Kingship in Macbeth
Nola Begeja
Ms. Gallagher
ENG3U1
30 May 2014
Kingship within the characters of The Tragedy of Macbeth “A true king is neither a husband nor father; he considers his throne and nothing else” – Pierre Corneille. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, some dominant male characters can be seen as contenders for the position of king; meanwhile others do not represent any of the “king-becoming graces”. These graces are qualities that can be seen in characters such as Malcolm and Duncan, but are significantly absent in other characters like Macbeth. When compared to other characters, Macduff would make the best candidate for king due to his notable demonstration of kingly graces. The character Macbeth would be the worst candidate for king of Scotland, due to his ungraceful and inhumane actions. He had been successful as a warrior, but as a king he had failed miserably. One of the king-becoming graces is the trait of mercy. As Macbeth reigned, he was seen as the exact opposite of one who gives mercy. For instance, after he had heard the witches aspirations, he becomes even more suspicious of Macduff. He says in an aside, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise / seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wifes, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line” (IV, I, 171-174). His plan of murdering Macduff’s family demonstrates Macbeth’s lack of mercy and sympathy. He shows the opposite of this trait in this situation, as he is showing unkindness and malevolence. Likewise, Macbeth does not show any devotion towards his country, Scotland. When a Lord is talking to Lennox about the state their country is in, he says “we may again / give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / do faithful homage, and receive free honors” (III, vi, 37-40). This illustrates the chaos that Scotland is currently in, as it is being ruled by Macbeth. People have begun to starve, more
Ms. Gallagher
ENG3U1
30 May 2014
Kingship within the characters of The Tragedy of Macbeth “A true king is neither a husband nor father; he considers his throne and nothing else” – Pierre Corneille. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, some dominant male characters can be seen as contenders for the position of king; meanwhile others do not represent any of the “king-becoming graces”. These graces are qualities that can be seen in characters such as Malcolm and Duncan, but are significantly absent in other characters like Macbeth. When compared to other characters, Macduff would make the best candidate for king due to his notable demonstration of kingly graces. The character Macbeth would be the worst candidate for king of Scotland, due to his ungraceful and inhumane actions. He had been successful as a warrior, but as a king he had failed miserably. One of the king-becoming graces is the trait of mercy. As Macbeth reigned, he was seen as the exact opposite of one who gives mercy. For instance, after he had heard the witches aspirations, he becomes even more suspicious of Macduff. He says in an aside, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise / seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword / His wifes, his babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line” (IV, I, 171-174). His plan of murdering Macduff’s family demonstrates Macbeth’s lack of mercy and sympathy. He shows the opposite of this trait in this situation, as he is showing unkindness and malevolence. Likewise, Macbeth does not show any devotion towards his country, Scotland. When a Lord is talking to Lennox about the state their country is in, he says “we may again / give to our tables meat, sleep to our nights, / free from our feasts and banquets bloody knives, / do faithful homage, and receive free honors” (III, vi, 37-40). This illustrates the chaos that Scotland is currently in, as it is being ruled by Macbeth. People have begun to starve, more