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Macbeth Glossary

His wonders and his praises do contend
Which should be thine or his.
(1.3.96-97)

There are many interpretations of these lines, some hopelessly convoluted. For many of the different readings please see the Variorum Edition by Horace Howard Furness. The lines to me, however, seem to mean the following:

Shakespeare's Passage

The king hath happily received, Macbeth,
The news of thy success; and when he reads
Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight,
His wonders and his praises do contend
Which should be thine or his:
Paraphrase

The king hath happily received, Macbeth,
the news of your victories (in battle); and when he read of
your personal achievements in the fight with the rebels,
his astonishment and admiration were so great that
he didn't know if he should give you or himself credit for the victory:


Back to Macbeth (1.3)


How to cite this article:
Mabillard, Amanda. Macbeth Glossary. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2009. < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/macbethglossary/macbeth1_1/macbethglos_wonders.html >.




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Notes on Macbeth

"The purpose of the scene is to tell us something about Macbeth, who has only been named in the preceding scene. We learn here that he is a Scottish nobleman, a near kinsman of the old king, and a valiant warrior. In a single day he has routed two hostile armies, one of the Scotch rebels under Macdonwald, whom he has slain with his own hand, the other that of the invading Norwegians under Sweno. He has been assisted by another nobleman, Banquo, but the main glory of the victory is ascribed to Macbeth." Thomas Marc Parrott. Read on...

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