LRJ #6 (Yay, maybe I'll get to go to bed before midnight XD)

3/5/09

There is one overarching question that Shakespeare asks us to consider with a large amount of things to think about while answering it. The large overarching question is: what does it take to be a good king? He answers this in many places. The most straight forward answer comes from Malcolm, "The king-becoming graces, as justice,verity, temperance..., courage, [and] fortitude" (4.3.92-95).Here, Malcolm is describing the characteristics of what it takes to be a good king. The other example are not as straight forward but still there. You need to be humble, as Duncan did when he gave Lady Macbeth a diamond as a thanks for acting as a hostess, "This diamond he greets your wife withal" (2.1.15) Banquo tells this to Macbeth when he presents it to Macbeth (who is receiving it for his wife) on behalf of the king. Another is selflessness as Macbeth finds out. Everything he did was for personal gain and it ended up costing him his life while Duncan fought for the freedom of others from a tyrant and ends up reigning as a peaceful king, "Hail, king of Scotland!" (5.8.60). Everyone who fought with Malcolm is naming him king and doing him homage in this passage. One final good way Shakespeare answers his question is by providing us with a small list of the "don'ts" of a goot king, "Bloody, Luxurious... [and] smacking of every sin that has a name" (4.3.58-61). This is presented a little before the list if "does" by Malcolm to Macduff while testing Macduff's true loyalty.