Kingship

• Kingship

  The central theme in Macbeth that Shakespeare uses to illustrate the importance of having the rightful leader in power
• The three kings in Macbeth

  • King Duncan
  • Macbeth
  • Malcolm
• King Duncan

  • Righteous and generous king chosen by God through divine right
  • Rewarded his men for their loyalty and deeds
  • His fatal flaw was trusting appearances too much
• King Duncan: '"the sin of my ingratitude weighs heavily on me"'
• Shakespeare presented Macbeth to King James's court to illustrate the dangers of not respecting the rightful king chosen by God
• Macbeth

  • Usurps the throne, not chosen by God
  • Becomes a tyrannical and paranoid ruler
  • Focused on eliminating threats to his power rather than rewarding his men
• Macbeth: '"We have scorched the snake, not killed it"'
• Macduff: '"Bleed, bleed poor country!"'
• Macbeth's ambition corrupted him and led Scotland into chaos
• Malcolm

  • Perceptive and wise, does not trust appearances like his father
  • Tests those around him before trusting them
  • Will restore order and make Scotland powerful again as the rightful king
• Malcolm: '"Modest wisdom plucks me from over-credulous haste"'
• Shakespeare's message to King James's court was that the new king's power and kingship should be respected