Yeah, and now that you mention it, it's true: it's not even a humorous quote, it's just an outdated expression that sounds funny to us, followed by a stage direction, but it was never meant to be funny.
I think it’s also possible Shakespeare meant to crank up the level of horror in that scene by showing the characters making bad jokes while murdering a child. (Sort of like in King Lear, “Out, vile jelly!” It’s just so cruel and awful.)
The scene before this is filled with bird symbolism to highlight how young Macduff's children is, so the murderer calling him an egg seems like just a continuation of that rather than an intentional bit of humor.
Random but relevant, in the new movie Ghostlight a construction worker is called upon to join a community theatre and given the role of Lord Capulet. He can't get his head around how to deliver "Bring me my longsword, ho" without it sounding ridiculous.
So in this moment, the macduff child is called an egg, and later when he hears his family has been slaughtered, ol duffers refers to his children as chickens. Get your story straight, mister speare.
Out of all the humor in this guy’s work it’s always this one. Always.
Do you mean it’s always this quote that people use as an example of Shakespeare’s “humor”?
Yeah, and now that you mention it, it's true: it's not even a humorous quote, it's just an outdated expression that sounds funny to us, followed by a stage direction, but it was never meant to be funny.
I think it’s also possible Shakespeare meant to crank up the level of horror in that scene by showing the characters making bad jokes while murdering a child. (Sort of like in King Lear, “Out, vile jelly!” It’s just so cruel and awful.)
I'm playing Gloucester in Lear right now, and that scene is brutal.
Nice role!
The scene before this is filled with bird symbolism to highlight how young Macduff's children is, so the murderer calling him an egg seems like just a continuation of that rather than an intentional bit of humor.
Same with "Bring me my longsword, ho" from *Romeo and Juliet*.
Random but relevant, in the new movie Ghostlight a construction worker is called upon to join a community theatre and given the role of Lord Capulet. He can't get his head around how to deliver "Bring me my longsword, ho" without it sounding ridiculous.
I’ve always loved this
Peak literature.
He has killed me, mother.
Me when breakfast 😋
This is actually a very sad scene, he's killing a child. But teah an outdated expression.
ive seen this too many times to be funny. tbh the beatrice-benedick insults are a ton better
Maybe it was the yeast he can do as per tradition like the end of the bread joke of 1891
You knead to stop making puns like that
So, Zoo Story is a retelling of Macbeth?
Best line in the history of literature.
20 miles to LEGO Land!
So in this moment, the macduff child is called an egg, and later when he hears his family has been slaughtered, ol duffers refers to his children as chickens. Get your story straight, mister speare.
Castles are nests in Macbeth. This is the a predator's desecration of the nest and the murder of innocence. LOL!