Kinship in Macbeth

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Kingship, with its potential for good or evil, is a major theme in Macbeth. Discuss In the monarchical society in Macbeth, the king is a direct representative of god and became king by divine right. There is a strong theme or order in Macbeth and if an offence against the king has been committed then it as seen as an offence against god. The king was the representative of moral and social welfare of his subjects. There are four main examples of Kingship in Macbeth. Firstly there is Duncan, who became king by divine right and is full of the king becoming graces which were sought by his son in Act 4. Duncan is a loyal, humble, and generous and just but is not without impurities. He has an over trusting nature which leads him to fail to see the corruption in Macbeth and his evil deeds “Gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust”. Duncan is primarily a force of goodness in the play even considering his certain flaws. Duncan’s murder was an act of unnatural events, against moral order and even Macbeth sees the wrong in this vicious act. Duncan was seen as the perfect king and was called “Gracious Duncan” by the tyrant Macbeth. Duncan’s holiness is reinforced by Macbeth being shown as an unholy king which is a compete contrast to Duncan. The king should be patient, have justice, mercy and lowliness. Both Edward, who we will speak about later and Duncan are seen as saintly figures in this play while Macbeth has a horrible soul and is bound to hell. Duncan is a man of prayer while Macbeth cannot pray at all. The king’s most important duty is to protect his people which Duncan does, unlike Macbeth who turns against his people with a reign of terror. This shows just how Kingship is a good force shown by Duncan in this play. Secondly there is the tyrant Macbeth who received his power illegally and in an ungodly way. Macbeths reign exemplifies the potential for evil in

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