Kingship

Question 1

Thesis statement

Answer 1

King Duncan and Macbeth are used by shakespear as juxtaposing characters to exagerate to a Jacobean audience the importance of divine right
- king duncan is a generous and righteous leader - under him Scotland is poweful
- macbeth urupts the king, under him scotland descends into chaos
- malcolm restrores divine right of kings

Question 2

Paragraph 1 - King Duncan

Answer 2

• Generous king
• Rewarded his men - Macbeth -> Thane of cawdor
  therefore they were loyal
• “valiant cousin” describing macbeth “noble macbeth hath won”
• his flaw was being too trusting and generous
• “Sin of my ingratitude”
• perfect king
• Had divine right - chosen by God

Question 3

Paragraph 2 - Macbeth

Answer 3

• Tyranical King
• Juxtaposes righteous King Duncan
• cautionary figure that reveals consequences of the wrong king in power
• Chaos and arguably anarchy caused by greedy and wrongful king
• Wants to eliminate any possible threat - engulfed by ambition
• Warning Jacobean audience of the disastrous outcome of disrupting natural order
• “Vaulting ambition” sees as alluring, tempted by kingship
  could perhaps suggest he is aware he may not be able to handle this ambition which could foreshadow that his ambition is his hamartia
• Tells Lady macbeth they’ve “Scorched the snake not killed it” saying eh needs to kill banquo suggests consuming ambition and desire to kill and shows hes paranoid that he isnt the King chosen by God, outcome of witches prophicies -> links back to supernatural and its consequences
• Macduff “Untitled tyrant” and “bleed, bleed poor country” illustrates corruption of ambition (Macbeth’s Hamartia) shows disruption of the chain of being and God’s natural order -> links back to religion and the consequences of Heresy and disobeying God
• epitome of chaos

Question 4

Paragraph 3 - Malcolm

Answer 4

• Not gullible like his father - wont make his mkstakes and learnt from them
• Nature order is restored in Scotland and power gained
• Dubius and perceptive, not quick to trust
• Test Macduff when he returns then justifies himself “be not offended
• Didnt trust belive of Duncan’s true killers and states “i’ll be to England”
• “Modest wisdom plucks me from over credulous haste” trying to be wise about who he trusts as he is aware he may end up like Father if trusts too easily
• Shows new king should be respected and is stronger and powerful that those before - suggestion to Jacobean audience to support James I