The play, Macbeth, continues to remain a rich masterpiece to this day, pouring its content into learning courses, play performances, and movies. One subject that has continued to baffle its readers is the argument of which character is solely responsible for the major events. Due to the fact that most people will only read the surface of this play, it is expected that most will point their fingers towards Macbeth. Though this character appears to be a natural suspect, upon closer inspection lies crucial evidence placing the blame upon the ‘victim’ himself, King Duncan. This evidence suggests that Duncan’s fault rests within his trusting of Macbeth, his inability to infer circumstances, and his declaring of Malcolm as his heir in front of Macbeth.
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Duncan can best be described as being incapable to discern a friend from a foe. He confirmed this himself, as he stated: “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I [had] built an absolute trust” (1.4. 11-14). This was stated after one of his most trusted officers, Macdonwald, betrayed him in favor of the enemy 's country. Though the king was astounded by such a betrayal, he failed to learn to be more careful with whom he trusted. As a result of this, he passed the traitor’s title of honor, the Thane of Cawdor, upon Macbeth, a mere captain within his army. One piece of critical information that is often not drawn from this is the king’s impulsiveness. It must be conjectured that a strong and stable foundation of trust must have been built over a period of time in order for the king to be as shocked as he was. The fact that this complete trust was then directly transferred over to Macbeth reveals the moronic mind of the king. Reliance is never transferred, but rather received from proving one’s self through an extensive amount of actions. That being said, if the king had chosen to make Macbeth earn it over an extended period of time, he could have discovered the truth about …show more content…
This attribute of the king was demonstrated while he visited at Macbeth’s house. The purpose of this visit was to celebrate the new title, the Thane of Cawdor, that Macbeth had received from the king. While this celebration proceeded, Macbeth, fully aware that the king had not yet finished his food, would promptly exit the dining area without an explanation. This rude act alone should have aroused suspicion within King Duncan. The reason for this is because Macbeth’s new title, which would grant him many new privileges, had fully depended on the decision of the king. A recognition should have sparked within him that Macbeth did not hold the same amount of honor towards him. The king, however, failed to draw this conclusion and proceeded to request Macbeth’s wife to tell him that his presence was missed. If the king had not failed to infer this from reasoning, the future harm that Macbeth would cause could have been
Duncan can best be described as being incapable to discern a friend from a foe. He confirmed this himself, as he stated: “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He was a gentleman on whom I [had] built an absolute trust” (1.4. 11-14). This was stated after one of his most trusted officers, Macdonwald, betrayed him in favor of the enemy 's country. Though the king was astounded by such a betrayal, he failed to learn to be more careful with whom he trusted. As a result of this, he passed the traitor’s title of honor, the Thane of Cawdor, upon Macbeth, a mere captain within his army. One piece of critical information that is often not drawn from this is the king’s impulsiveness. It must be conjectured that a strong and stable foundation of trust must have been built over a period of time in order for the king to be as shocked as he was. The fact that this complete trust was then directly transferred over to Macbeth reveals the moronic mind of the king. Reliance is never transferred, but rather received from proving one’s self through an extensive amount of actions. That being said, if the king had chosen to make Macbeth earn it over an extended period of time, he could have discovered the truth about …show more content…
This attribute of the king was demonstrated while he visited at Macbeth’s house. The purpose of this visit was to celebrate the new title, the Thane of Cawdor, that Macbeth had received from the king. While this celebration proceeded, Macbeth, fully aware that the king had not yet finished his food, would promptly exit the dining area without an explanation. This rude act alone should have aroused suspicion within King Duncan. The reason for this is because Macbeth’s new title, which would grant him many new privileges, had fully depended on the decision of the king. A recognition should have sparked within him that Macbeth did not hold the same amount of honor towards him. The king, however, failed to draw this conclusion and proceeded to request Macbeth’s wife to tell him that his presence was missed. If the king had not failed to infer this from reasoning, the future harm that Macbeth would cause could have been