That all is perfectly fair. It can be easy to be attracted by the concept of overthrowing The Man, only to realize that you become The Man in the process and then become the target of overthrowing. Mutiny is a lot less appealing when you're the target. And, like you mentioned, the real nature of that kind of narrative can vary quite a bit depending on context. T'is why dictators are such popular villains: everyone knows that dictators are most definitely bad people who need to be stopped! As for what we do in their place... we'll burn that bridge when we get to it.
(It's interesting that you brought up that reading Shakespeare partially alienated you to these sorts of stories; as I mentioned in the description, Macbeth was actually an inspiration for this project, hence the more Shakespearean vernacular at the start.)
As for the exposition angle, I admittedly wanted to keep things vague here. I wasn't certain if I wanted this to be a scene of a corrupt ruler being overthrown by a plucky heroic rebel, or a perfectly adequate ruler being overthrown by a power hungry second in command, or something else entirely. I debated between making it vague or leaning to one or the other, and eventually just went with what sounded best in the moment for the tone.
And the (lack of) visuals & making the violence less cathartic... I actually initially wanted to incorporate visuals into this, but I just didn't find the time to make the images and incorporate them. Making one for every possible exchange got daunting... quickly. That being said, making the combat less appetizing was partially the goal, so maybe that was for the best.
In any case, I appreciate the comprehensive feedback!
P.S. In the case of any possible updates, I'll definitely keep the comment about the Axe in mind.