Macbeth Violence Quotes Page 1

The play's second scene opens with the entrance of a "bloody man" who brings news of the battle being waged against the rebels. This image is striking (especially on stage) and it echoes throughout the entire play. The "bloody man's" appearance anticipates the image of Banquo's bloody ghost in 3.4 and the apparition of the bloody child that emerges from the witches' cauldron in 4.1.

When the Captain's describes the battle he uses an interesting metaphor – the opposing armies, he says, fought like two exhausted "swimmers" clinging together in such a way that made it difficult for him to tell them apart. This description lends itself to the Captain's point that, for a while, there was a lot of "doubt" about which side was winning. The fray of battle, especially hand to hand combat, is often chaotic. We could also argue that there's a sense of moral ambiguity at work here as well. Which side is in the wrong and which side is in the right? Sometimes, it's hard to say, especially when both sides are trying to kill the other.

There's no doubt that Macbeth is a skilled warrior – he easily disembowels his enemy before fixing his head on a pike. It's also clear that the world of Macbeth is a warrior culture, where violence is deemed "valiant" and makes a man "worthy." Macbeth, in fact, is rewarded for his actions by being named Thane of Cawdor (since the previous Cawdor must be executed for his treasonous behavior).