But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.
DUNCAN
So well thy words become thee as thy wounds; They smack of honour both. Go get him surgeons. Exit Sergeant, attended
In this extract we see the injured Captain seeking aid, and Duncan congratulating him for his noble acts during the battle. The Captain’s words – “faint”, “cry”, “help” - are drawn from a semantic field of suffering, demonstrating his own sacrifices made during the war. His injuries show that he fought with his soldiers, and he represents the honour and valour of those who lost their lives during the brutal fighting. Furthermore, Shakespeare personifies his wounds; it is his injuries that “cry for help”, implying that the Captain is so noble and brave he refuses to ask for assistance. Duncan’s response, juxtaposing “words” and “wounds” whilst connecting them through the line’s parallel construction and alliteration, shows that he sets equal store by diplomacy and masculinity. This is a crucial quality of a good and benevolent king, especially in 11th century Scotland, when kings were chosen by tanistry and physical and mental prowess were equally valued in the selection of a successor. Duncan here acts as a foil for Macbeth’s later rule. Duncan listens thoughtfully, then uses the imperative “go” to assert his power, and his power is used compassionately and with restraint. His lines, in their measured iambic pentameter, convey a sense of calm authority and considered thought, and an audience would have likely assumed that Duncan’s style of reign was effective (in keeping with a Jacobean audience’s expectations of a monarchy chosen by God, in accordance with the Divine Right of Kings). Despite the lofty intentions of the Captain, there is a sense in which this scene is (perhaps unintentionally) comedic, a passage of bathos where the tension is relieved and action is maintained. The Captain is standing, bleeding and presumably in excruciating pain, yet is describing the events of the battle in painstaking detail, using imagery and classical references, until Duncan’s decisiveness allows him help. The overarching irony of this passage is that, though Duncan is protected at war by an effective army and protects them by facilitating aid, he will find himself alone when he is in greatest need of protection. ~ Emily, Ella, Kate