1 8 L. A. Sherman 



Let us now return to Shakespeare's clever — as it seems to me, his im- 

 mensely clever — flattening of the virtuous characters in this play. I have 

 suggested the word for them — for your Rosses and Lennoxes. They are 

 ordinary, and of purpose ordinary. . . . 



Further, this flattening of the virtuous characters gives Macbeth (already 

 Greek in its simplicity of plot) just that conviction of Doom, avenging 

 and inexorable, which is often attributed to the Greek tragedians as their 

 last, and lost, secret. I reiterate that nobody can care more than a farthing 

 for Macduff on his own account. He had, to be sure, an unusual start in 

 the world ; but he has not quite lived up to it. His escape, which leaves 

 his wife and children at Macbeth's mercy, is (to say the least) unheroic. 

 By effecting Macbeth's discomfiture through such a man of straw, Shake- 

 speare impresses on us the conviction — or, rather, he leaves us no room 

 for anything but the conviction — that Heaven is at the work of avenging, 

 and the process of retribution is made the more imposing as its agents are 

 seen in themselves to be naught. 



These remarks are in general happy, but seem wholly inap- 

 plicable to Macduff. This man's daring, in the amazing situation 

 developed after the discovery (II. iii) of Duncan's murder, is 

 sublime. 



Macbeth, after Macduff reports that he was appointed to wake 

 the King, proposes to bring him to the presence. But he fails to 

 knock, or to usher his guest — as would be expected — across the 

 threshold. He merely points out the door. When presently 

 Macduff dashes out, crying 



O horror, horror, horror ! Tongue nor heart 

 Cannot conceive nor name thee, 



Macbeth does not rush into the apartment, pretendingly to learn 

 what has happened to the man committed to his tutelage and re- 

 sponsibiHty, but stands moveless, stolid, impassive. At Mac- 

 duff's instance, he goes with Lennox, intO' the chamber. At the 

 summons of the castle bell, Lady Macbeth, somewhat too quickly, 

 but with well-affected surprise and challenge, comes in. Banquo, 

 unsurprised, as we note, appears, and discourses with his hostess 

 and Macduff in a vein quite out of keeping with the excitement of 

 the moment. He cannot have had time to dress, and seems not 

 to have been unprepared for what has happened. Malcolm and 

 Donalbain, with other thanes unnamed and servants, ^^ come in 

 11 Lady Macbeth is borne out (1. 132) by unnamed persons. No one of 

 the thanes mentioned here offers to assist. 



120 



