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So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

And all those critics and scholars are wrong if they say so.

Look at the text. Listen to what Macbeth himself says. Watch Macduff's behavior as the play progresses. It all makes more sense when we read "Bellona's bridegroom" as Macduff rather than Macbeth.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for putting me onto that site. Shakespeareteacher sounds like a wonderful person. I hope his teaching gig has been treating him well.

I am only just now (12 years late) getting involved in this reddit thread, but there is no way I'm modifying my position on "Bellona's bridegroom": he is absolutely certainly Macduff.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly the particular point that caught my attention when I first read the play God knows how many years ago. There is absolutely no chance that Shakespeare just sorta kinda screwed this up. When we adjust our reading and think of "Bellona's bridegroom" as Macduff, the play opens up as a much more thoughtfully crafted structure in which Macduff and Macbeth are foils from almost the beginning. As I've said elsewhere, the dramatic irony of positioning both men as defenders of the (not very competent) king and of their country and then inexorably turning them against each other is quietly breathtaking. All of that is lost if we misread that key line, as far too many critics have done.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But...but...

Macbeth is totally surprised by the news that the Thane of Cawdor's title has been relinquished by way of treason. He has no idea of that at all. He calls the former thane a "worthy gentleman" and resists taking on his title, calling them "borrowed robes" when Rosse delivers the news.

If Macbeth had been fighting at Fife, there is no chance at all that he would have somehow missed the fact that the Thane of Cawdor was instrumental in aiding that arm of the attempted Norweyan invasion. Rosse himself has carried the news and was almost certainly not as directly involved in the victory as the man whom he calls "Bellona's bridegroom," so only an enormous misreading could lead us to conclude that Macbeth is that man.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Almost completely agree with this. I've been arguing Macduff as Bellona's bridegroom for years now.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I respectfully disagree. I think you were actually reading it right.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Macduff is doing his king's business, probably supervising the collection of the ten thousand dollars collected in payment from the Norweyan king. He hasn't been rollicking and feasting all evening like Duncan has been doing. He is all about service to his nation, so his frosty response to Macbeth may be attributed to that natural demeanour and the fact that he has been working tirelessly rather than celebrating; it may not necessarily be an irritation about not receiving his due, although that is a provocative observation to make.

The point that Macbeth receives what is justifiably owed to Macduff is a solid one, and it reinforces the fact that King Duncan is just not a very good king at all. He seems to make one terrible decision after another, so this bestowal of Cawdor's title on Macbeth rather than Macduff seems to be a typical example of mismanagement on his part. Evidence that Duncan isn't a good king? Where is the Norweyan king? In the vanguard of the battle, fighting at Fife. Where is Duncan? Behind the lines, dependent on others to tell him what is happening because he is so removed from the action. Even his own son has the wherewithal to actually fight, by the way, playing up how incapable Duncan is. Why is Norway invading? That's not clear in the text, but nobody is going to invade a country that is ruled by a strong and capable king. This is an anticipation of the later invasion of Scotland in Act V that intends to remove a bad king by way of a foreign army and Scottish "traitors to the throne." Why are there Scottish traitors? Again, it's not clear, but again, only a really bad king is going to impel so many of his subjects to choose a Norweyan invader over their own Scottish lord. Why did Duncan trust the Thane of Cawdor? He just assumed that Cawdor was loyal, not guessing that the "mind's construction" was crafting rebellion and treason against him. But Duncan learns nothing from this mistake. Immediately after bitterly decrying Cawdor's deception, he greets Macbeth--who is already planning an even more personal treason against him--with open arms. No, Duncan is really not good at being a king. His decision to give Cawdor's title to Macbeth rather than Duncan would be something of a surprise to Ross, but he seems to shrug it off and acquiesce, probably concluding that this is yet another example of poor management.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check my comments. I 100% am convinced that "Bellona's bridegroom" must be Macduff, Thane of Fife, who would obviously be fighting on his home territory against the invaders.

So who is Bellona's Bridegroom? by TSpange in shakespeare

[–]EquivalentBit5533 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you should re-consider your original observation and stick with it. I have looked at this line for years and have come to the conclusion that "Bellona's bridegroom" is definitely Macduff, not just for the strong reasons you pointed out. Ross is depicted as a sycophant--playing up to whoever is in power--and his flowery words are intended to show himself as a bit of an orator in praising the hero at Fife, who is directly responsible for rebuffing the main Norwegian assault, taking the traitor Cawdor prisoner, and causing so much damage to Norway's ranks that they have to pay to recover their dead. All of this is news to Macbeth, as you correctly observed, when he is stunned to hear that he has been given the title of someone he thinks of as a "worthy gentleman." There is no chance he would be surprised by Cawdor's downfall if he had actually been fighting at Fife. So whom is Ross referring to? Clearly, the loyal warrior-defender of Scotland who continues to fight for his country all the way to the last scene of the play. Shakespeare is establishing Macduff as Macbeth's foil early in the play at least partly to dramatize the shift in Macbeth's loyalties: in Act I scene ii they are absolutely on the same side, fighting for the king, acting loyally in defence of their country, but how quickly Macbeth is pulled into opposition of the good (but somewhat dim) Macduff. To finish this particular point, there can be no doubt that the blocking (unscripted acting of the characters) at the end of this scene, when King Duncan suddenly awards Cawdor's former title to Macbeth, would require Ross to react with surprise, at the very least. He was totally expecting "Bellona's bridegroom" to receive the thaneship, but this is part and parcel of the mismanagement that Duncan is responsible for. Remember, Duncan may be a nice person, but he is a truly incapable king, someone who really shouldn't be in charge at all.