"as two spent swimmers"SimileAct 1,Scene 2Lines 7b-9An explanation of the simile, “as two spent swimmers,” in Act 1, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Macbeth. Sergeant Doubtful it stood, As two spent swimmers that do cling together And choke their art. The merciless Macdonald — In this simile, the two exhausted armies of Scotland and Norway are compared to two tired swimmers, who are drowning by clinging to each other.