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Duncan (His murder (His murder was deemed too horrific to show on stage -…
Duncan
His murder
His murder was deemed too horrific to show on stage - happens off stage
Compare to the fact that Macduff's son is murdered on stage - shows how truly bad this really is
Various unnatural happenings occur after his death - shows how it has disrupted natural order, and wreaked havoc and chaos, that will only be restored once his rightful heir is in place
Link to the idea of Scotland as a diseased person - Duncan is seen as the head of the country, that has now been removed, causing great instability
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Divine Right
At the time, people believed in the idea of the Great Chain of Being, the idea that everything had its own place in society, and nothing could ever really move between the levels
The monarch was at the top of the Great Chain of Being, and was seen as having Divine Right - it was believed they had been appointed by God and so were second only to him
Therefore, regicide was seen as an unforgivable act against God that would definitely send you to hell
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Emphasised by the religious imagery which Macbeth uses to describe Duncan: his virtues / will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / the deep damnation of his taking off
Ideal king
Shakespeare presents him as the perfect, ideal king
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Innocent and naive
He is presented as innocent, naive and almost too trusting, but even this is presented in a positive light
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Humility
Duncan shows his humility, which Macbeth lacks, during his comment about the previous Thane of Cawdor
There's no art / to find the mind's construction in the face / he was a gentleman on whom I built / an absolute trust