All 3 Uses of
summon
in
Macbeth
- A heavy summons lies like lead upon me,
And yet I would not sleep.p. 49.5summons = call (to sleep)
- Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell
That summons thee to heaven or to hell.p. 53.9 *summons = callseditor's notes: This could be paraphrased as: "Don't listen Duncan, for it is a bell that calls you to heaven or to hell."
- ere the bat hath flown
His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate's summons,p. 95.2summons = call to comeeditor's notes: Hecate was the goddess of witchcraft and the night. This could be paraphrased as: "Before the bat has flown his hidden flight where Hecate calls it, i.e., before nightfall."
Definition:
to call to appear, come, or take action -- often used for official or serious situations, including legal notices or emotional/spiritual urges