Act I, Scene II
Alarum within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sergeant
DUNCAN What bloody man is that? He can report,
As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.
MALCOLM This is the sergeant
Who like a good and hardy soldier fought
'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!
Say to the king the knowledge of the broil
As thou didst leave it.
Sergeant Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald--
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him--from the western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:
For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
DUNCAN O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!
Sergeant As whence the sun 'gins his reflection
Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,
So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come
Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark:
No sooner justice had with valour arm'd
Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels,
But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage,
With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men
Began a fresh assault.
DUNCAN Dismay'd not this
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
Sergeant Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
If I say sooth, I must report they were
As cannons overcharged with double cracks, so they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorise another Golgotha,
I cannot tell.
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
DUNCAN So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;
They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.
Exit Sergeant, attended
Who comes here?
Enter ROSS
MALCOLM The worthy thane of Ross.
LENNOX What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look
That seems to speak things strange.
ROSS God save the king!
DUNCAN Whence camest thou, worthy thane?
ROSS From Fife, great king;
Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky
And fan our people cold. Norway himself,
With terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;
Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,
Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm.
Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,
The victory fell on us.
DUNCAN Great happiness!
ROSS That now
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition:
Nor would we deign him burial of his men
Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch
Ten thousand dollars to our general use.
DUNCAN No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive
Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,
And with his former title greet Macbeth.
ROSS I'll see it done.
DUNCAN What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.
Exeunt
DUNCAN What bloody man is that? He can report,
As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt
The newest state.
MALCOLM This is the sergeant
Who like a good and hardy soldier fought
'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend!
Say to the king the knowledge of the broil
As thou didst leave it.
Sergeant Doubtful it stood;
As two spent swimmers, that do cling together
And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald--
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him--from the western isles
Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;
And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,
Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:
For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.
DUNCAN O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!
Sergeant As whence the sun 'gins his reflection
Shipwrecking storms and direful thunders break,
So from that spring whence comfort seem'd to come
Discomfort swells. Mark, king of Scotland, mark:
No sooner justice had with valour arm'd
Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels,
But the Norweyan lord surveying vantage,
With furbish'd arms and new supplies of men
Began a fresh assault.
DUNCAN Dismay'd not this
Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
Sergeant Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
If I say sooth, I must report they were
As cannons overcharged with double cracks, so they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorise another Golgotha,
I cannot tell.
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
DUNCAN So well thy words become thee as thy wounds;
They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons.
Exit Sergeant, attended
Who comes here?
Enter ROSS
MALCOLM The worthy thane of Ross.
LENNOX What a haste looks through his eyes! So should he look
That seems to speak things strange.
ROSS God save the king!
DUNCAN Whence camest thou, worthy thane?
ROSS From Fife, great king;
Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky
And fan our people cold. Norway himself,
With terrible numbers,
Assisted by that most disloyal traitor
The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict;
Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof,
Confronted him with self-comparisons,
Point against point rebellious, arm 'gainst arm.
Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to conclude,
The victory fell on us.
DUNCAN Great happiness!
ROSS That now
Sweno, the Norways' king, craves composition:
Nor would we deign him burial of his men
Till he disbursed at Saint Colme's inch
Ten thousand dollars to our general use.
DUNCAN No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive
Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death,
And with his former title greet Macbeth.
ROSS I'll see it done.
DUNCAN What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.
Exeunt
The notes
Character Developments
Macbeth
Duncan
The audience will have a mixed response to the character of King Duncan based on this scene. The fact that two of his lords are in open rebellion against him reflect poorly on his kingship. It is not exactly clear why they have rebelled. It could have been because he had ruled the country quite badly, or perhaps they are simply of poor character. Either scenario points to a weak and ineffective king. We are also presented with an image of Scotland in turmoil. The audience has witnessed evil witches in barren heaths, bloody battlegrounds, and a neighbouring nation that wants to capitalize on Scotland’s weakness for its own benefit. Again, none of these reflect well on the king.
There are, however, some positives. Duncan is generous in his praise of Macbeth. He is quick to reward him for his bravery and loyalty. He is decisive in his dealings with the traitor, Cawdor. By the end of the scene, the audience is left with a picture of a good-natured but imperfect king.
Thematic Developments
Ambition
There is a subtle hint that ambition will be an important theme in this play. Both Macdonwald and Cawdor were ambitions in trying to oust the king. Both men were trying to rise above their station, and were trying to seize a position (the kingship) that was not meant for them. Notably, both men die because of their wild ambition.
Kingship
This theme is central to the play. The first model of kingship presented to the audience is that of Duncan. While Duncan seems to be a good-natured man, there are some doubts as to his suitability as king. Evil (witches) seems to have secured a foothold in his realm during his remain. Furthermore, two of his noblemen have rebelled against him, casting doubt on his leadership quality. Finally, the Norwegians perceive him as a weak ruler, and try to seize his land when he is at his most vulnerable.
Evil
It becomes immediately apparent that Shakespeare wants to expose how much evil there is in the world over the course of this play. Apart from the witches in Act I Scene I, the audience is presented with two treacherous noblemen, an opportunistic rival king, and a bloodthirsty, ruthless and merciless general in Macbeth. From the very beginning, the play is gory and blood-soaked.
Important Quotes
“What bloody man is that?” - Duncan
“For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name” - Sergeant
“Till he faced the slave;
Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements” - Sergeant
“O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman” - Duncan
“What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won” - Duncan
Macbeth
Duncan
The audience will have a mixed response to the character of King Duncan based on this scene. The fact that two of his lords are in open rebellion against him reflect poorly on his kingship. It is not exactly clear why they have rebelled. It could have been because he had ruled the country quite badly, or perhaps they are simply of poor character. Either scenario points to a weak and ineffective king. We are also presented with an image of Scotland in turmoil. The audience has witnessed evil witches in barren heaths, bloody battlegrounds, and a neighbouring nation that wants to capitalize on Scotland’s weakness for its own benefit. Again, none of these reflect well on the king.
There are, however, some positives. Duncan is generous in his praise of Macbeth. He is quick to reward him for his bravery and loyalty. He is decisive in his dealings with the traitor, Cawdor. By the end of the scene, the audience is left with a picture of a good-natured but imperfect king.
Thematic Developments
Ambition
There is a subtle hint that ambition will be an important theme in this play. Both Macdonwald and Cawdor were ambitions in trying to oust the king. Both men were trying to rise above their station, and were trying to seize a position (the kingship) that was not meant for them. Notably, both men die because of their wild ambition.
Kingship
This theme is central to the play. The first model of kingship presented to the audience is that of Duncan. While Duncan seems to be a good-natured man, there are some doubts as to his suitability as king. Evil (witches) seems to have secured a foothold in his realm during his remain. Furthermore, two of his noblemen have rebelled against him, casting doubt on his leadership quality. Finally, the Norwegians perceive him as a weak ruler, and try to seize his land when he is at his most vulnerable.
Evil
It becomes immediately apparent that Shakespeare wants to expose how much evil there is in the world over the course of this play. Apart from the witches in Act I Scene I, the audience is presented with two treacherous noblemen, an opportunistic rival king, and a bloodthirsty, ruthless and merciless general in Macbeth. From the very beginning, the play is gory and blood-soaked.
Important Quotes
“What bloody man is that?” - Duncan
- Blood-soaked play from the beginning
- Foretaste of remainder of play
“For brave Macbeth - well he deserves that name” - Sergeant
- Macbeth at beginning of play
- Macbeth - positives
“Till he faced the slave;
Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements” - Sergeant
- Macbeth the (loyal?) warrior
- Macbeth the merciless
“O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman” - Duncan
- Macbeth at beginning of play
- Macbeth - positives
“What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won” - Duncan
- Macbeth - positives/start of play
- Duncan’s naivety
- Dramatic irony
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