Act II Part I

Betrayal and Chess Pieces 
One of the themes that runs heavily through Act II is the theme of Betrayal, in which Macbeth kills King Duncan. Macbeth thinks that he's doing it for all the right reasons, because he would make a better King than Duncan, that Duncan is a very poor leader despite his kindess. Macbeth isn't alone in his thinking, Duncan was kind but a poor leader. Unfortunately he's being manipulated as though he were a lowly pawn. In reality Macbeth is very easily manipulated by women, be it the three witches who serve as prophets or Lady Macbeth. Macbeth seems not only hapless but blind to this. It reminds me strongly of a game of chess. Despite the fact that the king must be captured to win the game, he is very useless on his own. Circling endlessly. Whilst the king seems to be the most valued, really in this game one of the most powerful and quick moving players is the Queen. The similarity between how weak and nearly useless the king is, while the Queen moves endlessly more and manipulates the bored to protect her own king, while attempting to destroy the other. In such a way Chess is extremely similar to Macbeth and his Lady's relationship. But their game of Chess isn't all that simple. Other pawns stand in their way, such as Malcolm and MacDuff, and intimidating foes such as the three witches and Banquo. Their Game of Chess will never be simple, and the further into it they go, the more the black and white of what is right and wrong fades and becomes exponentially more confusing.