Chaos and Destruction/Macduff

Question 1

“​bleed bleed poor country​”

Answer 1

Shakespeare portrays Macduff as a man who adores Scotland and feels as though he must save it from the tyranny of Macbeth’s rule. He is the one to recognise that Macbeth’s reign brings chaos to Scotland and sets about creating an opposition to Macbeth. Macduff uses the​ motif of personifying Scotland​, as Macbeth is causing Scotland to “​bleed bleed poor country​”. Shakespeare uses this technique in order to ​symbolise ​how Scotland is dying because the ‘Great Chain of Being’ has been subverted. The ‘Great Chain of Being’ is a hierarchical social structure​, which dictated who had authority over who (the King was at the top of the hierarchy, just under God).

Question 2

“​lest our old robes sit easier than our new​”

Answer 2

Here, Shakespeare reveals Macduff’s​ bleak perception of a future Scotland
under Macbeth as he uses the​ extended metaphor​ of predicting Scotland will change for the worse. He suggests there will be ​chaos and a divergence​ from the peace of the past