Theme Of Kingship In Macbeth

Therefore, at the beginning of the play, Macbeth is dishonoring Duncan by having treasonous thoughts. Macbeth claims to have a great deal of respect, and a close bond with the King. The problem is Macbeth’s mindset and actions do not show much

Even though they associate themselves through contradictory manners, they demonstrate what a prince should avoid when ruling. After receiving the crown, Macbeth rules with characteristics that belong to a tyrant which created fear in his people. In Act 3, Scene 6, Lennox refers to MacBeth as a tyrant, “His presence at the tyrant’s feast” (Shakespeare 115). At this point, the lords have become to hate him. This foreshadows his downfall according to Machiavelli, “...one of the most efficacious remedies that a prince can have against conspiracies is not to be hated and despised by the people, for he who conspires against a prince always expects to please the by his removal” (1). He can also be compared to Antoninus, a Roman emperor who killed so many people that in return he was killed. A prince who commits “such-like deaths, which are deliberately inflicted with a resolved and desperate courage, cannot be avoided...because any one who does not fear to die can inflict them”(4). This suggested by Machiavelli that he should rule so that his state respects him with a healthy dose of fear but has surpassed that showing the lordes resentment.

To be loyal to the king is to have integrity, to show this in a tragedy such as William Shakespeare’s Scottish play Macbeth, the use of literary devices is mandatory. Shakespeare showcases a variety in character and plot development; he manipulates this ability he possesses to dissolve the character’s integrity within the play. The overall thematic message of the play is ‘Disloyalty to the king means to lose integrity, and to lose integrity is to be destroyed.’ Macbeth shows his integrity in Act one, Scene two. Shakespeare proves Macbeth possesses integrity in Act one, Scene two. Macbeth’s integrity becomes undone in Act two, Scene two, consequently, the complete destruction of his honour is delivered in a killing blow in Act Five, Scene eight.

Macbeth had two valid reasons to not commit regicide. One was that he was the king’s relative and subject and secondly, he was the king’s host and he should protect the king at all costs. And this loyal man did fulfil his duty to protect.

Initially, Macbeth is viewed as a brave and loyal soldier, with Duncan praising him by expressing that “More is thy due than more than all can pay” (1.4.21). At this point, he has not been influenced by the three witches. Yet, by Duncan implying his importance, Macbeth gains a sense of self-worth and this arouses power within. His clear desire to be titled Thane of Cawdor while then having a growing temptation to commit regicide clearly demonstrate the early stages of his corruption and forms a basis for utilizing illegitimate power.

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play.

Initially, Macbeth’s ambition for power is subdued by his longing to hold onto his honor and dignity. Unfortunately, Macbeth lets go of his integrity and kills the unguarded Duncan and so in an attempt to keep the guilt of his deeds to himself, distances himself from not only his wife but also has one of his closest friends murdered. Finally, Macbeth’s thirst for power and greatness emptied him of everything he had; dignity, respect, and honor. Ultimately, motivation that is founded on selfish reasons leads one down a path that strippes one of everthing they have and so takes away any meaning to

In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, destruction is wrought when ambition goes rampant by moral constraints. “Macbeth” amplifies the fight amidst good vs evil, analyzing the psychological effects of King Duncan's murder. This tragedy concerned the plunge of a great man (King) from his position of nobility to humility on behalf of his ambitious pride. This pride causes the downfall of Macbeth that triggers a series of deaths down the line. Ambition is the driving force of the play.

In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare displays acts of violence and ferocity to distract the miserable life everyone was living in England. Macbeth is a man who becomes hungry for power and desires to take control by murdering everyone who gets in his way of kingship. Macbeth discovers, from a prophecy given to him by three witches, that he will become king. When Macbeth's ambition vanquishes his moral judgement, he gruesomely slaughters the current king and fulfils the prophecy.

Shakespeare is one of the most influential and famous playwrights of modern times. A major reason his work is loved by so many is because of his insightfulness into the human mind, and one of Shakespeare’s greatest works demonstrating this is Macbeth. This famous play is about nobleman and military man Macbeth and how his tragic choices lead to his inevitable demise. The first and most trying choice that Macbeth has to make is whether or not to kill Duncan, the king of Scotland. Macbeth has to make this decision while being pulled in different directions by two conflicting forces. The force pulling him away from murder is his loyalty and humanity towards Duncan. The other force pulling him towards murder is his loyalty towards Lady Macbeth

The contravention of treason serves as the pivotal point of Shakespeare’s play- the legal context in Elizabethan era helps one understand Macbeth’s rationale for killing King Duncan - and fundamentally, the reason guilt and anxiety tormented Macbeth’s psyche. During Shakespeare’s life, treason laws had already been established in England; the Treason Act of 1351 delineates the actions of an individual that would subject one to prosecution under treason laws; the act defined treason as any actions that were disloyal to the Crown, including the assassination of the sovereign, instigating rebellion and adhering to the enemies of the kingdom. Consequently, those guilty of treason would be dragged across the ground until their bones would break

King Duncan has been invited into Macbeth’s home, to dine and enjoy himself. He expects to have a great time and is ridiculously thankful, yet what makes this ironic is the fact that the hostess that he is praising is conspiring to kill him-he will be murdered that night. This represents the duplicitous nature of Macbeth, as the outward nobility of his character is contrasted greatly to his true spirit.

With detailed reference to the characters of Macbeth, Duncan, Malcolm and Edward in the play ‘Macbeth’, analyse William Shakespeare’s ideas and attributes towards kingship and assess what you think the audiences reaction to the play would be at the time.

too weak to lead his army into war and has to rely on the Thanes. He

‘Macbeth’ is a play by William Shakespeare that shows a protagonist going from bad to worse throughout the play. Shakespeare wrote this play, taking in mind current affairs at the time of 1603-1606. This is the time when a Scottish king, James I was given the English crown. This king was obsessed with witches, so Shakespeare brought this theme strongly into the play. It also brings the theme of treachery towards the King. This pleased King James and also pleased him about showing the line of Stuart Kings, James descendants, in Act 4, Scene 1.