Threatening Forces in Macbeth
In a lifetime, forces of all types threaten a person’s well being. In order to further one’s own interests one must continually identify and act on these forces. Vision is an important part of a defence. Vision can evaluate a person quickly, summing up their sex, frame, clothing, and body language in seconds. Because this evaluation is based on such superficial qualities, a person’s true character is often misconstrued. That which appears to be an honest man may be a thief. That which appears helpless may be dangerous. That which appears to be a friend, a traitor. In his play Macbeth William Shakespeare demonstrates that threatening forces can be disguised by their appearance.
Duncan was fooled twice by the appearances of other characters in this play. His first mistake happened very early on, and involved the power system in Scotland. Although power in Scotland was invested entirely in the Kingship, there were many other people who held great sway in the political system. The King would appoint lower rulers in order to maintain better control over the country, a different authority for each division of land. These rulers were called Thanes and were intended to ensure that issues of micro-management, those of little importance to the King, were dealt with. Unfortunately, Duncan, the King of Scotland, was a poor judge of character. He appointed a man to the powerful Thaneship of Cawdor, rendering him “a prosperous gentleman, and to be king”. However, this “gentleman” allied himself with the Norwegians in an attempt to overthrow Scotland. He was later referred to as “that most disloyal traitor”. Fortunately for Duncan, his more loyal supporters, especially Macbeth and Banquo rallied around him and defeated the Norwegians. Duncan, realising his mistake even commented that “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”. He hoped he would never misjudge a person again but then turned his trust onto Macbeth, who had similar ambitions to the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth then plot to use their new position of trust to seize the Scottish Crown. Lady Macbeth knows “to beguile the time, look like the time” and urges Macbeth to “look like th’ innocent flower but be the serpent under ‘t”. They...