Kingship/Macbeth Flashcards
“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’s poor kingship is solidified by his lack of lineage and heirs. It is evident he feels emasculated by his inability to produce an heir, this is represented through his jealousy of Banquo and resentment of the Witches. Remembering the Witches’ prophecy for Banquo, he complains, “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,” (3.1). He resents Banquo because his sons will be kings, and he resents the Witches for ‘making’ him king without successors
“hell-hound” (5.8) and a “dead butcher and his fiend-like queen” (5.9)
In contrast, Macbeth’s death is celebrated by his subjects, and presented as a moment of liberation for Scotland. While Duncan is portrayed with angelic and godlike descriptions, Macbeth is referred to as a “hell-hound” (5.8) and a “dead butcher and his fiend-like queen” (5.9). These all connote the Devil. “Hound” dehumanises him, suggesting he is savage and brutish. Alternatively, it implies he was a slave to violence or to his master, the Devil. Macbeth has lost his noble titles and is universally hated - a stark contrast from his reputation at the beginning of the play.
