Kingship In Macbeth: A Complete Essay Plan, With Quotes & Analysis

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    Summary

    Mr Everything English delves into the theme of kingship in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth,' discussing its significance in the Jacobean era and its portrayal in the play. The video emphasizes kingship as a symbol of power and divine right, contrasting Macbeth's lust for power with the sacred duties of kingship. Through various quotes and analysis, the essay plan explores how Macbeth's actions, driven by ambition and the influence of the witches, lead to a disruption of order and a critique of the societal structure of the time. The video is aimed at preparing students for potential exam questions on the theme.

      Highlights

      • Kingship was considered divine in the Jacobean era, essential for societal order 👑.
      • Macbeth's soliloquies reveal his inner turmoil and the mental impact of his ambition 🤯.
      • The witches' influence highlights their rebellion against divine order and kingship 🧙.
      • Macbeth's actions contrast with the expected purity and justice associated with kingship 😈.
      • Key quotes provide a foundation for essay responses on kingship in 'Macbeth' ✍️.

      Key Takeaways

      • Kingship in 'Macbeth' is a central theme that symbolizes power and divine right 👑.
      • The video offers a complete essay plan with analysis for exam preparation 📚.
      • Macbeth's ambition leads to his downfall as he disrupts the natural order 👿.
      • The witches play a crucial role in targeting Macbeth to challenge kingship 🧙.
      • Kingship is depicted as the glue holding society together during turbulent times 🏰.

      Overview

      In his video, Mr Everything English explores the theme of kingship in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth,' offering a detailed essay plan for students preparing for exams. He delves into how kingship during the Jacobean era was seen as divinely ordained, and how this contrasts with modern perspectives on royalty. The video breaks down how the theme is pivotal to understanding the play's narrative and the moral implications of Macbeth's usurpation.

        Throughout the video, Mr Everything English discusses key scenes and quotes that exemplify the theme of kingship, focusing on Macbeth's psychological descent and moral corruption. By examining Macbeth's interactions with the witches, the video illustrates how ambition and supernatural influences prompt him to violate the divine order. This detailed analysis serves as a guide for students to confidently tackle essay questions.

          The video conveys how kingship is portrayed as both a powerful and precarious institution in 'Macbeth.' As characters vie for power, the disruption of kingship leads to chaos and the questioning of moral and societal norms. Mr Everything English positions kingship as the cornerstone of the play's drama, urging students to see it as an accessible topic that can be skillfully addressed in exams.

            Chapters

            • 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction The chapter introduction sets the stage for a discussion on kingship in Macbeth, led by Mr. Everything English. It is aimed at preparing learners for the possibility of this theme appearing in their studies. The speaker expresses awareness of students' inquiries and concerns, acknowledging their anticipation that kingship might be a central topic. The speaker assures the audience by indicating that the session will cover the theme thoroughly as a preparatory measure.
            • 01:00 - 03:00: Understanding Kingship in Macbeth In this chapter, the concept of kingship in Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' is explored. The discussion begins with the fundamental definition of kingship as the idea of the king. The narrative aims to delve deeper into the historical and thematic significance of kingship, examining how it is portrayed and its implications on the characters and plot within the play 'Macbeth.'
            • 03:00 - 06:00: Importance of Kingship The chapter explores the role and perception of kingship during the Jacobian era. It highlights how the king was seen as an important figure, appointed by divine will. In contrast to contemporary views, the king of that time held significant influence and reverence in society.
            • 06:00 - 08:00: Essay Plan Introduction The chapter introduces the idea of divine kingship, where the king is believed to be chosen by God and serves as His representative on earth. This belief imbues the king with immense power and justice. Opposition to the king is equated with opposition to religion, with figures such as witches being seen as adversaries to the king and thus to the divine order. The chapter highlights the notion that to destroy the king is to challenge a divine mandate, underlining the societal view of the king as a central figure in maintaining both political and religious order.
            • 08:00 - 12:00: Paragraph 1: Macbeth's Soliloquy This chapter delves into Macbeth's internal struggle and reflections in his soliloquy, revealing his inner thoughts about the nature of power, religion, and justice. It highlights how the concept of kingship was viewed as vital, with the king being the most powerful individual in the kingdom. This power dynamics are crucial to the themes explored in Macbeth, emphasizing the lengths individuals would go to attain such influential positions.
            • 12:00 - 15:00: Paragraph 2: Macbeth and the Witches Chapter 2: Macbeth is introduced to the witches, who plant the seeds of ambition in him by prophesying that he will become king. However, this quest for power leads to the destruction not only of King Duncan, but of an entire belief system and kingdom. The concept of kingship is explored in this chapter, emphasizing that it represents more than just the individuals involved; it is a symbol of society’s values, morals, and beliefs.
            • 15:00 - 18:00: Paragraph 3: Instruments of Darkness In this chapter, titled 'Instruments of Darkness,' the focus is on discussing kingship thematically. The conversation shifts slightly to provide information about educational resources available at everythingucation.co.uk, where English, Maths, and Science classes are offered. The platform provides a student portal for communication and homework submission, aiming to facilitate a comprehensive learning experience.
            • 18:00 - 21:00: Paragraph 4: Traits of a King The chapter discusses the traits of a king as presented in the play Macbeth. It focuses on how the concept of kingship is portrayed, using the example of Macbeth's soliloquy before he kills King Duncan. This moment is highlighted as a critical point for understanding the responsibilities and moral dilemmas faced by a king. The chapter suggests that these themes are important for analysis, particularly in the context of an exam question about kingship.
            • 21:00 - 26:00: Conclusion The chapter 'Conclusion' delves into the inner turmoil of a character who feels his brain is overwhelmed and manipulated. This is expressed through a soliloquy, highlighting the oxymoron of an 'oppressed brain,' as thoughts are expected to be free and not controlled. The narrative encourages exploring the conflict between freedom and manipulation of the mind.

            Kingship In Macbeth: A Complete Essay Plan, With Quotes & Analysis Transcription

            • 00:00 - 00:30 Guys, welcome to another video. You've got Mr. Everything English. And today I want to talk about kingship in McBth. Everything education, tuition for maths, English, and science. Um, you guys have been messaging me. I'm getting the feeling that a lot of you guys are thinking that kingship is coming up. And is it going to come up? Who knows? But let's cover it together just so we're prepped for it. Now guys, when it comes to my
            • 00:30 - 01:00 predictions, I will release my predictions probably on the last day of April, um, two weeksish before the exams. Now, kingship, what is kingship and how do you talk about kingship, guys? Kingship is essentially the idea of the king. Now, that might sound weird. Is that it, guys? Kingship is the idea of the king. Now go back in a time
            • 01:00 - 01:30 machine. How did the people of the Jacobian era view the king guys? The king was the guy. The king was the guy. He was the man. Today guys, the king don't really do much. We don't really have much kind of clout for the king. So don't view the king with the way we view the king of today. Guys, back in those days, they believed that the king was a man chosen by God. Call blime me.
            • 01:30 - 02:00 Imagine that. They believe this guy was chosen by God. He was God's representative on earth. And as a result, the king symbolized power. The king symbolized justice. And everyone who was against religion, cough cough, the witches, everyone who was against this was against the king by default. And if you were able to destroy the king, you weren't just destroying a
            • 02:00 - 02:30 man, you were destroying an whole idea of religion, of power, of justice. And that is why the king the king or kingship was super important because those who wanted to become the king in becoming the king they became the most important the most powerful person in the kingdom. And those who were able to
            • 02:30 - 03:00 destroy the king were not able to just destroy one man but they were able to destroy an entire belief system an entire kingdom. That is how you view kingship. It is not just about McBth. It is not just about Duncan. But it is about the symbol of what society believed to be amazing, to be good or to be wrong, and to be devilish. Now, how would we talk about kingship in an exam? I'm going to give
            • 03:00 - 03:30 you a full essay plan that beautifully discusses kingship. Guys, should you ever require English, maths or science classes, do head over to everythingucation.co.uk. I teach all of the English classes myself. And the maths and science classes are taught by fully qualified teachers. Upon joining, you have access to the student portal where you can talk to me, submit your homework, and get your feedback. So guys, should you wish to join, head over to everythingucation.co.uk.
            • 03:30 - 04:00 Let's say in your exam on May the 12th, the question comes up, how is the idea of kingship presented in mcbth? You can literally use these four paragraphs on my on the screen behind me to talk about kingship. How? Paragraph number one, guys, is my favorite, my go-to. It is McBth's siloquy. And this is before McBth killed King Duncan. This is before McBth kills King Duncan and it is in act
            • 04:00 - 04:30 two scene one and he's sitting there and he's complaining about his heat oppressed brain. My brain is mashed. My brain is being controlled. My brain is being manipulative manipulated. And this is a silicquy as my technique. And when I zoom in I could zoom into the oxymoron oppressed brain because your brain is supposed to be free. Your thoughts are supposed to be free, not controlled. Now, how could I link this
            • 04:30 - 05:00 to kingship? There's so many ways you can link it, guys. So many ways. Firstly, McBth. What does it show about McBth, guys? It shows how the desire for power, the desire for kingship, what has it done to McBth is completely destroyed the man. Not physically but mentally. He has become an absolute weak
            • 05:00 - 05:30 character. He's complaining. My brain is being controlled. My brain is being manipulative. All for what? All because of this desire to become the king. Look, but at the same time, look at how much he's willing to sacrifice. Because he doesn't stop. He goes and kills the king even though he knows he's being controlled and that he knows it's not good for him. It's a doublefold. Number one, it shows how
            • 05:30 - 06:00 desperate he was to become the king, but at the same time, it shows how much he was willing to sacrifice to become the king. He accepts that he's being controlled, but he's okay with it. The third thing, guys, you could talk about the great chain of beings. Why is Makbet suffering? Why is Makbet struggling? Because in the Jacobian era, they believed that the king was chosen. So the king was chosen by God
            • 06:00 - 06:30 and then the king's sons would become the kings after him. In McBth trying to kill Duncan, he's almost destroying that line, that chain of being, and he's wedging himself in. He's not the rightful heir to the throne and that is why he is suffering so much. You could use also this quote to talk about Lady McBth and uh the
            • 06:30 - 07:00 witches. For Lady McBth guys, you could talk about the idea that her ambition in making McBth king relied upon the impact that it had for her. By default it made her powerful because McBth became the king. She became the queen. And for the witches when it comes to heat oppressed brain guys it shows you what their target is. Everyone says right. McBth is ambitious. McBth is ambitious. Everyone
            • 07:00 - 07:30 says that. Okay fine. But why did the witches choose him? Cuz Banquo is also ambitious. Makdaf is also ambitious. Why him? because he had the coonas. He had what it required to do the deed to become the king. And they saw that the witches chose their man perfectly. But now here's the question. Why did they want to choose McBth? Not because they
            • 07:30 - 08:00 had a beef with McBth, but because they had a beef with what the kingship represents. The king is a symbol of God. The witches are a symbol of Satan in using McBth to take out the king. O they have taken out their biggest and strongest enemy. That is how you talk about kingship when it comes to that first quote. Second quote act four scene one something wicked this way comes juosition. Why? Because the witches are
            • 08:00 - 08:30 calling McBth wicked. Chamomorphism they're giving McBth the feature of an object something. They are dehumanizing him. Now, how could you use this quote to talk about kingship in McBth? Guys, look at what McBth has done to kingship. The king is supposed to be God's man on earth. The king is supposed to be pure. The king is supposed to be powerful. Yet, McBth is the opposite of all of these things. In act four, scene
            • 08:30 - 09:00 one with a begging bowl, he goes to the witches saying, "Please help me. Give me more prophecies. I need your help. Tell me my future. This is not McBth. This is the king. This is the king of the kingdom who represents God going to the witches with a begging bowl. How does that make sense? How is that possible? How? How? How? How? How? How?
            • 09:00 - 09:30 That's like seeing your head teacher selling drugs on the corner of the street. It just doesn't make sense. How can that happen? How could this happen? And that is why you want to make the point about what McBth does to the idea of the king. McBth gets the idea of the king, puts it at the bottom of his shoe, and he drags it through the mud. He ruins the idea of kingship. He destroys kingship. And that is emphasized in this
            • 09:30 - 10:00 quote. They call the king wicked, evil. It's almost as though the king is the devil. No longer is the king a symbol of justice, a symbol of God. He's the complete opposite. And that's what happens when you're not the rightful heir to the throne. Paragraph number three. Instruments of darkness tell us truths only to betray us in deepest consequence. How could you use this
            • 10:00 - 10:30 quote to talk about kingship in McBTH? I would use it in a very simple way. The witches from the very beginning they knew what they were doing. Nothing ever happened by accident. They chose McBth on purpose. They said certain things to McBth on purpose because they set McBth up to fail because the instruments of darkness tell us truths only to betray us in deepest consequence. And this is why I
            • 10:30 - 11:00 want you guys to look at this quote not just a quote as in the witches targeted McBth. No, the witches in targeting McBth targeted the king. They did not have a beef with McBth. They had a beef with the king. And it shows you guys that from the very beginning, the witches were focused. They set out to destroy kingship. And therefore, guys, kingship in McBth is presented as the most powerful thing
            • 11:00 - 11:30 because if you were able to destroy that, society would crumble. And it does. The moment Duncan dies, it's all destroyed. Malcolm leaves, Donald Bane leaves, McDuff, McDuff goes to England. The society crumbles. Order is gone because it was held together by the king. So in targeting McBth, the witches show us how they focus and they target kingship like a sniper. Boom. They take
            • 11:30 - 12:00 out kingship. And it just so happened at that time the king was Duncan. You could replace King Duncan with King I remember chicken and chips and they would have taken him out. Paragraph number four. How would you use he and him from the nave to the chops? Boom. To become and link it to kingship. This is how McBth is described to us right at the beginning.
            • 12:00 - 12:30 And this is what gives McBth a promotion. The king after hearing about this makes McBth fain of Cordor. This is the man that the witches target to take out the king and to become the king. How would I use this quote? It shows you guys the kind of man a Jacobian society wanted to be their king. A weakling couldn't do it. It was not a job for the
            • 12:30 - 13:00 faint-hearted. To be the king, you had to almost be quite vicious, be quite cold-hearted, be powerful. And that's what McBth shows us. And that's why the witches chose McBth. That's why King Duncan was so happy when he learns about the kind of man McBTH is. That's what they love. And what they love is what bites them in the backside. But the point you want to make here guys is that
            • 13:00 - 13:30 kings and kingship and power was reserved for men of might, for men of power, for men who are merciless, for men who are vicious. Because patriarchy and power and kingship all go together. To be the king, you must be a strong powerful man. And that is how that last quote should be viewed. Guys, these four quotes, whether you use all of them,
            • 13:30 - 14:00 whether you use one of them or two of them, let's say in your exam you get a question about kingship, the idea of the king, the idea of power. You can easily use two of these and make it fit. Kingship, guys, people are scared of it. I think kingship is a really easy question. If you look at kingship the way I've described it, don't be scared of it. Welcome it because it's a lovely question because it is the pillar of the book. Sorry, it is the pillar of the
            • 14:00 - 14:30 play McBth. Kingship is what everyone fights for. McBth, Lady McBth, the witches, McDuff, Malcolm, Dolan Bane, they are all fighting for that. It doesn't mean they want to be the king. It means in one way or another, some of them are trying to destroy it. Some of them are trying to keep it up like Makdaf. Makdaf doesn't want to be the king but he wants to hold up the idea of the king. But the witches on the other hand
            • 14:30 - 15:00 want to topple it over and destroy it. All the characters guys in one way or another have a link to the idea of kingship. But it because it's the glue that holds the entire society together. All right guys, use it, don't use it, tweak it, change it. I hope the video helped. It's be to everything English.