Macbeth Patriotism Quotes

The merciless Macdonwald –
Worthy to be a rebel, for to that
The multiplying villanies of nature
Do swarm upon him…
For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name!
Disdaining fortune, with his brandished 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 th’ chops,
And fix’d his head upon our battlements.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 2. The Captain tells King Duncan how the brave Macbeth led the Scots to victory against the King of Norway and executed the traitorous rebel Macdonwald. We see how Macbeth had the ability to defy fate and fortune with his sword. The quote shows that he is loyal to the King. We also witness his ruthlessness and propensity for gruesome violence. The battle “hero” is introduced as a bloodthirsty killer, who slices his opponent open from naval to jaw. This foreshadows Macbeth being a killer during the rest of the play. The passage uses metaphorical language to emphasize Macbeth’s heroic and bloody role in the battle – his sword “smoked with bloody execution.” We see simile and personification when Macbeth is likened to “valour’s minion” – the servant of courage. Macbeth is initially presented as a patriot in the play.

The service and the loyalty I owe,
In doing it, pays itself. Your highness’ part
Is to receive our duties; and our duties
Are to your throne and state children and servants,
Which do but what they should, by doing every thing
Safe toward your love and honour.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4. Macbeth pledges his loyalty to King Duncan and assures him that he will do everything he can to protect him. Of course Macbeth soon does the very opposite when he invites Duncan to his castle. In this passage Macbeth presents himself to the King as a patriot, saying that the chance to serve him is its own reward. There is an example of both dramatic irony and deception, since the audience knows that Macbeth wants to kill Duncan and become king himself.

Macduff, this noble passion,
Child of integrity, hath from my soul
Wiped the black scruples, reconciled my thoughts
To thy good truth and honour.

– William Shakespeare

Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3. After Macduff’s outburst when Malcolm pretended to be the worst possible person to be King of Scotland, Malcolm accepts that Macduff has passed the loyalty test and is a true patriot. He is happy that Macduff is a “child of integrity” who rejected the tyrannical monarch that Malcolm purported himself to be, with so many “particulars of vice.” As far as Malcolm is concerned, Macduff is a man of honor and truthfulness and he can now trust him.
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