Macbeth shouts for his servant Seyton to bring him his
armor. He is anticipating the battle he is about to face against Malcolm and Macduff. He
is sick in his heart. While he is believing the prophecy that no man born of woman can
harm him, Macbeth is still sick at heart. He decides that this attack will determine the
throne is his forever or this attack will dethrone him.
He
muses at how withered his life has become:
Seyton! I am sick at heart, When I behold
Seyton, I say!- This attack Will give me the throne forever or unseat me now. I have
lived long enough. My way of life Is fallen into the dry, withered yellow leaf, And the
things which should accompany old age, Honor, love, obedience, troops of friends, I
think I’ll have, but, instead of them, I’ll have Curses, not loud, only deep,
mouth-honor, breath, Which the poor heart would gladly deny, and dare
not.
Macbeth is claiming that
he will not be honored in old age. He will be cursed. He claims that the curses will be
mouth-honor, which is honoring that is not truly meant from the heart, honoring that
would be denied but some dare not for fear of
Macbeth.
Macbeth has come to the end of his life. He has
gained the throne only temporarily and what good is that? Macbeth is
bitter.
Macbeth's wife has gone mad. His world is falling
apart. He only progresses forward toward battle because he has some faith in the
prophecy that states he cannot be harmed by man born of
woman.
Little does he know at this point, but Macduff was
not born of woman. He was brought into the world through cesarean
birth.
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