In Lear, the old man wanted to get rid of all the responsibilities of kingship, all the headaches and worries of being King, but continue to enjoy the privileges. He could not see that his authority was key to his nation’s unity, nor that without his authority and the responsibilities he bore that he was no longer a figure to respect or obey. Thus, after handing them away, his downfall was quick.
A somewhat similar situation occurs in the opening of Macbeth: neither King Duncan nor his advisers are even present at the battlefield, having to ask what has happened from a wounded man. Banquo and especially Macbeth are actively shouldering great responsibility for their Kingdom, winning the battle, and are accounted heroes for their actions. King Duncan employs his authority to praise Macbeth highly and rewards his actions. Not a perfect system, but functional. But then what goes wrong? Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Malcolm, and Macduff are all good choices for detailed analysis, but I wouldn’t try to analyze more than one or two.
Using the definitions of responsibility, authority, and accountability given in the class, analyze the good and bad leadership in Macbeth.
In Lear, the old man wanted to get rid of all the responsibilities of kingship,
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