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MacbethPlease see the bottom of the page and the highlighted text for full explanatory notes and paraphrases.
Next: Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3 ___________ Explanatory notes below for Act 1, Scene 2 From Macbeth. Ed. Thomas Marc Parrott. New York: American Book Co. (Line numbers have been altered.) __________ This scene is one of the most difficult of the play. Indeed, the extraordinary character of its diction and the irregularity of its metre have induced some critics to condemn it as un-Shakespearean and to assign it to Thomas Middleton. But there seems to be no good ground for this. The scene has very probably been 'cut' for purposes of representation, and the high-flown language of the principal speakers is due in part at least to their excitement of mind. Each of them has come hot-foot from a field of battle where he has seen a glorious victory over the enemies of his country; and at such a time men do not talk plain prose. 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. The scene is laid in the king's camp near Forres, a little town in the north of Scotland. Forres is really some ninety miles north of the county of Fife, in which Macbeth is supposed to be fighting, but Shakespeare, who knew little, and cared less, about Scotch geography, makes it within earshot of the battle. The phrase "alarum within," in the stage directions, indicates the noise of the battle; and as the king and his lords enter, they meet a wounded soldier who has just come from the front. 22. the slave, Macdonwald. The word, of course, is not used literally, but only as a term of reproach. 23. Which, Possibly something has been omitted after the word "slave," for the text as it stands is somewhat obscure. "Which" is equivalent to our modern "who," and would naturally refer to "the slave," i.e. Macdonwald. But the sense seems to require that it refer to Macbeth. Compare i. 5. 36-37 for a somewhat similar construction. The phrases "shook hands" and "bade farewell" have about the same meaning, equivalent to "left." The sense of the whole passage, then, is that Macbeth cut his way through the battle to Macdonwald and never left him until he had killed him. 26. cousin. According to Holinshed Macbeth was Duncan's first cousin. 29, 30. So...swells. Just as storms come from the east, where the sun rises, so trouble, i.e. a fresh battle, arises from the victory of Macbeth which seemed a source of comfort to his nation. 31. justice ... with valour arm'd. The reference, of course, is to Macbeth. 34. furbish'd arms, the reference is to the bright arms of the fresh Norwegians as contrasted with the battered and blood-stained weapons of Macbeth and his men. 37. captains, probably pronounced as a word of three syllables. An old form of spelling, "capitain," shows this pronunciation. 38. Yes, spoken in irony. 63. rebellious. It is not exactly accurate to speak of Sweno's sword as "rebellious." He was an invader, not a rebel; but he was assisted by the rebel Cawdor, and so the adjective is not altogether inappropriate. 70. Saint Colme's inch, the "inch," or island, of St. Colme, or Columba, a little island in the Firth of Forth. We may imagine that the Norwegian ships were lying in the Firth, and that after Sweno's defeat he fled to them. Then, in order to secure the bodies of his dead warriors, he paid down ten thousand dollars at the abbey on the island. ________ How to cite the explanatory notes:________ More Resources  The Chronology of Shakespeare's Plays
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More to Explore Macbeth: The Complete Play with Commentary The Metre of Macbeth: Blank Verse and Rhymed Lines Macbeth Character Analysis Figures of Speech in Macbeth Metaphors in Macbeth (Biblical) The Theme of Macbeth Is Macbeth the Third Murderer? Macbeth, Duncan and Shakespeare's Changes King James I and Shakespeare's Sources for Macbeth Contemporary References to King James I in Macbeth The Royal Patent that Changed Shakespeare's Life Soliloquy Analysis: If it were done when 'tis done (1.7.1-29) Soliloquy Analysis: Is this a dagger (2.1.33-61) Soliloquy Analysis: To be thus is nothing (3.1.47-71) Soliloquy Analysis: She should have died hereafter (5.5.17-28) Differences Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Explanatory Notes for Lady Macbeth's Soliloquy (1.5) The Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth (Sleepwalking Scene) Is Lady Macbeth's Swoon Real?
Explanatory Notes for the Witches' Chants (4.1) Macbeth Plot Summary (Acts 1 and 2) Macbeth Plot Summary (Acts 3, 4 and 5) How to Stage a Production of Macbeth (Scene Suggestions) A Comparison of Macbeth and Hamlet The Effect of Lady Macbeth's Death on Macbeth The Curse of Macbeth Shakespeare's Sources for Macbeth Macbeth Q & A Essay Topics on Macbeth Aesthetic Examination Questions on Macbeth What is Tragic Irony? Stages of Plot Development in Macbeth Time Analysis of the Action in Macbeth Macbeth Study Quiz (with detailed answers) Quotations from Macbeth (Full) Top 10 Quotations from Macbeth Crafting a Sympathetic Macbeth The Moral Character of Macbeth Origin of the Weird Sisters Temptation, Sin, Retribution: Lecture Notes on Macbeth Untie the winds: Exploring the Witches' Control Over Nature Characteristics of Elizabethan Tragedy
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A case for Shakespeare's feelings regarding kingship can be made by examining the changes he makes to King Duncan and the events surrounding Duncan's death, which, in addition to working for dramatic and thematic effects, all serve to illustrate Duncan's virtues, and to emphasize the cataclysmic severity of killing the monarch. Shakespeare changes the King Duncan found in Holinshed's Chronicles into a respected and ideal leader. ©1999-2021 Shakespeare Online. All Rights Reserved.