"<span>Despite what many think of him by the play's conclusion, Macbeth's brave and noble reputation (literally) precedes him in Shakespeare's drama. Before we even come face-to-face with Macbeth, a sergeant returns from a recent battle to directly characterize him: 'For brave Macbeth -well he deserves that name - / Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, / Which smoked with bloody execution, / Like valour's minion carved out his passage."</span>
