Why are Macbeth's robes said to hang loose about him?

Answer 1

Throughout the play Macbeth, clothes, or robes, are used as a symbol of peoples' roles. One example of this is where Banquo says, in scene 4 of act 1, "New honors come upon him, / Like our strange garments, cleave not to ther mold / But with the aid of use." Later on, robes used as symbols for positions in act 2, scene 4 by Macduff, when he says, "Well, may you see things well done there. Adieu, / Lest our old robes sit easier than our new," meaning, lest our new King, Macbeth, isn't as good for this country as our old one, Duncan (who Macbeth has killed). The specific example asked about is in act 5, scene 2, where Angus says, "Now does he [Macbeth] feel his title / Hang loose about him, like a giant's robe / Upon a dwarfish thief." This means that Macbeth is realizing that his robes, (roles, or responsibilities) are too big for him too fill. He can't fulfill the responsibilities of a king.