeth first performed?

The play was first performed around 1606, shortly after it was written. Macbeth is closely tied to the early years of King James I’s reign, and its themes and characters—especially its portrayal of Banquo as noble—reflect that political moment.

Shakespeare’s company had just become the King’s Men under James’s patronage in 1603, and Macbeth reads almost like a work shaped for that new royal audience. Its focus on Scottish history, kingship, and the dangers of regicide would have carried particular weight in a court still thinking about questions of loyalty and succession. Seen in that light, the play’s themes of power, legitimacy, and ambition would have felt especially relevant to its earliest audiences.