Bleed, bleed, poor country!
Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,
For goodness dare not check thee.
– William Shakespeare
Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3. A despairing Macduff says this when he believes that he cannot persuade Malcolm to fight Macbeth and save Scotland from his brutal reign. His patriotism shines through as he laments how “goodness” dares not put a curb on Macbeth’s “great tyranny.” Scotland is personified as a wounded and bleeding country.