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What is happening in the quote They hailed him father to a line of kings Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in my grip in Macbeth?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Macbeth is talking about the witches' prophecy to Banquo "Thou shalt get kings thou thou be none". From this Macbeth infers (although the witches did not actually say so) that his children would not be kings. Macbeth translates "thou shalt get kings" into Banquo being the father to "a line of kings". Well, the witches only said "kings"--they didn't say it was more than two. Then he imagines that none of his children would be kings with a couple of synechdoches: he describes the crown as fruitless (without children) and the sceptre as barren (incapable of having children) when it is the king, himself, which he imagines as fruitless and barren.
I cannot hear the phrase "a fruitless crown" without imagining Carmen Miranda. Sorry if I have now put this image in your head.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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∙ 10y agoMacbeth
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What does Macbeth mean by upon your head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in your gripe?
He means that he has been given a crown with essentially no meaning as Banquo's son will be the one to take over the throne, no son of Macbeth will ever continue on the crown
The barren scepter Macbeth refers to is a symbol implying that he?
The word "barren" is the giveaway. The sceptre is a symbol of kingship. It is barren because Macbeth has no heir to pass the throne to (not in the play, anyway. In real life he had a stepson who did succeed him.)
Who speaks of the barren scepter in Macbeth?
Macbeth does during a soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 2
Why is the heath a desolate place in Macbeth act 1 sense 1?
A heath is basically a barren waste land, its unproductive and there is no life there (nothing grows there). There is no life here, whereas the role of land is to sustain life. The witches are there because they are going to be unproductive in what they do there. This is all also connected to the weather (lighting and thunder) they all reflect on each other - the witches are like the thunder (powerful and suggest evil)
Why does Caesar tell calpernia to stand close to the racers so Antony can touch her?
Antony's touch can make Calphurnia fertile.
What does Macbeth mean by upon your head they placed a fruitless crown and put a barren scepter in your gripe?
He means that he has been given a crown with essentially no meaning as Banquo's son will be the one to take over the throne, no son of Macbeth will ever continue on the crown
The barren scepter Macbeth refers to is a symbol implying that he?
The word "barren" is the giveaway. The sceptre is a symbol of kingship. It is barren because Macbeth has no heir to pass the throne to (not in the play, anyway. In real life he had a stepson who did succeed him.)
Who speaks of the barren scepter in Macbeth?
Macbeth does during a soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 2
What are the antonyms of casual and fruitless?
Planned, serious. Barren, empty, unfruitful, depleted
Which lines show how Macbeth reacts to duncans plans for his son malcom?
"The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down or else o'erleap." The idea was that the Prince of Cumberland was the heir apparent, like the Prince of Wales in England.
What is the meaning of barren?
Not bred Barren, in spiritual terms, is to not be able to produce; fruitless. Such as barren women, in The Bible, who weren't able to be fruitful & multiply (have children). There's also the parable about the barren fig tree.
Is a word barren a noun?
The term 'barren' can be a noun or an adjective. It is an adjective when describing something.
What is barren a collective noun for?
Barren is a collective noun for a barren of mules.
What is the Hebrew word for barren?
A barren person = akar A barren place = shomem
How do you use barren in a sentence?
The desert was barren.
What part of speech is barren?
Barren is an adjective.
What is a homophone for barren?
A homonym of barren is baron.
