kingship

absolute trust as a weakness of being a king

• contrast of characters: malcolm with duncan and macbeth

• Macbeth - ‘I cannot taint with fear’ - hubris peaks due to utmost belief in them - realises - ‘juggling fiends’

• Duncan - ‘My worthy Cawdor!’

tyrannical and violent

• macbeth

• ‘I am in blood stepped so far, that should I wade no more, returning would be as tedious as to go’er’   

• ambition drives him further + further into bloodshed + betrayal - his fatal flaw hamartia

  grown in murderous nature + is fully taking ownership

• it will have blood they say/ blood will have blood

rightful ruler

through macbeth view towards duncan

• I have no spur / to prick the sides of my intent but only / vaulting ambition

• only reason to kill Duncan = satisfy ambition - spur

  as he is a good king, Duncan’s host, duty to protect him as soldier and kinsmen - leads to deep damnation

M’s kingship – barren sceptre and fruitless crown 

double meaning of fruitless - futile + bearing no fruit 

Shakespeare uses semantic field of agriculture - contrast M with Duncan - who helps subjects to ‘grow’ 

Grow = prosperous nation 

context + writer’s purpose

divine right of kings

condemn regicide and to show there should be no reason to kill the rightful monarch

gunpowder plot