Who cannot want the thought, how monstrous / It was for Malcolm and for Donalbain / To kill their gracious father? damned fact! / How it did grieve Macbeth!
Act III, Scene 6 · Lennox
Context
Lennox continues his ironic recital of official explanations, now describing how Malcolm and Donalbain are blamed for murdering their own father, Duncan, and how Macbeth supposedly grieved over this "monstrous" act.
Analysis
The rhetorical question "Who cannot want the thought" forces agreement through its negative construction—everyone must think it monstrous—yet the exaggerated outrage ("damned fact!") reads as mockery when Lennox immediately pivots to "How it did grieve Macbeth!" The exclamation mark after "grieve" makes Macbeth's sorrow sound performative rather than genuine, and the rapid tonal shifts from shock to sympathy prevent the listener from settling into any single emotion, mirroring the instability of a narrative built on lies.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Lennox functions as a chorus figure who voices the regime's propaganda while his rhetorical excess undermines it—this quote shows how tyranny creates a split between official discourse and actual belief, with subjects forced to perform loyalty they don't feel.