Abuse of Power and Kingship

• With the unexpected ascension of James I to the throne, the question of what makes a good king was a popular topic in England
• The country was very much divided about how it should be run, with ongoing religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics
• In Macbeth, Shakespeare compares different characters and their approaches to their reigns, some successful and others not, possibly demonstrating which qualities he felt were most important in a good monarch
• Kingship and power are intrinsically linked within the play

  The possibility of ascending the throne is the driving force behind the motivations of many characters
• Shakespeare contrasts the way characters behave towards the possibility of power and how they act once they gain power


  He contrasts the behaviour of a righteous and just king (Duncan) with one who is violent and abuses his power (Macbeth)
• It's important to consider why Shakespeare contrasts the behaviour of characters in Macbeth
• Duncan


  • He possesses all the qualities of a great king: noble, nurturing, responsible, and a strong leader
• Duncan


  • He is shown to be a just and benevolent ruler, rewarding all those who do good
• Duncan


  • He is invested in his followers, dedicated to self-improvement and the success of others
• Macbeth: '“Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off”'
• Duncan


  • He governs fairly, rewarding those who do good and punishing traitors
• The exchange of titles at the beginning of the play presents the characters' actions
• Duncan punishes traitors


  Orders the execution of the Thane of Cawdor for his acts of treason
• Exchange of "titles" at the beginning of the play


  Presents a stable and balanced country
• Duncan produces an heir


  Ensures political stability and security by providing the country with an heir
• Shakespeare establishes Duncan as a trustworthy king and provides a vision of a safe future
• Duncan is too trusting and dependent on others to be a perfect king
• Duncan had placed his confidence in a man who betrayed him, suggesting he has a poor judge of character
• Duncan doesn't learn from his mistakes as the betrayal repeats itself
• It is impossible to see through someone's deception, making it impossible for a king to be wholly good
• Kindness and respect are vulnerable to deceit
• Macbeth at the start of the play has the ideal qualities of a noble king
• Macbeth becomes more corrupt as he gets closer to the throne
• Macbeth's transformation is complete by the time he kills Duncan and takes the throne
• Macbeth is the least successful king in the play, ruling through murder, lies, and betrayal
• Macbeth doesn't care for Scotland, only for himself
• Direct contrast between Duncan and Macbeth's rule

  • Macbeth is the least successful king in the play
  • Macbeth's ascension to the throne is unrighteous as he gets there on the back of murder, lies, and betrayal
  • Macbeth doesn't care for Scotland, only for himself
  • Shakespeare explores how power corrupts the minds of men
  • Shakespeare explores how impactful a king's reign is on his whole country
  • Shakespeare studies what it would truly be like to have a tyrant on the throne and how power draws out people's violent natures
• Macbeth is the complete opposite of Duncan in the way he came to be king and in the way he rules
• Shakespeare uses the play to explore the impact of a king's reign on his country
• The audience is not given much insight into other people's opinions of Macbeth's leadership
• Macbeth: '“those he commands, move only in command, / Nothing in love” / “none serve him but constrained things / Whose hearts are absent too”'
• Macbeth has been unsuccessful at maintaining order and trust in his people
• Macbeth: '“I could with my barefaced power sweep him from my sight, / And bid my will avouch it, yet I must not”'
• Macbeth acknowledges his ability to control others using violent means
• Macbeth lacks lineage and heirs
• Macbeth: '“They hailed him father to a line of kings. / Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown / And put a barren sceptre in my gripe, / Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, / No son of mine succeeding”'
• Macbeth resents Banquo and the Witches for his lack of successors
• Reaction to Duncan's death compared to Macbeth's death


  Reflective of how both kings ruled and how they were viewed by their country
• Shakespeare believed a good monarch was needed to provide stability, security, and progress
• Duncan's death brings about apocalyptic chaos, showing how atrocious and distressing his murder is