Macbeth (37 page)

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Authors: William Shakespeare

BOOK: Macbeth
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70
annoyance
injury (here self-harm)  

71
still
continually  

72
mated
bewildered  

Drum and Colours
drummer and bearer of military flags  

3
dear
heartfelt/noble/grievous  

causes
motives for revenge, grounds for action  

4
bleeding
shedding of blood/bloody (
alarm
)  

alarm
call to arms  

5
Excite … man
rouse even a dead or insensible man  

9
file
list  

11
unrough
beardless, i.e. young  

12
Protest
declare, assert  

14
Dunsinane
i.e. the castle  

distempered
disordered/diseased  

cause
grounds for action/illness  

17
buckle … rule
i.e. legally (or morally) justify his grounds for fighting; the image is of a diseased and bloated belly one cannot buckle a belt around  

20
sticking
i.e. with blood  

21
minutely
every minute  

upbraid
reproach, censure  

faith-breach
breaking of (secular and spiritual) loyalty  

22
move … love
only obey because they are following orders, not out of love for their king  

27
pestered
diseased/troubled  

32
med’cine
cure/physician (i.e. Malcolm)  

weal
commonwealth, state  

33
purge
purgative medicine, used to cleanse the body  

34
drop
of blood/medicine  

36
dew
cover with dew  

sovereign
royal/excelling/healing  

1
them
i.e. the thanes who have deserted him  

2
remove
move  

3
taint
lose courage/become stained  

5
mortal consequences
outcomes of human affairs  

pronounced me
proclaimed/pronounced judgment on me  

8
epicures
lovers of luxury  

9
sway by
rule with/govern myself by  

11
cream-faced
i.e. pale with fear  

loon
rogue/idiot/lowly youth  

12
goose
white, fearful/idiotic  

16
over-red
cover over with red  

17
lily-livered
with a liver as pale as a lily, i.e. cowardly (the liver was thought to be the seat of strong passions)  

patch
fool/rogue  

18
of
fall on  

linen
i.e. white  

19
counsellors to
i.e. teach, encourage others to  

whey-face
face the color of whey (white)  

21
Seyton
may be pronounced “Satan”  

22
push
attack/crisis  

23
cheer
comfort, encourage; puns on “chair,” i.e. (en)throne  

disseat
dethrone  

24
way
path/course/manner  

25
sear
withered condition (if associated with
way of life
)/withered (if applied to
leaf
)  

yellow
i.e. autumnal/decaying  

27
As
such as  

28
stead
place  

29
mouth-honour
insincere verbal expressions of respect  

30
fain
gladly  

38
skirr
scour, pass speedily through  

41
Not so sick
not so much physically ill  

42
thick-coming
thronging  

fancies
imaginings, delusions  

47
Raze out
erase, wipe out  

48
oblivious
inducing oblivion, forgetfulness  

49
stuffed
over-full/oppressed  

54
staff
rod of office/spear or clublike weapon  

55
send out
i.e. send out
more horses
  

56
dispatch
hurry up  

cast The water
make a diagnosis by examining the urine  

58
pristine
original, former  

60
Pull’t off
either an instruction to remove a piece of armor that is proving difficult to put on or has been put on incorrectly, or Macbeth has changed his mind about wearing his armor at all  

61
rhubarb
plant used to make purgative drugs  

cyme
senna, a plant used to make purgative drugs and sometimes mixed with rhubarb for this purpose  

62
scour
cleanse, purge  

63
preparation
mobilized army/military proceedings  

65
it
probably the armor removed a few lines earlier  

66
bane
murder/destruction  

68
clear
safe/free/untroubled  

69
hardly
with great difficulty  

2
chambers
private rooms (like the bedchamber in which Duncan was murdered)  

3
nothing
not at all  

7
shadow
conceal  

8
host
army  

discovery
military reconnaissance  

9
Err
be mistaken  

12
Keeps
remains (with connotations of defensive preservation)  

13
setting down
encampment for a siege  

15
where … given
while they could have advantaged Macbeth (through loyalty)/wherever it is possible to advantage the English forces/where military advantage must be conceded to the English (who are about to besiege the castle)/when they had the opportunity (i.e. were not confined to the castle during a siege)  

16
more … revolt
people of both high and low social status have deserted Macbeth  

19
Let … event
let an exact assessment be made only after the outcome of the actual battle  

23
due
appropriate, necessary (plays on the sense of “owing”)  

24
owe
own/are required to repay  

25
Thoughts … arbitrate
speculation deals with uncertain hopes; for a definitive outcome, combat must be the deciding factor  

4
ague
fever  

5
forced
reinforced  

6
dareful
defiantly/boldly  

11
fell of hair
entire head of hair  

12
treatise
tale  

13
As
as if  

supped full
had my fill of horror/dined in the company of horrors (i.e. Banquo’s ghost)  

14
Direness
dreadfulness, horror  

15
start me
make me start  

17
She … hereafter
she should have died at a future time/she would have died at some point anyway  

18
such a word
i.e. news of her death  

20
petty
slow/insignificant  

21
syllable
most minute portion/basic element of a word  

recorded
written/narrated/remembered  

22
lighted
lit the way for (with a
candle
)  

23
dusty
i.e. characterized by the dust to which all mortals return  

24
shadow
insubstantial thing/ illusion/ghost/actor (the theatrical sense is picked up in
fools
and
player
)  

poor
wretched/ unskilled  

25
frets
wears out/worries his way through/rants and rages (in the manner of a bad actor)  

27
fury
fierce passion/frenzy, madness/wild anger/violence  

29
thy story quickly
relate your news at once  

34
did … watch
was on guard  

43
cling
shrivel  

sooth
truth  

44
dost … much
do the same for me  

45
pull in resolution
(am forced to) rein in my firmness of purpose; some editors emend to “pall”  

46
fiend
i.e. the Third Apparition  

50
avouches
affirms  

51
nor … here
no point either fleeing from here or remaining  

52
’gin
begin  

53
th’estate
the kingdom/condition/settled order  

54
wrack
ruin, destruction  

55
harness
armor  

2
show
appear  

uncle
i.e. Siward  

4
battle
battalion  

6
order
arrangement, battle plan  

8
Do
i.e. if  

power
army  

11
harbingers
forerunners, messengers  

2
bear-like
like a bear tied to a
stake
and baited with dogs, a popular form of entertainment  

course
designated bout, during which the bear was attacked by dogs  

8
is
that is  

21
kerns
lightly armed foot soldiers  

22
staves
staffs used as weapons  

24
undeeded
without its having carried out any action  

25
note
reputation/notoriety (plays on the sense of “musical note”)  

26
bruited
loudly announced  

28
gently rendered
calmly (or easily) surrendered  

31
The … yours
i.e. you have almost won  

33
strike beside us
fight alongside us/deliberately miss when they strike at us  

35
play … sword
i.e. do as the Romans did and commit suicide when defeated  

36
lives
anyone living  

39
men else
other men  

40
charged
burdened; plays on the senses of “blamed/accused (of a crime)”  

44
terms … out
words can proclaim you to be  

45
losest labour
waste time  

46
intrenchant
unable to be cut  

47
keen
sharp (plays on the sense of “eager, fervent”)  

impress
make a physical impression, mark  

48
crests
helmets, heads  

52
angel
personal governing spirit/ Lucifer  

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