Now does he feel / His secret murders sticking on his hands; / Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith-breach; / Those he commands move only in command, / Nothing in love: now does he feel his title / Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe / Upon a dwarfish thief.
Act V, Scene 2
Context
Angus describes Macbeth's psychological state to the other nobles, explaining how his guilt and the rebellions against him are affecting him as they prepare to meet Malcolm's forces.
Analysis
The simile comparing Macbeth's royal title to 'a giant's robe / Upon a dwarfish thief' works through size and fit: the image of a small man swimming in stolen oversized clothing makes Macbeth's kingship look ridiculous rather than tragic. The word 'thief' is blunt and deflating—not 'usurper' or 'tyrant' but a common criminal—and 'dwarfish' shrinks him down to something petty. This shifts the reader's view of Macbeth from the conflicted tragic hero of earlier acts to a diminished figure whose grandiose ambitions now just look pathetic.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Shakespeare deliberately strips Macbeth of tragic dignity in Act 5 by having other characters describe him in diminishing terms—this quote shows the nobles mocking his claim to kingship through a simile that makes him seem small and foolish rather than powerful.