I.2.7-23 II

Bill Long 3/12/06

The Sergeant's Eloquence

The sergeant is exhausted and wounded, yet manages to describe the battle scene with precision and concision. Six points regarding S's eloquence or method in these lines are as follows:

1. He describes the fight as between the dual forces of: (1) the kerns/gallowglasses and Fortune against (2) the intrepid Macbeth. The former are part of the multiplying "villainies" of nature (but see my previous essay) and Fortune is that unpredictable force known by Greeks and Romans to be fickle in her support of any man. This is the background for Fortune's action in the present fight. She "Show'd like a rebel's whore" (1.2.15), meaning that that she was, only temporarily, 'joining with' Macdonwald in the fight. But just as Evangelical Christians are wont to say that God alone on one's side makes a "majority," so Macbeth alone, because of his determination, becomes the force to overwhelm Fortune and the kerns and Macdonwald.

2. S skillfully uses phrases to show the turn of the battle toward Macbeth's favor. At first things were "doubtful" (1.2.7). Then, the opposing forces are described (1.2.8-15). Then another brief phrase appears: "But all's too weak" (1.2.15). This is meant to signal the transition to Macbeth's strength. Macbeth's power is then described in 1.2.16-19, before we come to another crux: "Till he faced the slave" (1.2.20). A face to face encounter with the two principals results. Then, the passage concludes with Macbeth's triumph over Macdonwald (1.2.21-23).

3. When S finally describes Macbeth's valor, he does so by stretching out the imagery, using participles, similes and subordinate clauses to "string out" the story of Macbeth's strength. Though the other side might be supplied with kerns and gallowglasses and be armed with Fortune, Macbeth disdains Fortune and is armed with his "brandish'd steel." Then follows a subordinate clause telling us more about the "steel"--"which smok'd with bloody execution" (1.2.18). In other words, Macbeth's sword was already sizzling because of the opponents' hot blood that was dripping from it. The sword, as it were, seeks one more victim--Macdonwald. But still we are not done. Line 19 then gives us a simile which is meant to counter Macdonwald's reliance on the "whore" Fortune. Macbeth will be "valor's minion," i.e., the darling of courage. Valor, however, is more faithful to its lovers than is quirky and fickle Fortune. Valor will stay with Macbeth for the duration. Thus, it is when he is "valor's minion" that he carved out his path to meet Macdonwald.

4. Then there is the use of the little verb "carve" in line 19 to describe how it was that Macbeth managed to work his way to Macdonwald. We use the word carve metaphorically--"he carved through the mountain of work on his desk and was ready to go home by 5." But S uses it here to enliven the battle scene. Macbeth will "carve" his way through all obstacles to meet Macdonwald, but he does so by "carving up" his opponents with his smoking steel. We see, in the mind's eye, a determined and inveterate man slicing through the hordes of opponents until he reaches the desired target.

5. Then, once he has reached his target (Macdonwald), S gives us a half line only (1.2.20): "Till he fac'd the slave." In other words, rather than a 10 count line, we only have five counts. Where are the other five? In our minds. We are supposed to imagine the intrepid Macbeth slicing through the opponents and finally reaching Macdonwald. They come face to face with each other. And then the action stops temporarily. They take the measure of each other, and the whole world freezes for just a second while they do so. How do you picture that scene? Are the rest of the soldiers gathered around, as if to provide a sort of "ring" for the contest? Or, is it as if Macbeth has broken into a clearing and faces the opposing commander without a soul looking on? In any case, the world and action halts for a moment, as the dire foes prepare for the final thrust against each other. The scene reminds me of the opening of the seven seals in the Book of Revelation. When the seventh, and most dramatic, seal was opened by the Lamb, there was not immediate action--rather there was silence in heaven for about half an hour (Rev. 7:1--I wonder who was keeping time). More prosaically, it reminds me of that slight pause on a roller coaster, after the cars have arrived at the apex of the run and just before the cars descend in deafening speed. There is a pause for a moment, until the action resumes. So, here too we have a pause, as pregnant as a pause can be.

6. And then the action resumes. Macbeth makes short work of Macdonwald. The foes don't even shake hands, such as basketball players at center court, or "touch gloves," like two prize fighters before the opening bell. They just go for it. And Macbeth wins. But the picture in I.2.22-23 is revealing. There is a vertical movement followed by a horizontal movement of the smoking steel. The vertical movement is the evisceration of Macdonwald ("from the nave to th' chops") while the horizontal movement is the beheading and dishonoring of Macdonwald (placing the head upon the battlements). Thus, in a strange sort of way, Macbeth is making the sign of the cross as he slices up Macdonwald--first vertical and then horizontal, and victory is won.

Conclusion

The action is fast and furious, and once the advantage has shifted to Macbeth, who is sort of a killing machine, it is only a matter of time before he has gone right to the heart of the opposition and killed Macdonwald. All we can say is "Hall to thee, Macbeth," which, in fact, are the words with which he will be greeted in I.3. by the witches, the weird sisters.

[Next]

1756