Malcolm

• ‘Delight no less in truth than light’

  • Malcolm is illustrated to be honest and heroic, characteristics like, Shakespeare King James I and Jacobean audience would have believed to make an ideal king and leader. This makes Malcolm the hero in the story.
• Malcolm deceives Macduff in order to makes sure he can trust him

  • as a Jacobean audience, we would feel that this is a very admirable thing of Malcolm to do this means he’s a rightful king
  • It’s significant because the jacobeans would have believed in divine rights in Kings so they would’ve believed that Malcolm’s skill at leadership come from God and would hope he is successful
• ‘O by whom’ (after finding out about his fathers death)

  • his first instinct is not to show sadness but avenge his father
  • This demonstrates the social expectations of men during this era which is to look for violence and power
• ‘A weak poor innocent lamb to appeased on angry God’

  • he is presented as a wise leader whose learn and grown from mistakes of his father
  • It’s a metaphor of himself as a lamb has connotations of weakness and naivety. This shows his wisdom as he knows he is vulnerable.
  • Imagery of angry god links the fact that Malcolm knows that he would eventually have to face his enemy which is Macbeth