Each character takes a different fork in the road, and this bifurcation is also an extension of King James's struggle to rule two opposing countries. In addition to the binary personality of Macbeth, his relationship with Banquo also serves a dualistic function. While Shakespeare undoubtedly did not consider his own king evil or corrupt, he relates the basic notion of inner conflict to King James through the juxtaposition of Macbeth's character. His human qualities present a character that is indeed evil, but capable of guilt and remorse at the same time, illustrating yet another dualistic tension within the mind of Macbeth. The everyday incidents that we might take as examples of ethical thinking come to us as a tale told," relating Macbeth to the audience in a way unseen in any of Shakespeare's other plays (Keller 42). In essence, "we discover a hidden similarity between Macbeth's dramatic situation and everyday life. He is completely subject to choice and free will, and his options are not much different from the audience's daily choices in life, adding to the human qualities of Macbeth's character. Macbeth, though able to carry out corrupt and evil schemes, is ill-equipped for the psychological consequences of his crimes. Though Macbeth may be seen as irrevocably evil, his weakness of character separates him from Shakespeare's other villains, who are all strong enough to conquer guilt and self-doubt. Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth illustrates the negative effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. The duality of Macbeth's personality is not only juxtaposed with King James's own two-sided conflict, but it gives Macbeth's character something that other Shakespearean villains lack-humanity. This duplicity of character relates to James's hesitation to choose one country over the other. Much of his behavior throughout the play is an equivocation because he never quite takes one position over the other, but exists as both good and evil. Macbeth is too ambitious to allow his conscience to stop him from murdering his way into power, yet too morally conscious to be happy about his evil actions. He ends his speech by proclaiming, "I have no spur /To prick the sides of my intent, but only /Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself /And falls on th' other" (1.7.25-8). Here it seems as though Macbeth realizes the depravity of his plot, yet he still commits murder out of his desire to become king. In his soliloquy, Macbeth observes, "He's here in double trust /First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, /Strong both against the deed then, as his host, /Who should against his murderer shut the door, /Not bear the knife myself" (1.7.12-16). Macbeth constantly fluctuates between his murderous plots and his self-doubt and despair. Macbeth evinces a dualism within himself, much like King James. Shakespeare's Macbeth juxtaposes both Macbeth and his wife with other characters in the play and with each other, and this technique can be seen as a manifestation of King James's inner dualistic conflict over Scotland and England.Īs an extension of King James's inner struggle over two countries, the dualism of Macbeth's character in the play is found in the juxtaposition of Macbeth's evil characteristics with his humane qualities. The King's resolute desire to unite both his kingdoms, combined with the notion that "Scotland was a constant worry on England's northern border" (Bevington 1259), no doubt shaped an inner conflict within James. Macbeth "simultaneously incorporates an uneasy attitude of hostility toward Scotland along with a vision of union between the two countries," reflecting the conflicting nature of James's regime (Bevington 1259). With his coronation as England's king in 1603, James held onto his Scottish crown, making him ruler of both countries. Most likely composed in 1606 during the early reign of King James I, Shakespeare not only uses Macbeth to pay homage to his king's Scottish lineage, but crafts the play as a mirror-image of the duality faced by James during his rule. The thematic development of the twoness throughout Macbeth can be linked to the dualism of politics during the time the play was written.
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