Death of thy soul! those linen cheeks of thine
Are counsellors to fear. What soldiers, whey-face?
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 3. An enraged Macbeth rounds on his servant boy, who is white-faced with fear as a huge army advances towards them. He contemptuously describes the boy’s white cheeks as “counsellors to fear.” This is an example of personification. Macbeth sees himself as a fearless warrior and has no time for what he sees as cowardice in others.