Soldier:
The merciless Macdonwald- Worthy to be a rebel, for to that The multiplying villainies of nature Do swarm upon him- from the western isles Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied; And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak; For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name- Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, And fix'd his head upon our battlements. (1.2.11-15) The soldier refers Macdonwald as an evil traitor who had reinforcements during a battle. Although fortune was with him at first, he met his fate against Macbeth, who killed him with his sword. Ross: Norway himself, With terrible numbers, Assisted by that most disloyal traitor The thane of Cawdor, began a dismal conflict: Till that Bellona's bridegroom, lapp'd in proof, Confronted him with self-comparisons, Point against point, rebellious arm 'gainst arm, Curbing his lavish spirit; and, to conclude, The victory fell on us. (1.2.58-66) Ross explains how Norway as a whole, with the thane of Cawdor, started a massive battle. He also refers to Macbeth as Bellona's bridegroom, who slayed the thane and gave his side the victory. Ross: The king hath happily received, Macbeth, The news of thy success: and when he reads Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight, His wonders and his praises do contend Which should be thine, or his: silenced with that, In viewing o'er the rest o' the self-same day, He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks, Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make, Strange images of death. (1.3.93-101) Ross talks about how impressed the king is towards Macbeth's bravery during the battle of the rebels and how everyone has heard and is talking about it. The character who uses this quote the most often is Ross, one of the Scottish noblemen in the play. The denotation of the word stays the same through the passages; it literally refers to a person who opposes a certain party. The first use of the word rebel has a different connotation compared to the other passages. When the soldier referred to Macdonwald as a rebel, he also meant to say that he was very powerful and ruthless, as to be worthy of Macbeth's enemy. On the other hand, Ross uses the word later in the play with a less-violent and shocking effect, as to make the rebels seem inferior compared to Macbeth. The main purpose of the word rebel in this act is to introduce conflict between Macbeth and his enemies, and it also helps establish Macbeth's character as a brave and noble person.
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