Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth

by

Susan King

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Lady Macbeth makes teaching easy.

Orkney Islands Term Analysis

The northernmost territory of Scotland. Overseen by Thorfin Sigurdsson.

Orkney Islands Quotes in Lady Macbeth

The Lady Macbeth quotes below are all either spoken by Orkney Islands or refer to Orkney Islands. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
History, Memory, and Storytelling  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 7  Quotes

“The truth is in what Moray offers,” [Bodhe] said. “Every mormaer of that region has an ancient right tot be called Rí a Moreb, king of Moray. His wife can be called ban-rí, queen. Just now, Gilcomgan and King Malcolm support one another. But if the Rí a Moreb ever summoned men to revolt, the strength of that army would be such that the mormaer of Moray could himself be king over all Scotland.”

“And marriage to me could ensure that for Gilcomgan. Or for our son,” I added. […] He looked hard at me. “Even carrying the blood of Celtic kings, you cannot rule alone. You need a strong and ambitious husband.
“Our blood needs one,” I corrected bitterly.

Related Characters: Gruadh / Rue / Lady Macbeth (speaker), Bodhe (speaker), Gilcomgan , Thorfin Sigurdsson, King Malcolm
Page Number: 58
Explanation and Analysis:
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Orkney Islands Term Timeline in Lady Macbeth

The timeline below shows where the term Orkney Islands appears in Lady Macbeth. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Gender Roles  Theme Icon
Violence, Justice, and Revenge  Theme Icon
...assailant away. Gruadh is left alone with another man, Thorfin Sigurdsson, the jarl of the Orkney Islands and Caithness. She asks him what he wants from her, but he does not... (full context)
Chapter 4 
Fate, Family, and Ambition  Theme Icon
Violence, Justice, and Revenge  Theme Icon
...group carries two banners. One is yellow with a black raven, the design of the Orkney Vikings. The other is blue with silver stars, and belongs to Gilcomgan mac Malbríd, mormaer... (full context)
Chapter 16 
Gender Roles  Theme Icon
Violence, Justice, and Revenge  Theme Icon
...would understand the necessity of bloodshed. He continues that an alliance between Moray and the Orkney will be necessary if Duncan comes to power, because the people do not trust Duncan... (full context)
Chapter 23 
Magic, Tradition, and Religion  Theme Icon
Fate, Family, and Ambition  Theme Icon
...retreats with the rest. Macbeth and Banchorrie gather troops in anticipation of a clash with Orkney on land, and Macbeth orders Gruadh to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice. (full context)
Violence, Justice, and Revenge  Theme Icon
...encouraged Duncan to back down, but he would not, and now Thorfin has returned to Orkney to gather more troops. However, Thorfin, not Macbeth has sent word to Gruadh. In thanks,... (full context)
Chapter 31
Fate, Family, and Ambition  Theme Icon
Violence, Justice, and Revenge  Theme Icon
Gruadh recalls that in 1054 Lulach married Thorfin’s daughter, Ingebjorg, uniting Moray and Orkney. That spring, Mother Enya died, and in her last meeting with Gruadh told the queen... (full context)