Macbeth Group

Topic: Macbeth, II,iii, line 144-145

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1

arioux

The "modern translation" that E-notes offer seems off.

Banquo says:
And when we have our naked frailties hid,
That suffer in exposure, let us meet
And question this most bloody piece of work
To know it further.
the "modern translation" has:
And when we have changed out of our night clothes,
That are not right in public, let us meet,
And question this most bloody piece of work
To know the details.

he's not talking about unseemly nightclothes, he's saying that they need to get it together in order to calmly analyze the situation to find out who did the bloody deed. Their grief is their naked frailty - at such a time, at the death of king after which they need to assess and discuss, they need to show an organized front and mask their grief.
Any thoughts?

2

pmiranda2857

Technically, the murdered king is discovered in the early hours of the morning, so they are dressed in their night clothes at the time, which would be unacceptable.

The symbolism somewhat intersects with the literal meaning of the night clothes.  The night clothes clearly must be discarded along with any vulnerabilities that occupy the night, especially this past night when the king was murdered.

A metaphor for the king's death being the darkness associated with the night clothes, replaced with the resolve of the day and all that is visible in the light, to pursue the task of finding the king's murderers. 

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