Friday, March 16, 2012

Macbeth Act 4 Scene 5 (pg. 111-113)

Summary: The witches meet and are joined by Hecate, the goddess of witches. Hecate is angry because the sisters meddled with Macbeth without consulting her first. She states that his previous actions were done for his own purposes, not for them. She tells them to meet Macbeth in the morning, where he would learn his fate.

There is a lot of word play in Hecate’s monologue. Apart from the fact that it follows a rhyme scheme, she uses several metaphors and alliterations, probably to not only reiterate her power and control over the witches but to persuade them to follow her plan and allow her to deal with Macbeth in her own way.

“Spiteful and wrathful, who, as others do, loves for his own ends, not for you.” –Hecate (pg. 111)

“Upon the corner of the moon there hangs a vap’rous drop profound. I’ll catch it ere it come to ground, and that… shall raise such artificial sprites as by the strength of their illusion.” –Hecate (pg. 111)

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