Juxtaposition of characters: the duplicity of MacbethShakespeare's Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish general, initially presenting a seemingly brave and noble warrior. Macbeth is ultimately driven by ambition to seek the throne after hearing a prophecy of a trio of supernatural forces, ultimately leading to his kingship and subsequent death. While the tragedy centers on the dualistic battle between good and evil, many dual conflicts exist within the play, leading to the congruence of King James' monarchy with that of Macbeth. By applying dualism to the play's characters, Shakespeare provides a comparative extension of the English crown, particularly through the juxtaposition of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's characteristics to those of other figures within the play, as well as to those of themselves . plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The thematic development of duality in Macbeth can be linked to the dualism of politics during the period in which the play was written. 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 creates the play as a mirror image of the duality faced by James during his reign. With his coronation as King of England in 1603, James retained the Scottish crown, becoming ruler of both countries. Macbeth “simultaneously incorporates an uneasy attitude of hostility towards Scotland alongside a vision of union between the two countries,” reflecting the conflictual nature of James's regime (Bevington 1259). The king's resolute desire to unite both his kingdoms, combined with the idea that "Scotland was a constant concern on the northern border of England" (Bevington 1259), undoubtedly gave shape to an internal conflict within 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 internal dualistic conflict over Scotland and England. As an extension of King James' 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 human qualities. Macbeth manifests a dualism within himself, just like King James. Macbeth constantly oscillates between his murderous plots, insecurity, and desperation. In his soliloquy, Macbeth observes: "He is here with double confidence; / First, for I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his guest, / Who should shut the door against his murderer, / Bear not the knife myself” (1.7.12-16). Here it seems that Macbeth realizes the depravity of his plot, yet still commits murder out of a desire to become king. He concludes his speech by proclaiming, “I have no urge / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Ambition that whirls, that surpasses itself / And falls upon the other” (1.7.25-8). Macbeth is too ambitious to let his conscience stop him from rising to murderous power, but too morally aware to be happy with his evil deeds. Much of his behavior throughout the play is a misunderstanding because he never takes one side over the other, but exists as both good and evil. This duplicity of character is linked to James' hesitation in choosing one country over another. The duality of Macbeth's personality is not only juxtaposed with King James's bilateral conflict, but gives Macbeth's character something that other villains lackShakespeareans: humanity. Shakespeare's portrayal of Macbeth illustrates the negative effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. Although Macbeth can be seen as irrevocably evil, his weakness of character separates him from Shakespeare's other villains, all of whom are strong enough to overcome guilt and insecurity. Macbeth, although capable of carrying out corrupt and evil plans, is unprepared to face the psychological consequences of his crimes. He is completely subject to choice and free will, and his options are not much different from the audience's everyday choices in life, which adds to the human qualities of Macbeth's character. In essence, "we discover a hidden similarity between Macbeth's dramatic situation and everyday life. Everyday incidents that we might take as examples of ethical thinking come to us as a told story", relating Macbeth to the audience in a way never seen in any of our films. Shakespeare's Other Works (Keller 42). His human qualities present a character that is truly evil, yet capable of guilt and remorse at the same time, illustrating yet another dualistic tension in Macbeth's mind. While Shakespeare undoubtedly did not view his own king as evil or corrupt, he connects the fundamental notion of internal conflict to King James through the juxtaposition of the character of Macbeth. In addition to Macbeth's binary personality, his relationship with Banquo also serves a dualistic function. Each character takes a different fork in the road, and this fork is also an extension of King James' struggle to rule two opposing countries. After hearing the witches' prophecy in Macbeth, Banquo tells them, "If you can look into the seeds of time / And tell which corn will grow and which will not, / Speak then to me, who neither begs nor fears / Your favors nor yours hatred" (1.3.58-61). Banquo's indifference towards the mystical predictions of the Weird Sisters communicates to the audience that he is unwilling to fall prey to supernatural powers. Banquo "resists the lures of fortune as well as its blows " when he chooses to despise the witches as untrustworthy (Bevington 1256). Banquo is somewhat tempted by the witches' words later that evening, but never fully understands the idea or the magnitude of the power suggested by the prophecy. Although Banquo later murdered, his character remains untainted by guilt or evil because he ultimately chooses to resist the temptations of otherworldly allusions. Macbeth, on the other hand, represents the other pole of the fork as he totally believes in divination and becomes a prophecy. it is self-fulfilling. She implores the Weird Sisters: “Stay, imperfect speakers, tell me more,” alluding to her gullibility, as well as her deep desire for power (1.3.70). Almost immediately Macbeth decides that to reach the throne he will have to resort to murder and conspiracy, although none of the witches tell him this method. Later, in the first scene of the fourth act, Macbeth seeks out the witches again and begs them to prophesy his fate a second time. His desire for power and ambition overshadows his rationality and he himself fulfills the prediction. Macbeth "is ripe for [the witches'] insinuations: a mind free from defilement would see no sinister invitation in their prophecy of greatness to come" (Bevington 1256). Much to Macbeth's irony, Elizabethan audiences would have recognized that the play's protagonist did not have to kill Duncan to become king as Scotland did not have a patriarchal lineage to the throne during this period. Rather, Macbeth considered the witches worthy oftrust and followed the opposite path to that of Banquo, ultimately leading to his death as a tainted man. As mentioned, "Scotland was a constant concern on the northern border of England... and, from an English point of view, manifested the kind of tyranny which the English particularly feared", alluding to the idea that King James had before himself two contrasting paths to choose between: England and Scotland (Bevington 1259). The metaphor shown through the different paths taken by Banquo and Macbeth in relation to destiny is related to King James' struggle to guide the paths of both Scotland and England. Lady Macbeth also outlines James' reign through the juxtaposition of her character with that of the witches. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare correlates Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters through a number of subtle characteristics, and through this he also incorporates James' reign into the play. The Weird Sisters resemble the Three Fates of Greek mythology, who weave the fabric of human life and have the power to cut the thread to end it. Much like the Fates, the witches act as puppeteers, appearing to manipulate Macbeth's extreme ambition. Lady Macbeth similarly dictates the scene of Duncan's murder, controlling and exploiting Macbeth's sense of virility as one might control a puppet. Lady Macbeth and the witches are also linked together by dark gender roles. When Banquo sees the Weird Sisters, he states to them, "You should be women, /Yet your beards keep me from interpreting /That you are," implying a blurred gender image of witches (1.3.45-7). Likewise, Lady Macbeth takes on virile characteristics by taking control to plan Duncan's murder, and "sexual aversion...allies Lady Macbeth with witches or strange sisters" (Bevington 1257). Lady Macbeth is further aligned with the Weird Sisters after reading Macbeth's letter relating to the first prophecy. She invites: "Come, ye spirits / Who entertain mortal thoughts, undress me here / And fill me from head to toe / With the most atrocious cruelty", once again adding a masculine nuance to her character while despising her feminine side. traits and asking to be "asexual" (1.5.40-3). In addition to gender-bending, Lady Macbeth's spells directly juxtapose her with witches. At the time Macbeth was written, the invocation of evil spirits was considered a heinous offense and "although Lady Macbeth never obtains the epithet of witch during the play, she would have been considered a witch under the Witchcraft Statute of 1604". evil spirits actually materialize, the evocation of evil qualifies as witchcraft. The very act of summoning demonic powers transforms her into the witch of the Statute of 1604" (Levin 30). Lady Macbeth's resemblance to the Weird Sisters in Macbeth establishes a connection to King James because of his ties to the supernatural. In 1598 King James wrote Daemonologie, and was "strongly interested in witchcraft" (Bevington 1259). Shakespeare's juxtaposition of the female protagonist with witches not only piqued the king's interest in the play, but the pairing of the characters allows for a further correlation between Macbeth and James' roles as dual kings Perhaps the most obvious, yet complex duality lies in the chiastic relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. At first, the audience sees Macbeth as a skilled warrior who is disappointed by his ambition for power. He tends to equivocate throughout the first half of the play, telling Banquo the witches' prophecy "He cannot be sick, he cannot be good" (1.3.132). Macbeth is unable to form a precise opinion or position and is tormented by self-doubt, capable of carrying out., 2004.