Duncan lavishes praise on Macbeth and Banquo, since the two helped him to earn the victory. He is full of gratitude and wants to hear the full story. So as well as being loyal, he is also patriotic and behaves like a leader and how a king should act.
Duncan say’s he will give more praise, more land, and also more glory to Macbeth and Banquo. He uses language containing full of images from nature, full of life and fertility and growth to express this. “I have begun to plant thee, and will labour to make thee full of growing.” I think this shows us the belief the audience in Shakespeare’s time had is the natural order. To kill Duncan is exactly the same as destroying order. I think that this would also show us that Duncan is also an expressive and emotional king.
More irony is seen by the audience when Duncan promotes his son Malcolm to be heir of the throne “We will establish our estate upon our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name here after ‘The Prince of Cumberland’”.
This causes Macbeth to be extremely jealous, he is deeply disturbed by this and in an aside, he speaks of his ambition “The Prince of Cumberland! This is a step on which I must fall down…stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires” This fills the audience with fear and tension, once again, this is dramatic irony, audience know more then everyone on stage except Macbeth. We listen to his inner mind and only we, the audience can hear what he says.
Duncan arrives at Inverness, Macbeth’s castle. He loves Macbeths castle and uses lyrical language to describe it “This castle hath a pleasant seat; the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself into our gentle senses”. Again Shakespeare uses dramatic irony because Duncan will die here which meant that he was walking into a trap. Irony continues when Duncan and Banquo speak elegantly about birds breeding and the delicate air “Guest of summer, heavens breath.”
Duncan praises Lady Macbeth and also honours here since she welcomed them, even though Lady Macbeth is a hypocrite. She also plots Duncan’s death therefore it increases the irony.
Macbeth speaks in a soliloquy his inner thoughts about Duncan. He knows that if he kills the king, he will be going to hell and that whatever he does will return back to haunt him. One meaning is that if he murders the king, someone will murder him “Bloody instructions, which being taught return to plague th’ inventor. This even-handed justice commends th’ ingredience of our poisoned chalice to our own lips.” Macbeth knows that Duncan is his cousin and also his king. He knows that he should be protecting Duncan in his own castle “First, I am his kinsmen and his subject, strong both against the deed.” He realises that Duncan is a good man “meek”. Shakespeare makes us; the audience explore Macbeth’s conscience even though he is a murderer. We also realise that Duncan is a great and noble king who does not deserve to die.
Macbeth then becomes visionary. He understands the pity and sorrow that the world will experience once the death is known as a “naked new-born babe”. I think this emphasises the innocence of Duncan and his vulnerability. Duncan feels safe with Macbeth and if Macbeth murders him, it will destroy his “absolute trust”.
When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth he will not do it, Lady Macbeth is furious with Macbeths sudden change of mind therefore starts to insult him and saying to him what a coward he is “And live a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’, like the poor cat I’ the adage?” Macbeth acknowledges Lady Macbeth’s ideas and does not want to be the ‘coward’ in her speech. He slaughters Duncan as he sleeps. This causes Macbeth to never sleep properly again which is further irony.
After the murder, the audience and the gathered noblemen hear Lennox describe the terrors of the night. He says that the natural order has been destroyed “Some say the earth was feverous and did shake…” All natures express chaos, as if God is full of anger with tears.
Macduff describes the death as a crime against God and nature, against Scotland and Mankind. Duncan is compared as “The lord’s anointed temple has been destroyed”. This emphasises to the audience how holy Duncan was. His death is also compared as “Great Doom’s Image” which implies that it is the end of the world. He describes Duncan as “Royal master’s murdered”, which shows us that Macduff is a good man and that he respects him deeply along with Banquo. It reveals the vital importance of a king to the country and natural order. Duncan’s death serves to bring Macbeth to the end of his life, metaphorically speaking. He will never be at peace again. “Macbeth ***? murder sleep”
Once Macbeth has seen the slaughtered king, he tells them how appalled he is. He explains that he killed the guards out of confusion and temper since that they had killed his respected king. “His silver skin laced with his golden blood, and his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature”. He knows how precious and holy Duncan was and that he was vital to Scotland. Just like ‘God’ by using precious metal imagery but as we all know, it was Macbeth who killed the king and that hen reason why he killed the guards was because he wants to get rid of the evidence.
Macbeth is also telling the truth “Had I but died an hour before this chance I had lived a blessed time”. This means that Macbeth is equivocating. He tells the truth and also lies at the same time. He does love the king but he also wants to be king.
Macbeth knows now that life has no meaning “All is but toys, renown and grace is dead, the wine of life is drawn, and the mere lees is left this vault to brag of”. He knows that he is damned forever. Shakespeare will develop this theme of conscience in the rest of the play.
Duncan is seen as a kind and respectable king. All his subjects trust him as well as him trusting them. He causes Macbeth to be jealous because he had tremendous power. Shakespeare uses language and stagecraft to make his character both clear and interesting. The audience can see that Duncan represents greatness and realise Macbeth will be unable to live up to this.
