The Only Use of
fortitude
in
Macbeth
- But I have none. The king-becoming graces,
As justice, verity, temperance, stableness,
Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness,
Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude,
I have no relish of them but abound
In the division of each several crime,
Acting it many ways.p. 145.7fortitude = strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courageeditor's notes: Malcolm is pretending to be of bad character to test Macduff's character. These lines could be paraphrased as: "But I have none of those. The qualities that make a good king—like justice, truthfulness, self-control, reliability, generosity, persistence, mercy, humility, dedication, patience, bravery, and strength—I don’t have any liking for them. Instead, I’m full of all kinds of crimes, committing them in many different ways."
Definition:
strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage