Both Uses of
scruples
in
Macbeth
- Fears and scruples shake us.
p. 71.6 *scruples = moral concerns or doubtseditor's notes: Upon learning of Duncan's murder, Banquo recalls the witches' prophecies: that Macbeth would become king and that Banquo's descendants would inherit the throne. This leaves him with moral reservations, as he questions what is right and struggles to reconcile his loyalty with the unsettling events around him.
- Macduff, this noble passion,
Child of integrity, hath from my soul
Wiped the black scruples, reconciled my thoughts
To thy good truth and honour.p. 147.4scruples = doubtseditor's notes: These lines from Malcolm could be paraphrased as: "Macduff, your noble feelings, born from your honesty, have erased my doubts and cleared my mind, making me trust in your goodness and honor."
Definitions:
-
(1)
(scruples) ethical or moral principles that discourage certain kinds of action
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, scruple can be used as a verb meaning "hesitate on moral grounds" as in "He lied and did not even scruple about it."
Even more rarely and archaically, at one time a scruple was a measure of weight equal to 20 grains (about 1.3 grams).