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Duncan of Scotland, Jesus of Nazareth: Spot the Difference

In his famed tragedy, Macbeth, William Shakespeare sprinkled many complex but hidden

allegories that mirror biblical plots and themes to incorporate an element of morality in the play.

This element, effectuated by Christianity, is the sole

foundation on which the plot is built and driven. It shapes the

characters’ outlooks and steers their internal motivations,

whether right or wrong. In the case of Macbeth, should he act

on his evil desires? Should the stars hide their fires and the

eye wink at the hand? To contrast Macbeth’s evil, a saintly, Christ-like Duncan is presented in the

play. Duncan exhibits traits of meekness, generosity, and virtue. He is described by the other

characters in the play as the most worthy and honorable monarch,

even by Macbeth himself. However, he is murdered in cold blood

by Macbeth through blind ambition and lust of power. Therein lies

the allegorical link of Macbeth to Judas Iscariot, and thus, King

Duncan to Jesus Christ. In the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth,

King Duncan parallels the eminent biblical figure, Jesus Christ;

both figures are barbarically killed by their adherents just before the

devastation of the universe and both possess profound humility in a

state of leadership.

A pronounced symmetry between King Duncan and Jesus Christ is the destruction of the

universe or unrest on the night of their deaths. This occurrence represents the macrocosmic idea that

the order of divine anarchy on Earth was disrupted, thus causing disturbance in the heavens or on

earth (İsmail). According to the tragedy’s backstory and history, King Duncan was ordained by God

to be King of Scotland. Consequently, when he was murdered, ominous events occurred,

symbolizing Macbeth’s unjust interference with the sacred system of God (Mabillard). Ross tells a
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narrative of unnatural events occurring on the night of Duncan’s death: “Ah, good father, / Thou

seest, the heavens, as troubled with man's act...And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp…That

darkness does the face of earth entomb, / When living light should kiss it?” (2.4.6-11). This

descriptive imagery is a reflection of the earthly chaos Macbeth has prompted by the murder of the

earthly king. This is similar to the Gospel of Matthew: “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice,

and then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked,

and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen

asleep were raised” (Matt. 50:52). The murders of Duncan and Jesus went against the natural course

of the universe and reverberations of such deaths echoed by means of the destruction of the earth. In

this verse, the graves being opened and the “fallen asleep” who were raised is equivalent to the

Duncan’s horses breaking free from their stables: “​​Beauteous and swift, the minions of their race, /

Turn’d wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out” (2.4.17-18). Such momentous consequences

occurring after the deaths of both figures demonstrate how divine ordinance must not be broken.

Another distinct parallel between the life of King Duncan and the life of Jesus is the betrayal

of their immediate and devoted followers. Macbeth was originally a loyal general to King Duncan

just as Judas Iscariot was a loyal disciple of Christ. However, it is possible that their followers

feigned fidelity to conceal their greed (Anderson). At the start of the play, Macbeth expresses

allegiance to Duncan and Scotland while simultaneously finding himself battling the urge to murder

him: “The service and the loyalty I owe...Our duties are, to your throne and state” (2.4.22-24).

Macbeth had his mind on dark, bloody thoughts in the same scene he was uttering these words, just

as Judas kissed Jesus while secreting his treachery: “And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail,

master; and kissed him” (Matt. 26:49). Though Duncan and Jesus were killed by such immoral men,

they both rewarded them with honorable positions and authority preceding their betrayal. Ross

speaking of Duncan says, “The King hath happily received, Macbeth, the news of thy success…He

bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor” (1.3.93-110). This mirrors what Jesus did when he
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called upon his disciples to share his power with them, Judas among them: “And he called to him his

twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every

disease and every affliction.” (Matt 10:1). Both figures, Macbeth and Judas, were bestowed a special

authority or power before they caused the deaths of their leaders. Could this be because they got a

taste of power and wanted more?

King Duncan and Jesus are also similar in that they were both so worthy of honor that they

were recognized for it by both Macbeth and Judas. When Macbeth is delivering a soliloquy battling

his inner ambition, he expresses the innocence of his king: “Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath

been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued…”

(1.7.18-20). It is clear that Macbeth perceives Duncan as a more worthy king than himself; however,

consuming ambition overcame his sound judgment. Likewise, Jesus was betrayed by a man who

recognized his purity. When Judas had realized what he had done by selling out his leader, he

returned the thirty pieces of silver to the high priests and said: “I have sinned in that I have betrayed

the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? See thou to that” (Matt 27:4). King Duncan’s

qualities of profound humility and meekness recognized by others is analogous to the identity of

Jesus and his prominent nature.

Both eminent figures, King Duncan and Jesus Christ, were murdered by their followers

whom they treated with care and honor as a son. They both exemplified meekness and humility in its

rawest form and were divinely and justifiable rulers of their kingdom. The result of their murder or

crucifixtion was essentially chaos unleashed upon the earth as an expression of universal wrath over

what was unjustly committed. Shakespeare infused his work with these prominent Christian

allegories in order to make King Duncan’s death appear as an abominable act of treason just like the

crucifixion of Jesus.
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Works Cited

Anderson, Judith “Doers of the Word: Shakespeare, Macbeth, and the Epistle of James.”

Christian Scholar's Review, 15 Nov. 2019, christianscholars.com/doers-of-the-word/.

Accessed 15 June 2022.

İsmail, Şenerkek. “The Shakespearean World. The Earth and Human Harmony.” GRIN,

www.grin.com/document/990587. Accessed 15 June 2022

Mabillard, Amanda. Metaphors in Shakespeare's Macbeth - A Detailed Look at Biblical Imagery

in the Tragedy Macbeth, www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/bibimagery.html.

Accessed 15 June 2022.

Shakespeare, William. “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Elements of Literature: Literature of Britain

with World Classics, Sixth Course ed., Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Austin, TX, 2003, pp.

302–382.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 2020.