Kingship in Macbeth Essay

In his first appearance, nance Dun backside performs both of the basic duties of a pansy punishing the bad and rewarding the good. Upon learning of the treachery of Cawdor and the heroism of Macbeth, he says, No more that thane of Cawdor sh exclusively snitch / Our mamilla interest go pronounce his present immediate death, / And with his former title greet Macbeth (1.2.63-65). The phrase bosom interest means vital interests, provided bosom suggests that a relationship of cognise should exist amongst a major power and his subject.Soon after the witches hail him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and male monarch hereafter (1.3.50), Macbeth prevails the news that he has been named Thane of Cawdor. This news throws him into a reverie, in which he says to himself, Two truths are told, / As happy prologues to the swelling cloak / Of the imperial theme (1.3.127-129). Macbeths metaphor is dramatic, or musical he followms to be imagining himself as qualification a grand entra nce as fairy, or maybe as an emperor, a king of kings. scarce as the major power is com handsting on the treachery of the former Thane of Cawdor, in comes the new Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth. The King greets Macbeth as worthiest full cousin (1.4.14) and says in several different instructions that he cant thank him enough. Macbeth answers with heroic coldness that The service and the loyalty I owe, / In doing it, pays itself (1.4.22-23). That is, its payment enough to know that he did the good thing as a loyal servant of the King. past Macbeth adds, Your highness partIs to receive our duties and our duties are to your throne and state state argumentss, dignity children and servants, Which do that what they should, by doing every thing pencil eraser toward your love and award. (1.4.23-27)Safe toward means to secure or to safeguard the idea is that it is every subjects duty to do everything he can for the king, both to notice the king safe and to earn the kings love and respect. Macbeths speech pictures King Duncan as the loving arrive of a happy family, nevertheless Macbeth is already thinking ab prohibited killing him.When Lady Macbeth receives her husbands letter most the witches prophecies, she is that over glum that her husband is too full o the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way (1.5.17-18). But shes sure she has no such problem, and shes eager for the chance to posit him see things her way. Holding the letter, and speaking to Macbeth ( yet though he hasnt arrived yet) she says, Hie thee hither, / That I may pour my pot likker in thine ear / And chastise with the valour of my tongue / All that impedes thee from the golden round, (1.5.25-28).We might say that shes going to nag him, but she believes that she is going to enable him to reach his potential. She leave behind chastise (make him ashamed of) everything in him that prevents him from being satanic enough to be king. Shortly, Macbeth appears and ranks her that King Dunca n give be staying with them that night. Lady Macbeth declares that King Duncan will never leave their castle alive and advises Macbeth to be a good hypocrite. He must reach out the king a warm welcome, the better to kill him that night. Apparently Macbeth shows a little reluctance, because she says, He thats comingMust be provided for and you sh each(prenominal) putThis nights great business into my dispatchWhich shall to all our nights and daylights to comeGive solely sovereign sway and masterdom (1.5.66-70)Sovereign means not only kingly but also absolute. Lady Macbeth is telling her husband that if he will only do as she tells him, they will be king and queen, with power over all. To her, the essence of kingship is ruthless power.When King Duncan is greeted by Lady Macbeth, he makes a little lampoon about the social difficulties of being king. He says to herSee, see, our honourd hostessThe love that follows us sometime is our put out,Which still we thank as love. Herein I te ach youHow you shall bid God ield us for your pains,And thank us for your trouble. (1.6.10-14)Duncans whole speech is establish on our ancient custom of a guest saying something like I dont want to trouble you, and the host replying with some version of Its my pleasure. By saying that his peoples love is sometimes his trouble, King Duncan is saying that his loving people go to a great argue of trouble for him, and hes troubled by the fact that they debate all that trouble. Nevertheless, when people take trouble for him, he knows that they do it because they love their king, and so he thanks them for their love. Next, referring to himself regally as us, the King jokingly tells Lady Macbeth that hes saying all of this so that instead of him thanking her for taking trouble she will thank God and him for giving her trouble.While King Duncan is at dinner Macbeth almost dialogue himself out of the murder. He reflects that King Duncan is a good king, not arrogant or selfish. Macbeth says to himself that the king Hath borne his faculties royal powers so meek, hath been / So reach uncorrupted in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off (1.7.17-20).The day after the murder of King Duncan, Ross speaks with an old man. The elder Mans memories go back 70 years, but nothing he can remember compares to what has happened during this night I have seen / Hours dreadful and things eerie but this sore night / Hath trifled former knowings (2.4.2-4). Ross replies Ah, good father, / Thou seest, the heavens, as troubled with mans act, / Threaten his bloody stage (2.4.4-6). The heavens are the heavens above, where God lives, and they are also the focal ratio regions of Shakespeares Globe theater. Ross is saying that the heavens frown angrily (threaten) as they step rectify upon man playing his part on the stage of life, which has been made bloody by the murder of King Duncan. King Duncan s hould have been honored and loved, so his murder was unnatural, and Ross and the Old Man go on to tell each other of all the unnatural things that have been happening lately.They do not know that Macbeth is the murderer, but as they speak we can see that the unnatural events reflect the contrast between King Duncan and Macbeth. The Old Man says that On Tuesday last, / A falcon, towering in her pride of place, / Was by a mousing owl traded at and killd (2.4.11-13). The falcons pride of place is the highest point of its flight. And the owl, which normally catches mice on the ground, went up instead of down, and killed a falcon. Also, a falcon is a day creature, and a royal companion, while the owl is an untamable bird of night and death. If things in nature stands for things in human life, King Duncan was the falcon, and Macbeth the owl. in time worse, King Duncans horses, Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, / Turnd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, / Contend ing gainst obedience, as they would make / War with mankind. (2.4.15-18) A minion is someones favorite. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were King Duncans minions. The King showered them with honors and gifts, but they turned wild and made war on their master. Thus the point is made that Macbeths murder of his king is a crime against nature.Just before he sends the murderers to kill Banquo, Macbeth has a soliloquy in which he states his fear of Banquo. He says that Banquo has royalty of nature (3.1.49), and courage, and wisdom. Macbeth also says, under him, / My Genius is rebuked (3.1.54-55). A mans Genius is his guardian spirit, but Macbeth isnt being particularly mystic here. He feels that Banquo is naturally over master to him, and just being near Banquo makes Macbeth feel ashamed of himself. For example, he recalls, Banquo defied the witches and challenged them to speak to him. (In contrast, we should remember, the witches prophecy put Macbeth into a kind of trance, a reverie of ambiti on and murder.) In short, Macbeth feels that Banquo is more fit to be king than he is, and for that, hes going to murder him.After he becomes king, Macbeth has a moment when he tries to be the kind of king that King Duncan was, humble and mild. At his feast Macbeth welcomes everyone, saying, You know your own degrees sit down. At first / And last the hearty welcome (3.4.1-2). The degrees of the guests are their social ranks. Normally, each guest would receive an item-by-item greeting and then be escorted to his seat, with the highest ranking person sitting closest to the king, and the next highest the next closest, and so on Macbeth tells them that they know where they should sit, and welcomes everyone at once. He will play the humble host (3.4.4), and sit among them, showing how loving and down-to-earth he is, even though he is now the king. However, he cant keep up his act because un uninvited guest shows up Banquos bloody ghost.Lennox and another Scottish lord have a conversa tion in which both of them refer to Macbeth as a autocrat. Its clear from their conversation that life under a tyrant is a life of fear and lies. Because Macbeth has many spies, they need to be careful what they say and to whom they say it. As the scene opens, they have just gotten to the point at which they are sure that they are on the same side and have many of the same thoughts. As Lennox says, My former speeches have but hit your thoughts, / Which can interpret further (3.6.1-2). Perhaps the other skipper nods agreement, because Lennox now launches on a string of sarcasms about Macbeth. Lennox says, The gracious Duncan / Was pitied of Macbeth marry, he was dead (3.6.4). This bitter joke describes both Macbeths facade that he was good-for-nothing for King Duncan and the truth about Macbeth, which was that he was sorry for King Duncan only after he killed him.Then Lennox proceeds to ridicule Macbeths version of everything that has happened to this point. Banquo died because he took a walk after dark, and Fleance must have killed him, because Fleance ran away. And speaking of that, wasnt it terrible for Malcolm and Donalbain to kill their father? And of course Macbeth felt terrible about Duncans murder, which is why he killed the only two come-at-able witnesses, Duncans grooms. If Malcolm, Donalbain, and Fleance were in Macbeths power, hed certainly teach them a lesson or two about killing a father After a bit, Lennox drops the sarcasm and turns to the subject of Macduff. He has hear that Macduff has gotten on Macbeths bad side because Macduff used some broad words (3.6.21) about Macbeth, and because he failed to show up for Macbeths banquet.Does the other Lord know, Lennox asks, where Macduff might be? The other Lord does know. Macduff is on his way to the English court, where Malcolm has been respectfully received by King Edward the Confessor. Macduff has gone to plead with King Edward to booster Malcolm by sending to Scotland the forces of Northumb erland and Siward, two English nobles famous as warriors. If Macduff is successful, Scotland will be dropd of Macbeths tyranny. Then we may again / Give to our tables meat, stop to our nights, / Free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / Do fold homage and receive free honours (3.6.33-36). Under Macbeths tyranny, fear of his bloody knife darkens every moment of a persons life. In contrast to this reign of terror, a true king is inclined faithful homage and he awards Free honours. Free honours are given by a king in recognition of service they are free in the sense that person honored doesnt have to be a tyrants yes-man in order to receive them.When Macbeth seeks out the witches, he curses them, calls them hags, and demands that they answer his questions. They give him their prophecies, the last of which is that Banquo will be the progenitor of a long line of kings, stretching to James of Scotland and England. Macbeth is stunned, and the first witch says that they will che er him up with music and a dance, so That this great king may kindly say, / Our duties did his welcome pay (4.1.131-132). The witch is being sarcastic. Macbeth is a tyrant, even to witches, and gave them no welcome they repaid his angry demand for answers with deceptive and frightening duties their prophecies. As the witches are the opposite of duteous subjects, Macbeth is the opposite of a great and kindly kingIn England, Macduff pleads with Malcolm to lead an army against Macbeth. Eventually, Malcolm says that he will, but first he tests Macduffs intentions. He wants to find out if Macduff wants what is best for Scotland, or just wants to beating Macbeth. Malcolm begins his test by saying that Scotland will suffer even more after Macbeth is crushed. The reason Malcolm will be more evil than Macbeth. First, Malcolm says that he will be so lustful that your wives, your daughters, / Your matrons and your maids, could not subscribe up / The cistern of my lust (4.3.61-63). Macduffs response is more than a little wimpy. He says that torrential lust is bad, but hes sure that Scotland can provide Malcolm with enough willing women to return him. But Malcolm goes on to declare that hes also so avaricious that were I king, / I should cut off the nobles for their lands, / Desire his jewels and this others house / And my more-having would be as a do / To make me hunger more (4.3.78-82).Macduff admits that avarice in a king is even worse than lust, but hes sure that Scotland has abundance enough to satisfy Malcolm. Such lust and avarice would be bearable, balanced against good qualities. But I have none (4.3.91), Malcolm answers. He goes on to assert that he has not a single virtue that a king needs. Not only that, but he is positively evil, so evil that had I power, I should / Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell, / hangover the universal peace, confound / All unity on earth (4.3.97-100). After describing himself as the worst mathematical person on the face o f the earth, Malcolm then asks Macduff if someone like him is fit to govern. Fit to govern / No, not to live (4.3.102-103), Macduff bursts out. Then he laments the fate of Scotland and is about to storm off, but Malcolm calls him back and unsays everything hes just said about himself. He is, he now says, chaste, generous, and trustworthy. In short, he will be a true king, not the tyrant that Macbeth is.After the tyranny of Macbeth is contrasted with the goodness of Macduff and Malcolm, we are again reminded of what a good king should be. A doctor enters and tells Macduff and Malcolm that a crowd of sick people are postponement to be cured by the English king. Their sickness cant be cured by doctors, but only by the king at his touch / Such sanctity hath heaven given his hand / They presently amend (4.3.143-145). The doctor leaves, and Macduff asks what disease he was talking about. Malcolm explains, Tis calld the evil (4.3.146). (The disease is scrofula, which causes ugly swellings of glands in the neck.It was called the kings evil because of the popular idea that a sacred king could cure it by touching the diseased person.) Malcolm goes on to speak of what a miracle-worker the English king is. He brings Gods healing power to his people, and its a wonder, because How he solicits heaven, / Himself best knows (4.3.150). In addition to being able to heal the sick, the English king hath a heavenly gift of prophecy, / And assorted blessings hang about his throne (4.3.157-158). Malcolm doesnt mention Macbeth, but the only apparent reason for this comment of the English king is to provide a picture of heavenly good to contrast with Macbeths satanic evil. Shortly after, news comes of Macbeths most recent act of tyranny the slaughter of Macduffs not guilty wife and children.When she walks in her sleep, Lady Macbeth relives the moment just after the murder of King Duncan, when her husband could do nothing except stare at his bloody hands holding the bloody daggers . In her sleep she says to him, What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?(5.1.37-39). Her point is that Macbeth is king (or about to be) and therefore it doesnt matter who knows that he murdered King Duncan. She thinks (or thought) that kingly power would solve all problems, but it doesnt save her from madness.When he is brought news of the approach of the English army, Macbeth knows that he could lose the battle, and he tries to find a way to accept defeat. In a famous passage, he tells himself that his life is not worth living I have lived long enough my way of lifeIs falln into the sear, the yellow leafAnd that which should accompany old age,As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,I must not look to have but, in their stead,Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath,Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not. (5.3.22-28) We can see that Macbeth now understands the consequences of being a tyrant. He rules only by fear, which means that all those he rules hate him.Standing before Dunsinane, Siward, the leader of the English troops, comments to Malcolm We learn no other but the sure-footed tyrant / Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure / Our setting down before t. ) He means that Macbeth seems to be so confident of the strength of his castle that hes willing to let his enemies lay siege to it, rather than going on the attack. Malcolm replies that Macbeth really doesnt have a survival of the fittest Both more and less have given him the revolt, / And none serve with him but constrained things / Whose black Maria are absent too . By more and less Malcolm means both the nobles and the common soldiers Macbeth the tyrant controls only those who are within reach of his sword.In the final scene, Macduff, carrying Macbeths head on a pole, hails Malcolm as king of Scotland and says, Behold, where stands / The usurpers cursed head the time is free . The time is free because they are all now free of Macbeths reign o f terror over Scotland. Macduff then leads the men in a shout of victory and loyalty. He says, I see thee compassd with thy regions pearl, / That speak my salutation in their minds / Whose voices I desire aloud with mine / Hail, King of Scotland . Macduff knows that these thanes already think of Malcolm as their king, and now he asks them to join him in shouting out loud, Hail, King of Scotland And so they do, honoring Malcolm, above whose head looms the severed head of Macbeth.