Evaluating Leaders

One of the most respected and cherished leaders in Macbeth is King Duncan. This could be because of the numerous good qualities he has, such as respect for others and beliefs of equality. He was honest to his subjects and was always looking for their best interest. Macbeth himself has a hard time debating whether or not he should kill Duncan. "So clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued against the deep damnation of his taking-off" (1.7.18-20). This statement shows that Duncan was a good king and that Macbeth didn't feel right about killing him. This is an important part of the play because Macbeth is faced with making the hard decision of whether or not he should kill him. At the same time he is being pressured by Lady Macbeth to do so, which in the end finalizes his choice of actually killing him. Part of why this decision is so hard is because Macbeth knows that everyone will be upset about his death. "That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on th'other" (1.7.25-28). We know that he is well liked because when he is murdered by Macbeth the whole community is devastated and cannot believe that anyone would kill the noble and honorable King Duncan. This also connects to the society versus individual theme this play can portray because Macbeth is thinking about his own needs versus the public as a whole.

"Besides the thane of Cawdor. But 'tis strange, and oftentimes to win us to our harm the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles to betray's in deepest consequence" (1.3.120-124). This quote matches Machiavelli's ideas about deceit and appearance versus reality. Banquo is saying that what the witches told them was strange and that it probably would not happen. The witches were tricking them and making them believe something that wasn't necessarily going to be reality. Later in Act 2 Macbeth starts thinking about the consequences of killing King Duncan. "Away, and mock the time with fairest show. False face must hide what the false heart doth know" (2.1.81-82). Macbeth was saying that he would not be able to live with himself if he actually killed King Duncan. He meant that if he were to appear like he had nothing to do with the murder he would have to hide his bad qualities and mask them with good qualities. He also would be altering others perceptions of him. This also directly goes back to Machiavelli's ideas on appearance versus reality. If Machiavelli were to evaluate Macbeth as a leader he would probably be ok with all the bad things that he has done, because after all he did say that the ends justified the means. These are only two examples of how Machiavelli's advice has shown up in the play so far and I think that they will continue to do so as the characters are forced to make more decisions.

November 5th, 2010

Lines 10 and 11 of Act 1 Scene 1 state, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air.” Reading this couplet you at first may not be able to tell what it means, but when you dig deeper you can understand that it is a key theme of the play. For the purpose of the play, it is saying that if something appears to be good, it is probably bad, or foul. Furthermore, if something appears to be foul it is probably going to be good. The weird sisters really embody the idea on appearance versus reality. Throughout the whole play they tell other characters things deceitfully, trying to alter their perceptions of reality. This take on appearance versus reality is similar to what Machiavelli believed about appearing to be good rather than actually being good. The weird sisters tell people wonderful things that they want to hear, and make them think that they are these wise spirits, when in reality they are telling them things that aren’t necessarily true, because they are only trying to alter their perception of reality.

“Only look up clear. To alter favour ever is to fear. Leave all the rest to me” (1.5.69-71). This quote goes along with the idea of male and female roles. Right after Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband about his strange encounter with the weird sisters, she gets the idea to have him murder the current king so that he will inherit the crown, making her queen. The fact that she says, “leave all the rest to me,” shows that she is more than willing to get involved and get what she wants. Shakespeare gets the idea across that she is very motivated, ambitious, and cunning, which was not the case for most females during the time period this play takes place in. They were supposed to be sweet, kind, and ladylike, whereas she is the opposite. She is not willing to sit back and let her husband do all the work. In fact, in her eyes she thinks that he isn’t capable of going through with her plan because he is not comfortable with killing a man for the sake of getting the crown. With all of these qualities that she has, she creates a dynamic character that will do anything she wants regardless of her gender, even if it means killing someone!

“With one that saw him die, who did report that frankly he confessed his treasons” (1.4.4-5). Throughout the entire play Shakespeare stresses the importance of loyalty and honor ability. In this particular scene, King Duncan and Malcolm are talking about the Thane of Cawdor and how he was a traitor and ended up being executed. Although he did betray his people, he knew how to die honorably by confessing his mistakes and excepting his fate. This is an example of how danger also accompanies honor ability and loyalty. This theme is portrayed throughout the whole play because in the end Macbeth himself gets beheaded for doing the exact same thing. If you think about the Machiavelli belief of the ends justifying the means, it contradicts what Shakespeare is trying to say because loyalty and honor are more important than the throne.