ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Although Macbeth believes that he cannot be killed by any man born of a woman, he soon learns that Macduff was “from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripped” (Act V Scene 8 lines 2493/2494)-meaning that Macduff was born by caesarean section.

Detailed explanation-2: -On the battlefield, Macbeth encounters the vengeful Macduff, who declares that he was not “of woman born” but was instead “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (what we now call birth by caesarean section). Though he realizes that he is doomed, Macbeth continues to fight until Macduff kills and beheads him.

Detailed explanation-3: -And let the angel-heavy irony, the devil, the evil one-whom thou still has served, relentlessly, unashamedly, right from the start and in every action, every moment, you hell-hound-let your master tell you this: Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.

Detailed explanation-4: -Macbeth says he has avoided fighting Macduff because he has enough blood on his hands already. They fight. Macbeth mocks Macduff, saying his effort is wasted: no one of woman born can beat Macbeth. But Macduff replies that he was “untimely ripped” from his mother’s womb (line 16).

Detailed explanation-5: -Macduff now reveals to Macbeth that he entered the world by being “untimely ripp’d” from his mother’s womb: He was not, therefore, in the strict sense, “born” of woman. With the short but powerful sentence “Despair thy charm, ” Macbeth must know that his struggle for survival is over.