King Duncan as Leader

In Shakesphere's Macbeth, King Duncan showed to be a good leader. He was very loyal to his people and kind. The people trusted him. If King Duncan wasn't such a god leader Macbeth wouldn't of had such a hard time debating to kill him. "Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angles, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking off." (1.7.16-20) This shows that King Duncan was a great leader. Macbeth in the end chose to kill him mostly because of the pressure of Lady Macbeth. The idea of individual vs society plays a big role in this part of the play. Macbeth knows that everyone will be greatly disappointed, he doesn't think about anyone else but himself. Once he finally killed King Duncan, everybody was surprised. He is a noble and trust worthy man, why would anyone ever want to kill him?

"One who can command and is a man of courage and does not get frightened in adversity, and does not neglect other preparations, and one who by his own valor and measures animates the mass of the people, he will not find himself deceived by them, and he will find that he has laid his foundations well."This quote from Machiavelli resembles King Duncan as a leader. He would view King Duncan as a very loyal and great leader. I think Machiavelli would of liked Duncan to be more harsh since Machiavelli himself believes thats how you get things done. One thing Machiavelli wouldn't have liked is that King Duncan was big on trust, so King Duncan wouldn't of lied to change how his people view him. "The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they are realities, and are often even more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are." This quote shows how Machiavelli would like leaders to appear better then they actually are. Overall I would say that Machiavelli views Duncan as a good noble leader to his people, but there are characteristics that he could definitely improve on.

Act 1 Macbeth

Appearance Vs. Reality~
"The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap For in a way it lies. Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires:The eye wink at the hand;yet let that be which the eyes fear,when it is done, to see."(1.3 49-53). Macbeth is tender hearted and he is struggling with himself to get things done. In this scene he wants to kill King Duncan to become king himself. Their is an obstacle in Macbeth's way, which would be Malcolm. Macbeth is scared to do this task, he is struggling with himself. Lady Macbeth is like the opposite of Macbeth, she is pushing him forward to kill King Duncan. She wants him to come home to give him her passion. Meanwhile, King Duncan talks to Malcolm and tell him that he has trust in Macbeth. Macbeth acts like nothing is wrong around King Duncan but in reality he wants to kill him. According to Machiavelli he wouldn't care how it was done as long as you get it. It wouldn't matter how you look in the end, but just as long as you appear how your suppose to.


* Gender Roles:
"Our Valiant men, fighting their just cause, had no sooner forced these troops to show how fast they could retreat than the king of Norway saw his chance. He launched a fresh attack with new supplies and reinforcements" I think that Shakespeare portray men as valiant, strong, and courageous. He wants men to appear and have these characteristics. If you look at Macbeth, he is brilliant and ambitious. Then you look at Lady Macbeth and she is so different from Macbeth. She is dominant, remorseful,troubled and power hungry.

* Loyalty and Honor:
In this play loyalty and honor is a key theme. If you look at Thane of Cowder he wasn't loyal and lost his life. Shakespeare makes loyalty very important. If you are not loyal it could be a matter of life and death. "You must bind men to you by benefits, or you must make sure of them in some other way, but never reduce them to the alternative of having either to destroy you or perish themselves." and "A man's property and honor are the points upon which he will be most keenly sensitive." These 2 Machiavelli quotes talks about how loyalty and honor are important to have as a prince. If you are not loyal Machiavelli explains how it could destroy you. Macbeth at first is loyal to King Duncan, then he changes his ways and becomes selfish.