In the first act, the motif, “The prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else o’erlap.” (1.4.55-56)
Malcolm’s father passes away, and the people in the kingdom expect that Malcolm will become king. Duncan states that Malcolm will be king because he is strong and wise. If Malcolm does immediately assume the role of king, he must think quickly about how he wants to rule the kingdom. Malcolm’s realizes that he must become king in order to protect the village and continue to be seen as manly and wise, as shown in the quote, “The Prince of Cumberland, which honor must not unaccompanied invest him only, but signs of …show more content…
This is shown in the motif, “This avarice Sticks deeper, grows with more pernicious root Than summer-seeming lust, and it hath been The sword of our slain kings.” Despite this, Macduff still believes that Malcolm is the better choice as a king because his good qualities are way more important than his bad ones. This further proves that, despite his greed, Malcolm is not a bad man and that he still has the good qualities necessary to become king. As Malcolm continues to be unsure about whether he’s right for the job of being king, Macduff reassures him even more by saying, “—Thy royal father Was a most sainted king. The queen that bore thee, Oftener upon her knees than on her feet, Died every day she lived. Fare thee well! These evils thou repeat’st upon thyself Have banished me from Scotland.—O my breast, Thy hope ends here! (4.3.110-116), so by saying this, Macduff truly believes that Malcolm should become king and that he is right for the job. In conclusion, Malcolm finally agrees with Macduff and considers becoming