In Macbeth, who do Macbeth and Banquo fight in Act 1, Scene 2?
A play about how dreams may become nightmares and how the world is turned upside-down, Macbeth begins and ends with violent action. In Act I the turbulence of war sets the stage for the maelstrom of emotions, preternatural creatures, the phantasmagoric, and even madness as King Duncan is at war with King Sweno of Norway as well as rebellious kinsmen. In Scene 2, set in a camp near Forres (a town in northeast Scotland), a sergeant returns from the field to report upon a violent battle in which the fearless Macbeth has vanquished "with bloody execution" the traitor Macdonwald. The ruthless warrior Macbeth, reports the sergeant with grim humor, was rude to Macdonwald because he "nev'r shook hands nor bade farewell to him" before he "unseamed him from the nave to th' chops" (split him open from his stomach to his throat). Then, just as Macbeth was routing the rebels,...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
the Norwegian army staged a surprise attack that did not in the least frighten Macbeth andBanquo:
KING Dismayed not this / Our captains, Macbeth and Banquo?
CAPTAIN Yes; / As sparrow eagles, or the hare the lion. (1.2.32-35)
Undaunted, Macbeth and Banquo were like "cannons overcharged with double cracks," fearlessly exploding as does gunpowder, reports the sergeant; they quickly engaged the Norwegian army, leaving the battlefield like another Golgotha, a place of slaughter (also where Christ was crucified). With ferocity, Macbeth and Banquo overpower the enemy. However, the sergeant's wounds are so severe that he becomes faint and must go to the surgeon before finishing his report.
This scene holds much significance as the depiction of Macbeth as a fearless warrior and superior man establishes him as the material of a noble nature who can qualify as a tragic figure.
Videos
What are Macbeth and Banquo fighting against?
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo are fighting against the forces of the rebel, Macdonwald, who has betrayed king and country to mount an attack on Scotland. The captain who tells Duncan and Malcolm this paints a pretty frightening picture of Macbeth as he fought.
For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name),
Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like Valor's minion, carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops,
And fixed his head upon our battlements. (1.2.18-25)
Macbeth fought valiantly, caring nothing for his own safety, used his sword -- still steaming from the hot blood on its blade -- and cut a path through the fighting men until he reached Macdonwald, the traitor. Macbeth proceeded to split him from his belly to his chin and then place his head on a spike as a warning to any other would-be rebels. Both Banquo and Macbeth then pursued the rebel army, "as sparrows eagles or the hare the lion," as the captain says (1.2.39). So despite their force's relative weakness, Banquo and Macbeth continued to put their lives in danger to be assured of a victory for Scotland and King Duncan.