Back to the Play
Historical Reference: "We"
Language
Act 1,
Scene 4
Lines 38-44

An explanation of Duncan's use of the royal "we" in Act 1, Scene 4 of myShakespeare's Macbeth. 

Duncan

We will establish our estate upon
Our eldest, Malcolm, whom we name hereafter
The Prince of Cumberland; which honor must
Not unaccompanied invest him only,
But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine
On all deservers. [To Macbeth] From hence to Inverness,
And bind us further to you.

This is another example of a monarch referring to himself in the plural to reinforce the idea that he was divinely chosen. When a king refers to himself as “we,” he means “God and I.”