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AQA GCSE English Literature Macbeth Kingship Essay
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An essay I completed about Macbeth and kingship within the play. I received 32/34 for this essay.
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Macbeth – Kingship EssayI scored 32/34.
Writing the play in 1606, Shakespeare uses the central theme of kingship to direct the play
at the insecurities and concerns of King James I. Shakespeare explores the issue of the
rightful King and the consequences of coronating the wrong king would disrupt the natural
order perpetuated by the Divine Right of Kings. This was an interest of King James I and the
Jacobean society as James faced two assassination attempts: the Earl of Gowrie making an
attempt on his life and the Gunpowder Plot in 1605. Therefore, the exploration of the theme
of Kingship is weaved into the play as Shakespeare wants to expose the qualities of a rightful
king. Furthermore, he also exposes the penalties of disposing of the rightful monarch. King
James I, as a public Protestant and a private Catholic, faced a great deal of opposition, which
is hinted at within ‘Macbeth’.
In this scene, we witness Malcom discussing the powers of the English King with the Doctor.
The Doctor recounts King Edward’s healing powers, ‘but at his touch such sanctity hath
heaven given his hand’. The alliteration is used to draw the audience’s attention to the
healing qualities of the King and it reminds the Jacobean audience that the rightly appointed
King is God’s regent on earth. These divine qualities are further reinforced through Malcom,
who is later described as a ‘good king’; the epithet exposes the positive attributes of a king
who embodies the Divine Right of Kings. Furthermore, to support this idea, Malcom states
that Edward, the King of England ‘solicits heaven’. Therefore, it appears as though Edward is
juxtaposed against the tyrannical Macbeth. In contrast, earlier in the play, after the Witches’
prophecies, Macbeth utilises the same verb. Macbeth concludes that ‘this supernatural
soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good’. The use of sibilance echoes the sinister nature of
Macbeth and illustrates that imposters to the throne channel evil compared to the rightful
king, who channels the divine power of God. Therefore, we see that Shakespeare propounds
the idea that the rightful King is central to the success of society. This link between Macbeth
and the Witches exposes that the wrong monarch occupying the throne will plunge the
country into disorder. Crucially, the Jacobean is shown that a good King should be holy.
Notably, we see King Edward and the positive effect he has upon his subjects. Malcom
reveals to the Doctor that Edward, ‘strangely visited people, all swoln and ulcerous, pitiful to
the eye the mere despair of the surgery, he cures…’ The adjectives used by Malcom
highlighting that Edward has a ‘healing benediction’ and he is conveyed as being ‘full oof
grace’. These noun phrases expose the health of the people and the health of the country is
linked to the King. Earlier in this scene, the audience learns that Macbeth has a negative
impact upon the state of the country; we learnt that ‘new widows howl, new orphans cry,
new horrors strike heaven on the face’. Coupled with the list, the anaphora sets up Macbeth
as inflicting pain and illness upon the country. Macduff personifies the country, ‘bleed,
bleed, poor country’ to expose the victimisation of the country under the tyrannical reign of
Macbeth Through the use of the repeated verb, ‘bleed’, we see Shakespeare showing the
implications of a country with the wrong leader. This helps to affirm that England is better
under the reign of King James I.
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