Tuesday, January 15, 2013

In Macbeth, in Act I scene 2, how does Ross describe Macbeth?

I am afraid your question didn't make much sense - no
"terms" are given to describe the post of the Thane of Cawdor. So I have changed it to
refer to what I think you were talking about, which is how Ross describes Macbeth in the
battle against the Thane of Cawdor. What is important to realise in this scene is that
we still have not met Macbeth himself - we are only given information about him by
others. We have just seen the wounded Captain stress how bravely both Macbeth and Banquo
have fought. He said they fought:


readability="5">

As cannons overcharg'd with double
cracks



This description
clearly stresses their bravery and how valiant they
were.


Now let us focus on how Ross describes Macbeth's
efforts. He reports how Norway and the Than of Cawdor were winning in the battle, until
Macbeth came along. Note how he describes Macbeth as "Bellona's bridegroom." Bellona was
the goddess of war, and so describing Macbeth as her husband clearly gives him great
status in warfare. Let us also see how Macbeth won the battle. We are told that Macbeth
met the Thane of Cawdor and:


readability="14">

Confronted him with
self-comparisons,


Point against point, rebellious arm
'gainst arm,


Curbing his lavish spirit: and, to
conclude,


The victory fell on
us.



Macbeth, with his skill
in warfare and bravery, turns the tide of the battle and wins it for Scotland and his
King. We as an audience are presented with a noble, valiant man who is loyal to his
King, and yet also shows himself to be war-like and bellicose in his actions - perhaps
hinting at a personal weakness that the witches come to exploit in the rest of the
play.

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