Regicide In Macbeth

Murder, the worst crime a man can commit. Regicide, taking murder a step further by killing a king, God’s anointed. In 1606, William Shakespeare wrote The Tragedy of Macbeth to reinforce the idea of the Divine Right of Kings by showing the consequences of a regicide. Macbeth, the leader of the Scottish army, kills King Duncan to make himself King. He commits the greatest evil imaginable by going against God’s judgement and killing the rightful ruler of Scotland. By using both elemental and physical symbols, Shakespeare shows his audience that even though appearance can easily hide reality, the truth will shine through in the end.

Shakespeare’s adaptation of water and dramatic irony presents water something that hides the exterior, but not

From Macbeth’s coronation at Scone to the final scene of the tragedy, the crown is in the hands of an unrightful owner. When Banquo tells Macbeth that Duncan “might yet enkindle [Macbeth] unto the crown,” (1.3.120), the audience sees the first signs of the crown changing owners. Macbeth presently gets the crown, but because he has won the crown through a regicide, he cannot enjoy the power he has received. He admits that “to be thus is nothing, / but to be safely thus” (3.1.49-50), stating that it is nothing to have the title of king unless he is a worthy king. This use of dramatic irony shows that though the crown should show authority, when Macbeth wears the crown it displays deception. Malcolm, however, is someone who will not hide behind the crown and who deserves to hear the call of his people saying “hail, King of Scotland” (5.9.27). By killing Macbeth, Macduff brings the crown back to the royal bloodline, and the crown again means authority and respect. Though the crown makes Macbeth appear to be the rightful king, the reality of his guilt hinders him from enjoying the power and leads to his

Under these masks, however, are guilt and weakness. They can hide behind a clean hands, they can hide behind a crown, and they can hide behind a strong reputation, but they can only hide for so long. Though their appearance looked good, they were caught in the end and they suffered greatly for their evil. As the weird sisters announced at the opening scene, “fair is foul, and foul is fair” (1.1.12), Macbeth seemed fair and a worthy king, but his heart was foul and his guilt could not be