Essay on King Duncan in 'Macbeth'

The written task is based on the book “Macbeth”, written by William Shakespeare. This text comes under part IV – Literature: Critical Study. My written task is a narrative about a rather surprising meeting between Macbeth and the Ghost of King Duncan. Macbeth is declared the Thane of Cawdor, which makes one of the witches’ prophecies come true. Hearing about this, Lady Macbeth’s greed of becoming the queen lightens up and she manipulates Macbeth into killing King Duncan, where Macbeth’s ethical considerations are distorted.

My task mainly concentrates on the first two acts of the play, where the audience sees Macbeth transform into an ignorant person, who has complete disregard for his current position and relations with not only King Duncan but also with everyone in the kingdom. My task will also focus on the pinnacle of Macbeth’s remorse as he will behave uncomfortably during his encounter with the Ghost of King Duncan.

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A narrative will be used depict the features of certain characters in the play. It will be set immediately after Macbeth kills King Duncan and when the guilt of committing a shameful sin remains fresh in Macbeth’s head. The narrative will make excessive use of the past tense, which will help in building suspense. Furthermore, Macbeth and King Duncan will be able to articulate their thoughts amongst each other, with the help of sensory elements. The narrative will focus on Macbeth’s perspective, indicating his change in character through disloyalty and disregard for his morals. In addition, I will make use of quotations from the play that will emphasize on King Duncan’s compassionate and naïve character. The opposing character traits will allow readers to examine the theme of good versus evil and enable them to observe the transformation of Macbeth’s character.

The thick musk scent of dried herbs wafted through the dry air. Macbeth aimlessly bumped into the chamber doors. The “firm-set earth” resonated Macbeth’s strides as he frantically yet cautiously tried to hide himself. As he tried to control his exasperated panting, he halted his breathing and observed his dim-lighted hall to see if he was being watched. Macbeth repeatedly quenched his parched throat by swallowing. A warm, thin film of sweat covered his body. Macbeth’s ruffled claret-stained clothes were moist as they stuck to his torso. Although Macbeth killed scores of Irish and Norwegian men, Macbeth never felt his heart pounding out of his chest so rapidly and fiercely.

“This death… was different.” Macbeth whispered slowly to himself. Regret flooded Macbeth’s mind as he deplored his heinous act of slaying King Duncan. Visions of the daggers repeatedly plunging into the throat and chest caused Macbeth to whimper quietly. As time elapsed, he glared at his dried blood-stained hands clenching the daggers and croaked to himself silently, “What have I done? Hours ago, I was granted the Thane of Cawdor and gained the trust of King Duncan. I was considered his ‘kinsman’ and ‘subject’. Perhaps if my ‘heat oppressed brain’ cooled down, I would have never committed such a deed that I regret so much…” Macbeth then gasped for air, and found himself slowly descending to the stone-floor with his back propped against the wall. After inhaling and exhaling properly, Macbeth started to mutter to himself again,

“King Duncan has done no wrong in God’s eyes and has sacrificed his time and energy for others. I would never be able to be half the man King Duncan was. My conscience failed to protect me from letting my ambitions manipulate my acts. This was my wife’s fault, not mine! She called me a ‘naked new-born babe’ and dismantled my pride and manhood. I could have been a man of integrity and honesty; instead I brought the demise of my innocence. As King Duncan is in heaven, I feel like my actions have me chained to hell.” Uncontrollably, cascades of tears flowed down the scarlet-bitten cheeks of Macbeth. The warm, saline tears mixed with sweat eventually dripped off from his mahogany beard.

As he propped himself back up against the dusty wall for support, cold chills crawled down his sweaty back. The torches in the hall flickered. Distant sounds of footsteps could be heard. The metallic stench of blood drying on Macbeth’s rugged forearms reminded him of his wrongdoings. Once more, Macbeth gazed at his blood-stained hands, involuntarily twitching. A small pool of tears and sweat formed at the bottom of his feet. He tucked away his bloodied daggers in his brown leather belt. Reality was overwhelming for Macbeth. Macbeth’s clothes were mottled with blood. Flashes of his dagger plunging into the ribs of King Duncan resurfaced and caused him to shudder violently. Macbeth remembered King Duncan’s face of despair when blood oozed from the corner of Duncan’s mouth. Subsequently, Macbeth dragged himself towards the wine cellar, to slake his thirst and forget his atrocious acts. Using his burgundy fingers to guide him along the sooty wall, he found himself in front of the door. As he entered the wine cellar, the torches extinguished. The door behind Macbeth bolted shut. Macbeth’s pupils dilated. “Who goes there?” Macbeth demanded, brandishing both his toothed daggers. Then, a paralyzed terror overtook Macbeth’s face. His mouth gaped in disbelief. The ghost of King Duncan swiftly towered over Macbeth. With no sign of flesh, King Duncan swerved around Macbeth and casted a sorrowful look. His white gowns radiated and exposed faint splotches of his own blood. Macbeth viciously swung at Duncan, but only found himself hitting nothing but air.

“Could this be the result of my heat-oppressed brain? My lust for ambition has caused me to fall short. How will I ever get rid of my guilt? Go away, “false creation!” exclaimed Macbeth.

Calmly, King Duncan responded, “I trusted you. I loved you and thought of you as a kinsman. Have I not given you my utmost respect? Have I caused any problems for you? Have I ever doubted our relationship? After what the previous Thane of Cawdor did to me, I believed that you would have stayed loyal to me. I chose you for a reason, to protect me and serve me. You have not caused pain for yourself, but for the rest of Scotland. I’m in utter pain. I chose you because I believed that you would reflect my actions and thoughts. Instead, you have failed me. No, I have failed myself and all of Scotland for trusting you.”

Tears streaked down King Duncan’s cheeks. Aghast and defeated, Macbeth attempted to pry the door open to escape his consequences, but his efforts were futile. In a calm voice, King Duncan reprimanded Macbeth, “How dare you, you coward. Do you have no pride? You are nothing but a knave, you treacherous serpent. I knew you were courageous when you ‘unseamed’ the renegade,

Macdonwald, but I failed to recognize that you are neither generous and honest, nor loyal.” The weight of the truth was too much for Macbeth. He threw his hands over his ears but it was futile. The ghostly words resonated with his core, and his body trembled violently as it attempted to contain the guilt. Macbeth then bawled,

“What should I do, to make you go away? Could this be reality? My guilt is causing me to become restless. Go away! Away, you figure of hell!”

To Macbeth’s relief, the ghost of King Duncan vanished without a trace. The torches flickered once more. The door unlocked itself. Suddenly, loud footsteps approached the wine cellar. Macbeth then exclaimed to himself, “Who’s there?”. With a slight heave, the hinges creaked. Lady Macbeth then appeared before him, with a smirk soon turned into a scowl, “Infirm of purpose! Go wash yourself! If you continue to whine, you will awaken the whole household! The crown is nearly ours…”