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Macbeth Quote Analysis

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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—

Act I, Scene 2

Quote Type: DialogueDifficulty: ★★★Quotability: ★★★★☆

Context

Still answering Duncan's question, the Captain describes how fiercely Macbeth and Banquo fought when the Norwegian forces arrived, piling violent image upon violent image.

Analysis

The repetition in 'doubly redoubled' mirrors the relentless doubling of blows the Captain is describing—the syntax itself acts out the excess. By invoking 'Golgotha' (the site of Christ's crucifixion), Shakespeare elevates the battlefield slaughter to the level of religious sacrifice, but the hyperbole is so extreme it starts to feel grotesque rather than holy.

Essay Tip

Support a thesis that the play's early praise of Macbeth's violence is so exaggerated it becomes unstable—Shakespeare uses religious language to glorify bloodshed, hinting that this culture's worship of warrior masculinity is already morally corrupt.

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