Abuse of Power/Kingship

Role

Kingship and power are intrinsically linked throughout the play. Shakespeare contrasts the behaviour of a righteous King (Duncan) to an immoral and corrupt King (Macbeth).

Context

At the time, there was a lot of conflict in England about what made a good King due to the tension between Protestants and Catholics. This was especially true following the gunpowder plot, where a group of Catholics tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament when King James was there. Unfortunately for Shakespeare, he knew many of the men involved, so it is thought that Macbeth was written in order to make amends with the King.

Duncan

Duncan is portrayed as a benevolent ruler.

>”Stars shall shine” / “on all deservers”

Even those who went against him (Macbeth) couldn’t help but to admire him:

>”So clear in his great office” / “Damnation of his taking-off”

Duncan is invested in the success of others:

>”I have begun to plant thee and will labour“

>”There if I grow” / “The harvest is your own”

The semantic field of agriculture here shows new life and nourishment.

The death of a King

Before/during/following Duncan’s death, the tone of the play turns apocalyptic:

>”The night has been unruly”

>”combustion” / “clamoured” / “shake” semantic field of chaos and destruction

>”ferovous” connotes disease, implying Duncan’s death is like a sickness.

>”Dark night strangles the travelling lamp” Pathetic phallecy. The world changes to night to reflect the mood following his death.

Malcolm

Malcolm is perceived as wise, as he is initially suspicious of Macduff:

>”weak, poor, innocent lamb” / “T’appease an angry god” Metaphor of sacrifice shows Macbeth’s bloodthirsty nature. Juxtaposition between Malcolm and Macbeth shows Macbeth has power, and there is a power imbalance in Scotland

Shakespeare presents Malcolm as the epitome of a good King, as he worries for Scotland’s future:

>”It weeps, it bleeds” Personification of Scotland shows how Malcolm sees it as a loved one and emphasises the country’s importance to Malcolm.