Macbeth
Act I. Scene II
A Camp near Forres.
Alarum within. Enter KING DUNCAN, MAlCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with
Attendants, meeting a Weeding 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 smok'd with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carv'd out his passage
Till he fac'd 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
Shipwracking 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 overcharg'd with double cracks; So they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorize 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.
[Enter Ross.]
Who comes here?
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 cam'st 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.
WSMacbeth.com - Questions.
Q: The very moment a King declares, that very moment a King does declare, that very moment whatever declaration a King had declared had become official?
- Duncan had declared Macbeth thane of Cawdor in this scene, ACT 2, SCENE 2.
Q: What was the purpose of the Witches to meet with Macbeth in ACT 1 SCENE 1?
Q: Did the three Witches need to meet with Macbeth in the next scene ACT 1 SCENE 3 before Ross had in their own objective in meeting with Macbeth?
WSMacbeth.com's Investigation
The original un-edited version of the Play of Macbeth included the small Character role of Hecate, who was surely molded after Lucifer (Satan) of the Holy Bible. Satan, who uses the weapon of powerful persuading temptation relentlessly against his victim's "mind" to cause their great fall.
And when those attacks don't work? Satan's war increases. Greater ammunition from the same weapon needs to be produced.
The real Satan (however, it's Hecate here who is the Satan, The Evil, The devil...etc), is a powerful spiritual being who can even provide "physical wonders" to "appeal" to his victims physical nature, that "hopefully" then Satan's victim(s) would then take his foul bait.
It's the next step up after the general launching of the fiery missiles of power of persuading temptation had failed against attacking the "mind" of Evils physical victim, which is always Evils target to attack to cause a great-great fall.
