Why do you dress me
In borrowed robes?
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 3. When Ross hails Macbeth Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s reaction comes in the form of a clothing metaphor. He tries to conceal his ambition to be king by making light of the news, and jokes about being dressed in borrowed robes. He doesn’t understand how he can have that position while the Thane of Cawdor still lives. He learns from Angus that the former Thane has been stripped of his title and sentenced to death for treason.