Macbeth's immediate reaction is to be entranced before coming to his senses and asking for more information. We hear of Macbeth's first reaction not from Macbeth himself, but from Banquo who seems more annoyed with the witches' pronouncement. Banquo says, "My noble partner / You greet with present grace and great prediction / Of noble having and of royal hope, / That he seems rapt withal" (1.3.54-57). Therefore, Banquo is speaking here as Macbeth stands listening to these events in a sort of trance. As soon as the witches snap Macbeth out of it by a triple dose of "Hail!," Macbeth immediately replies with, "Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: / By Sinel's death I know I am Thane of Glamis; / But how of Cawdor?" (1.3.70-72). This indicates that Macbeth has always had the ambition to be king. Perhaps he stands in a trance at the beginning because the witches guessed his one true desire. Regardless, it is the witches prediction (and Lady Macbeth's later further persuasion) that catapult Macbeth into the very "vaulting ambition" of which the tragic hero of Macbeth is so very famous.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What is the main function of the fool in "King Lear"? What is the secondly function?
The fool as a character is confusing, but part of this is the difference between the 1600s and today, as well as the difference in place. If...
-
"Anthem (1938) is a science fiction novelette of a future primitive society in which the word "I" is forbidden. Rand's po...
-
It is significant that Ray Bradbury's exposition juxtaposes the character of Montag with Clarisse because the marked contrast alerts the...
-
He is in the middle of the marketplace where he and his aunt are walking "through the flaring streets, jostled by drunken men and barga...
No comments:
Post a Comment