ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

ANNOTATIONS.

ACT I.

(1) With beesom.

Witches, or, as they are called in the Scotch language, Weirds, have been always represented as riding on broomsticks, or sweeping the ground. It would be difficult to assign any other reason for this strange representation than that poets thought it necessary to give them some peculiar jezture, and that when visi ble to the human eye they should seem industrious old women.

THEOBALD.

[ocr errors]

(2) Grimalkin.

This word, according to its true etymology, sig nifies grey and little, and has been by some writers applied to a grey cat, but in general, as in the present instance, it means a little old Woman.

JOHNSON

(3) A hearty cock.

Hearty here signifies brave, which is the characteristic of that noble bird the cock.

POPE.

I am inclined to think that our author wrote hardy, and not hearty, as appears from the following line,

"Braved many a desperate knock."

STEEVENS.

(4) Macdonel's dish'd.

Much poetical beauty may be discovered in this expression, if we read with attention the concluding lines of the captain's speech. We there find that Macdonel's head was displayed on the battlements;

MACBETH TRAVESTIE.

of course Macdonel was carved, according to the metaphor, and when laid out in his coffin, he was dish'd-i. e. served up for worms.

POPE.

(5) Kick'd up.

Kick'd up is a familiar expression for stirr'd up, and appears to originate from the old saying, to kick

up a

dust.

JOHNSON.

(6) Adzooks

An exclamation of joy or surprise, similar to Oh, dear! and not an oath, as defined by some lexicographers.

JOHNSON.

(7) (Cracking his fingers.)

I have taken the liberty of introducing this parenthesis as a guide to the performer, for certainly our author meant some kind of contempt to be shown when he wrote "That for the thane of Cawdor."

THEOBALD.

152

(8) three times three.

The superstitious have always imagined that three is a lucky number; hence it is inferred that there is a charm in it.

WARBURTON.

(9) So warm and cold.

Contradictory as this may appear, it has frequently been the case, many sudden changes of the weather have been felt in one day. But we may suppose that the violent exercise of marching, and the warm work of fighting, rendered Macbeth very hot, and that upon entering the heath he felt a sudden chilliness.

(10) Off like a shot.

MALONE.

A beautiful simile; for what can exceed the rapidity of a ball when discharged from a gun or pistol. In the quarto edition it is rendered Off! like a shot; which showed the ignorance of the editor. I have therefore corrected the punctuation; for Macbeth is not commanding the witches to be off, he is only commenting on the suddenness of their departure.

THEOBALD.

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »