Macbeth :: essays research papers

History is made up of many time periods, many of theseperiods had a certain norm, and a way of thinking that wasaccepted and adopted by the majority of the people. In theElizabethan/Jacobean time period the notion accepted and inplace at the time was that of a great kitchen stove of being. Thisnotion in which God is at the top, then comes the planets,the angels, human kind and finally the animal kingdom. In detail, it was based on psalm 8 and hardened God, theall- mightful being, on the uppermost link of the chain andgave him all the power. In order for any other being or thingto possess power he/it could do so only with the permissionof God or in accordance to the will of God. In The Tragedyof Macbeth, Shakespeare, pushes the concept ofprimogeniture and also the fact that the king is put intopower by the will of God and anyone opposing the kingwould not only cause a great disturbance in the great chainof being but would likewise be going against the will of God.In doing this, is Shakespeare convincing enough or is thisidea hype and with break through signification? To explore this notion wemust first look at the characters Shakespeare uses topromote this notion. An obvious character to start withwould have to be the one who is king at the beginning of theplay. Duncan is a righteous king, one who is greatlyrespected by many of his subjects. Even the man, who killedhim, did so, not because of Duncans unjustly ruling butrather out of personal greed. Before Macbeths greed forpower consumed him, he praises Duncan during his strugglewith the decision of whether or not to usurp the throne andin doing so, cause great snake pit according to the great chainof being. We see this when Macbeth says " This Duncanhath born his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in hisgreat office, that his virtues will plead like angels,trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his takingoff." Yet in all his greatness and although chosensupposedly by God, Duncan was onl y human and possessednegative qualities as well. The king, Duncan, was not inbattle (along side his Generals), he is at a nearby camp (I II,p1). This suggests that the king is dependent of other for hisown protection. We see the naivete that Duncan possesseswhen he says "He was a gentleman on whom I built anabsolute trust." (I IV 15-16, p.11) In fact he complete trustin a man who was in an enemy.