What bloody man? (1.2.1-7)

SCENE II. A camp near Forres.

Alarum within. Enter DUNCAN, MALCOLM, DONALBAIN, LENNOX, with Attendants, meeting a bleeding Sergeant

DUNCAN

What bloody man is that? He can report, As seemeth by his plight, of the revolt The newest state.

MALCOLM

This is the sergeant Who like a good and hardy soldier fought 'Gainst my captivity. Hail, brave friend! Say to the king the knowledge of the broil As thou didst leave it.

After the witches’ quasi-prophetic opening, 1.2 shows the immediate aftermath of the “hurly-burly”. The war has happened off-stage, and (like much of the action – particularly action showing Macbeth’s heroism and impulsiveness) must be reported, formed by words and by gesture. The “bleeding Captain” gives some physical manifestation of the battle’s toll, showing the violence of war. Being “bloody” here marks him as a hero, as “good and hardy” and “brave”, and establishes the symbol of blood and the idea of a masculine heroism, both of which will become contested as the play develops. Whereas the impact of the battle is fairly clear, the causes of it are not. Duncan’s concern with the Captain’s “plight” seems merciful and kind, at odds perhaps with the assumed imminent threat to his country’s stability. The witches talk in 1.1 of a “battle”, but Malcolm’s terming of “broil” seems less clear cut, suggesting inward disorder, confusion and quarrelling. The play begins (and ends) with violence, and from the onset violence is linked to the securing of power. Though the threat is not yet clear, the violence seems acceptable; it holds Scotland together, quells revolt and assures Malcolm’s freedom from “captivity”.​