kingship in macbeth grade 9 essay

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• Post published: August 30, 2012
• Post category: English / Macbeth - Single Text

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How Is Kingship Presented In Macbeth?

William Shakespeare's timeless tragedy, Macbeth, delves deep into the theme of kingship, exploring the consequences of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power. For GCSE English Literature students, analyzing the presentation of kingship in Macbeth offers a rich opportunity to dissect Shakespeare's intricate characters, narrative, and language. In this blog post, we will examine how kingship is portrayed in the play and its significance within the broader context of the story.

Kingship as a Divine Right

At the heart of Macbeth lies the concept of divine right kingship, which was the prevailing ideology during Shakespeare's time. In the opening scenes of the play, Duncan is portrayed as a virtuous and just king, chosen by divine providence to rule. This portrayal of Duncan as a godly figure establishes the traditional belief that the king's authority is a direct blessing from God, and anyone who challenges it is committing a grave sin. The contrast between Duncan's benevolent rule and Macbeth's subsequent tyrannical reign highlights the disastrous consequences of usurping the throne.

Ambition and the Corruption of Kingship

The character of Macbeth, driven by his unchecked ambition, serves as a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of power. As the play unfolds, Macbeth's ambition pushes him to commit regicide, the ultimate act of treason against the divine order. This action shatters the sacred bond between kingship and divinity, plunging Scotland into chaos and disorder. Macbeth's obsession with maintaining his throne leads to a reign characterized by brutality, paranoia, and moral decay, illustrating how ambition can corrupt even the most virtuous of leaders.

The Downfall of Macbeth and the Restoration of Order

Macbeth's downfall, ultimately, serves as a narrative tool to reestablish the rightful order of kingship. In the end, Macbeth is defeated, and Duncan's son, Malcolm, is restored to the throne. This restoration is symbolic of the return to the divine order and the reestablishment of a just and virtuous king. The contrast between Macbeth's reign and Malcolm's rule underscores the importance of a rightful king in maintaining stability and harmony within a kingdom.

The Role of the Witches

The witches in Macbeth play a pivotal role in challenging the traditional concept of kingship. They introduce the idea that "fair is foul, and foul is fair," which blurs the lines between good and evil. The prophecies they provide to Macbeth and Banquo ignite Macbeth's ambition and set him on a path to usurp the throne. This raises questions about the legitimacy of kingship based on divine right and the idea that one's destiny is preordained. The witches' influence serves as a commentary on the unpredictability and capriciousness of fate, challenging the traditional notions of kingship and destiny.

Macbeth's Tragic Flaw

In classical tragedy, the protagonist often possesses a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. In Macbeth, this flaw is Macbeth's unchecked ambition. His insatiable desire for power blinds him to the consequences of his actions, leading to his ultimate demise. This tragic flaw serves as a cautionary lesson about the dangers of unbridled ambition and its potential to corrupt even the most noble individuals.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents a complex and multifaceted portrayal of kingship that challenges the traditional beliefs of divine right and explores the corrupting influence of ambition. Through the characters of Duncan, Macbeth, Malcolm, and the witches, the play delves deep into the themes of power, ambition, and the consequences of violating the natural order. For GCSE English Literature students, Macbeth provides a rich tapestry of characters and themes to analyze and dissect, making it a timeless and essential text in the study of literature.

The Theme of Kingship in Macbeth

Daniel Paul

In Shakespeare’s time a King was considered to be god’s representative on earth. He was looked upon as equal to god. Shakespeare’s ideas towards kingship can be seen throughout the play. He shows that a king should be chosen by divine right and shows the character and attributes of what is takes to be a good king.

Macbeth is the main character in the play and starts the play as a very brave, fierce and loyal warrior. His bravery has just led the way to a great victory over the Norwegians. He was a hero. But soon his ambitions overpower his good qualities and becomes ‘this tyrant’, this ‘dwarfish thief’ and this ‘hellhound’.

He is degraded from ‘Bellona’s bridegroom’ to ‘this dead butcher’. He allows the witches’ prophecy to determine his steps, which finally lead him to destruction. I believe that Macbeth could have been a worthy king if he did not let his ambition and greed take control. If fate had made him king, he could have been a noble king for Scotland.

King Duncan

We first meet Duncan behind the battle fields of two battles (against the rebel MacDonwald and an invading Norwegian army) waiting anxiously for any news. From this time until his brutal murder, he is presented as a noble King of Scotland. Duncan is pictured as the perfect, impartial king in the play. Shakespeare shows Duncan to be an example to others. Duncan’s love for his country is one of the main qualities of Duncan. We can see this when he eagerly seeks for any news from the captain who has returned from the front lines.

When Duncan hears of Macbeth’s bravery in battle, he rewards Macbeth for his heroism by naming him the Thane of Cawdor while punishing disloyalty of the treacherous previous Thane of Cawdor by having him hanged. Duncan also vows that his royal blessings will continue to fall on Macbeth. Here we see the king executing his power righteously by rewarding who are loyal and punishing disloyalty.

Duncan acts responsibly in naming an heir to his throne – his son Malcolm. He did this so that the line of ascension to the throne is clear and that Scotland will remain politically stable. Duncan was preventing the very political chaos that resulted when Macbeth murdered him.

Unfortunately Duncan is too trusting and dependent of his Thanes. As the King, he does not lead his men into battle directly, but heavily relies on his Thanes to act on his behalf. He is a very poor jude of character. He completely misjudges Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as loyal friends while they were plotting his downfall.

Even Macbeth recognised the noble character of the King before murdering him in his sleep. Macbeth speaks of Duncan’s goodness and loyal nature and considered the consequences of his death. He states that even the angels will mourn for Duncan and that “tears shall drown the wind” when he dies.

King Edward of England

King Edward of England is least mentioned in the play, but we still see a lot of his good character. We see that he is a good, loyal king, who is unwilling to see others suffer. In act 4, a doctor comments on how ill people are cured on King Edward’s touch. Malcolm then after comments it is “a most miraculous work in this good king.”

He is a good and caring king who chooses to help Malcolm and Macduff in their problems. He generously provides them with the army force that need to win their battle. From this we can also conclude that he is a friendly king towards his neighbour countries. Always seeking peace and not violence and trying to conquer new land for his own kingdom.

Malcolm who is the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland appears to a worthy king. We learn of his character mostly in his conversation with Macduff. Malcolm foresees the future of Scotland and unlike Macbeth, we see Malcolm acting after giving serious thoughts to his actions. He humbles himself before Macduff by calling himself unworthy to be king and that Macbeth might be a better fit for the title. “black Macbeth will seem as pure as snow”.

As a reader, it is obvious to see that Malcolm will be a good king as he does not force his right to be king, but patiently waits for God to set things right and to make everything for his good. Also in the end of the play, Malcolm’s last words of the play is similar to Duncan’s speech when he was king, following Duncan’s footsteps and in the path of restoring Scotland to its former glory.

How to Write a Grade 9 Macbeth Essay ( WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

English Senior Content Creator

How to Write a Grade 9 Macbeth Essay

In the WJEC Eduqas English Literature GCSE Shakespeare exam, you will complete two types of essay questions on Macbeth:

One extract-based question worth 15 marks

One longer essay question worth 25 marks

You will need to answer both of these questions and you have 60 minutes in which to do so. The exam board recommends that you spend 20 minutes on the extract question, and 40 minutes on the longer essay. 

The requirements for these two questions are quite specific, so read on for guidance and advice on how to get full marks for both types of literature essay.

How do you start a Macbeth essay?

Extract or essay question first.

Start with the extract-based question, as the exam paper has been designed to ease you into the longer essay by giving you a shorter question first (and you have all the evidence you’ll need to include in the extract). 

Know your exam timings

Once you’ve decided which question to begin with, plan your timings. Twenty minutes should be enough time to answer the first question, so check the exam hall clock and write down what time you will start wrapping up your answer. 

Many students spend too long on the extract question and don’t leave enough time to properly answer the essay question, which is worth 10 more marks. Don’t leave any marks behind in the examination room!

Plan, don’t write

Before you begin writing, make a plan. 

Students often want to begin writing immediately as they believe the more they write in an essay, the more marks they will receive. However, this is not the case. Instead, follow the maxim: “plan more, write less”. The more you know in advance what your argument will be, and what evidence you can use to support that argument, the more marks you will likely be awarded.

What should I include in my plan?

Essay writing is all about planning. A good plan includes the following:

A really good plan contains each of these three elements and it means your argument will be what examiners call “coherent”, which means joined-up. Furthermore, once you’ve got all the pieces of your essay together, it makes it much quicker to write!

Example plan

Below is a model plan for this past paper 25-mark essay question:

Guilt is a key theme in Macbeth. Write about how Shakespeare presents guilt at different points in the play. Refer to characters and events from the play in your answer.

You’ll see that you can write your plan in note form to save time:

How do you write a good introduction for GCSE English Literature?

The key to writing a good introduction to a Macbeth essay is simple: make sure you plan it first. You should know what your argument is before you put pen to exam paper. What is your personal “take” on the question and what evidence proves this? 

Here are some tips to help you to write an effective introduction:

How many paragraphs should a top marks Macbeth essay be?

For the 15-mark extract question, which you should spend only 20 minutes on, try to plan and write two or three paragraphs (at most) aside from your introduction and conclusion. 

For the 25-mark question, you should try to write a longer essay — comprising three or four paragraphs — but it doesn’t need to be any longer than that. The more focused your response, and the more time you spend planning your answer, the better you will do.

Here is a model essay structure for GCSE:

We have created a top grade model answer for the extract question , as well as a Macbeth Grade 9 example answer for the essay question ; both are answers to past WJEC Eduqas English literature papers.

Do I need to include a conclusion in my Macbeth essay?

It is always a good idea to include a conclusion to any GCSE Macbeth essay because it signals to the examiner that you have created a coherent response, and that you have sustained your argument all the way through your writing. However, given that the questions are only worth 15 or 25 marks, you don’t want to spend too long crafting a perfect conclusion. 

Aim instead to create a simple, one- or two-line conclusion that sums up the argument you put forward in your thesis statement.

How many quotes do I need to include in my Macbeth essay?

Students are often taught paragraph frames, or scaffolds, like PEE, by their schools or teachers. Although these can be useful when learning how to write essays, it’s really important to note that examiners at GCSE think these scaffolds limit students’ answers and can result in lower-mark responses.

One of the reasons for this is that a PEE structure suggests you should only include one piece of evidence for each point you make. In fact, the more evidence you have – in the form of textual references or direct quotations – the better your argument will be. 

So try to include multiple quotations or references for each topic sentence point you make. Don’t forget that a textual reference doesn’t have to be a direct quotation: you can paraphrase a quotation, or include stage directions, plot points, or comments about characterisation or (for the 25-mark essay question) changes and contrasts across the text. These all count as “evidence” and will make your argument stronger.

You must not include quotations from elsewhere in the play when answering the 15-mark extract question, as you will be given no credit for this. Instead, examiners want to see candidates using quotations from the beginning, middle and end of the extract.

For the longer 25-mark essay, examiners suggest students learn a range of shorter quotations (rather than fewer really long ones). They also want to see students take a “whole-text” approach, so try to learn quotations from all points of the play.

See our Macbeth Quotations and Analysis page for some of the best quotes to learn, arranged by character (Macbeth; Lady Macbeth; the three witches).

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Author: Nick Redgrove

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

Mr Salles Teaches English

Grade 9 Ideas About Macbeth

From tom needham.

You can find Tom’s blog here . He writes a lot about teaching, but also posts about English. It is a very easy blog to search.

Here’s one of his posts about Macbeth. My comments are beside the blue margins.

Here are some collected interpretations and analyses that I have used when teaching Macbeth.

Cyclical Structure: inversion.

The witches begin the play by saying ‘ fair is foul and foul is fair ’, a chiasmus that could convey the cyclical structure of the play and Macbeth’s narrative journey.

Chiasmus = a literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or concepts are repeated in reverse order. Yes, I had to look it up.

At the start of the play, Scotland is ‘fair’ because of ‘brave’ Macbeth, a war hero who has killed a traitor. As the play continues, Macbeth commits regicide, changing Scotland into a ‘foul’ place as it suffers under his ‘slaughterous’ reign.

I like single word quotes which fit every essay. “Slaughterous” is a great one.

The play ends in an inversion of its beginning, just like the witches’ chiasmus so ‘foul’ can be turned into ‘fair’: Macbeth is the traitorous ‘butcher’ who is killed by Macduff, restoring order and making Scotland ‘fair’ again.

The examiners have been conditioned, like Pavlov’s dogs, or like someone who has been hypnotised to get excited by some words and ideas, and immediately start awarding higher grades: cyclical/circular structure construct human condition patriarchal society society foreshadow semantic field The examiner probably won’t know what a chiasmus is. But the word ‘inversion’ immediately links back to the circular structure. Tick, tick, tick.

Perhaps Shakespeare is accentuating the pleasing inevitability of justice and how the divine order will prevail. Perhaps he is also exposing the futility of usurpation and insurrection as both insurrectionists, Mcdonald and Macbeth, fail in their attempts to disrupt and therefore invert the natural order.

We love a bit of context which is linked to Shakespeare’s ideas: Divine order - God is in charge, don’t mess with the social hierarchy. Insurrection - a posh word for treachery; insurrectionists - a posh word for traitor. Traitors have to be shown to fail, because King James has just executed the Catholic traitors (insurrectionists). Shakespeare is warning all the nobles watching his play not to try to overthrow King James. How? Look what happened to Mcdonwald and Macbeth when they tried to ‘invert the natural order’!

Thank you for reading Mr Salles Teaches English. This post is public so feel free to share it with someone else who wants top grades.

If we take the witches’ opening chiasmus as foreshadowing the ending, this also points to the power of fate and destiny. While Shakespeare could be highlighting the idea that all human action is led by fate or God’s plan, he could also be hinting at the malign agency of the supernatural as if the witches themselves dictate the events of the play.

Interestingly, the witches speak in trochaic tetrameter which is an inversion of the usual iambic pentameter within the play: a trochee is the exact opposite of an iamb and their influence could also be seen as an attempt to invert the natural order.

This is a brilliant reason for why the witches use a trochaic meter. An iamb is unstress, stress A trochee is stress, unstress It’s the opposite, an inversion. So, the witches are the opposite of what God and society can accept.

These ideas can be used with these questions:

Ambition/Greed

Good and Evil

Supernatural

The motif of clothes: power is temporary:

Shakespeare uses the motif of clothing in order to highlight the temporary nature of power.

When Macbeth meets the witches, he exclaims ‘ why do you dress me in borrowed robes ’ as he doesn’t understand how he can be Thane of Cawdor. Later on in the play, Macbeth’s kingship is described as ‘ like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief ’ as people realise that he does not deserve his crown.

Macbeth’s moral failings, the fact that he stole power and his disruption of the Divine Right of Kings suggest that he is unable to wear the ‘robe’ of kingship in a convincing or acceptable fashion.

Perhaps Shakespeare is highlighting how powerful men can become obsessed with chasing something that can never really become a part of them and like clothing, that will always be something that can be removed.

Perhaps it also hints at vanity like an obsession with clothes and appearances as Macbeth desires the throne for power, status and even the ‘ golden opinions ’ of others rather than the ability to serve his country.

Despite being King, Macbeth is ‘ dwarfish ’ and Shakespeare wants us to realise that he is pathetic and insignificant when compared to Duncan, the rightful King, but also the monarchy as a whole, an institution that is underpinned by God himself.

Perhaps Shakespeare is flattering King James here, making him aware that he is the rightful King, a sentiment that is further strengthened by comparing Macbeth’s failings with the benevolence of Duncan.

It is fashionable to teach students how to write a load of interpretations about a single quote. Yes, excellent students can do this. Imagine one of these quotes is in the extract. You are going to explode that quote all the way to the bank. But now, imagine you are writing about ambition, and the quote isn’t in the extract. A top student would definitely be able to link this to ambition. But writing about it in such detail is hard and unnecessary. Do it if you can. 1 or 2 ideas about it is fine if you can’t. You can get by never writing about this. But now you know it, you might find it easy to slip in.

The motif of Sickness: evil and the natural order

Shakespeare uses the motif of disease in order to represent evil in the play.

The witches, characters that could be seen as agents of the devil or symbols of malevolence, are described as ‘ withered ’ as if their evil has caused them to shrivel and become physically weakened. The witches are supernatural and by definition exist outside of the natural order and the implication here is that shunning the natural order, a framework ultimately created by God, will result in sickness.

When Lady Macbeth is trying to persuade her husband to commit regicide, she fears that he lacks ‘ the illness ’ to go through with it. Again, Shakespeare is linking evil to disease as if disrupting the Divine Right of Kings will require a moral illness. Not only that, but it will cause the perpetrator to become sick and this is first seen when Macbeth hallucinates, his ‘ heat-oppressed brain ’ suggesting his descent into psychological turmoil and suffering.

This mental deterioration can also be seen in Lady Macbeth’s final scene as she babbles in confusion, having been reduced to a deranged automaton.

The motif of disease is also used to highlight the malign ramifications of disrupting the natural order. Regicide causes reality to warp and illness to descend upon the world. Shakespeare highlights how ‘ the earth was feverous and did shake’ , personifying the world as something vulnerable and weakened as a result of Macbeth’s evil.

Perhaps God has inflicted a punishment as a result of Macbeth’s sacrilegious actions. It is as if Shakespeare is encouraging us to support the Great Chain of Being by exposing the horrific and sickening consequences of rejecting the natural order. 

Yes, short or single word quotes I can weave in to loads of essays. Ambition will make you sick. And your ambition will make the country sick. There will be blood letting - that’s how Jacobeans ‘cured’ the sick! Sickness = cautionary tale

Lady Macbeth

Mr Salles Teaches English is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts which help you get top grades, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Tom writes in huge paragraphs. We teach students to do this, because it says: ‘look how much I know about X!’ I find it difficult to follow, so I have split everything so far into shorter paragraphs. Read what Tom has to say. Decide whether you want to do the same, or whether shorter paragraphs help you understand the sequence of ideas.

The motif of religion: ostracisation and damnation

As soon as Macbeth begins to consider committing regicide, he is aware of the sacrilegious nature of his plans. He says ‘stars hold you fires, let not light see my black and deep desires’. Perhaps ‘stars’ and ‘light’ can be seen as symbolising God as well as righteous and moral thought. Juxtaposed with ‘black’ and ‘deep’-the second word hinting at the underworld or even hell-the imagery of illumination conveys Macbeth’s awareness that he needs to hide his horrific intentions from not only God but also society as a whole. He knows that he will be judged and condemned. It as if, even at this early point in the play, he is ostracising himself from his creator and drawing away from the natural order. This positions him close to the witches, supernatural characters who also exist on the boundaries and outside of the natural realm. This desire to hide from God quickly turns into abject shame when he finally kills Duncan. He exclaims he ‘cannot say Amen’ as if he is too ashamed to praise God. It is as if Shakespeare wants us to realise that God has shunned him. Macbeth asks ‘will all Great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood’. Perhaps his pleading to a non-Christian deity is further evidence of the fact that he has ostracised himself from God. It is as if he has turned to other supernatural forces to aid him, something that continues as he become further embroiled with the witches.

As Macbeth becomes increasingly ‘slaughterous’, he is described using the imagery of hell and damnation. He is ‘devilish’ and his wife is a ‘fiend’. It is as if they have aligned themselves with darkness and evil as Shakespeare warns his audience of the infernal consequences of regecide. Macduff describes Macbeth’s reign as ‘new sorrows strike heaven on the face’. This brutal personification conveys how Macbeth’s violence has now spread from Duncan to God himself. It is as if he attacked and killed his own chance of salvation and the afterlife. When the witches say ‘something wicked this way comes’, Macbeth’s evil and exclusion from God is recognised by ‘the instruments of darkness’, accentuating his malevolence. Perhaps Shakespeare wants us to realise that he has drawn an allegiance with the agents of Satan. He has been ‘ripped’ from God and plunged into ‘darkness’. Eternal damnation and hell would have been horrifying ideas to Jacobean people and Shakespeare’s increasing use of hell-based imagery when describing Macbeth cements his tragic fall from grace.

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