Macbeth

Act IV

Scene 1

Imagery

The state of the kingdom under Macbeth’s rule reflects images of dismemberment in the witches brew There is dissention

among the Lords due to Macbeth’s evil deeds

He has “dismembered” Scotland with his evil deeds

Something Wicked This Way Comes

“By the pricking of my thumbs/Something wicked this way comes.” Indicates Macbeth’s

degeneration He is dehumanized

He is as evil as the witches

Catastrophic Events

Winds destroyed churches Break with God

Sea swallows ships Crops destroyed

Break with nature Castles and pyramids

crumble Break with ruling order

Upsetting the Social Order

To fulfill his ambition, Macbeth has upset the social order by killing Duncan

He is unable to control the supernatural elements Couldn’t eliminate Banquo’s

ghost Couldn’t make the witches

elaborated on prophecies Was unable to kill Fleance

Symbolism

“Pour in sow’s blood, that hath eaten/Her nine farrow; grease that’s sweeten/From the murderer’s gibbet throw into the flame.” Sow symbolizes Macbeth He has killed his own kin

Duncan Banquo

Demanding the Future

The three witches concoct a foul brew and chant over their cauldron

Macbeth demands to know the future

They show him four apparitions

First Apparition

The first apparition is a helmeted head

The first apparition tells Macbeth to beware Macduff, the Thane of Fife

Second Apparition

The second apparition is a blood child

He tells Macbeth to “Be bloody, bold and resolute! Laugh to scorn/The pow’r of man, for none of woman born/Shall harm Macbeth”

Third Apparition

The third apparition is a child crowned with a tree in his hand

He tells Macbeth that “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/ Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/Shall come against him.”

Fourth Apparition

The fourth apparition is a show of eight kings and Banquo

The last king holds a mirror in his hand

This suggest an infinite number of descendents

Planning More Murders

The witches vanish when Lennox appears

Lennox reveals that Macduff has fled to England

After Lennox leaves, Macbeth resolves to kill Lady Macduff and her children

Why Kill Macduff?

Why will Macbeth kill Macduff despite the prophecy that no man “born of woman” can harm him? He wants to ensure

fate will not trick him He does not trust the

prophecies completely In trusting the witches,

he damns himself

Scene 2

Meanwhile at Fife

Macduff’s Castle Ross tells Lady Macduff her

husband has gone to England

She cannot understand why her husband left with out explanation

Accuses him of betraying his marriage vows

A Comparison

Lady Macduff and son exchange tender words

Comparison of son to a bird Innocent trapped Defenseless

Messenger arrives and tells them to flee

Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair

Lady Macduff says, “Wither should I fly?/I have done no harm. But I remember now/I am in this earthly world, where to do harm/Is often laudable, to do good sometime/Accounted dangerous folly.” No escape in a world where

evil acts are rewarded and good acts are overlooked

Flee for Your Life

Murderers arrive and kill Lady Macduff and her son

All Macduff’s children are killed

All Macduff’s servants are killed

Scene 3

In England

Macduff goes to England to secure Malcolm’s aid in fighting Macbeth

Malcom is wary because Macduff was a friend of Macbeth

Malcom believes Macduff may have been sent to England to trick him

Macduff sees that Malcolm does not trust him He prepares to leave

Testing Loyalty

Malcolm first tests Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland

Malcolm makes a comparison between himself and Macbeth States his sins are so

great that Macbeth’s sins would seem innocent in comparison

An Alliance is Formed

Macduff disagrees States that there is no one

more evil than Macbeth He would rather be allied

with Malcolm and all his imperfections than be loyal to Macbeth

Malcolm reveals it has all been a test and that he is chaste, honest, faithful, etc.

Imagery

Scotland is portrayed as a stabbed woman sinking “beneath the yoke,” weeping and bleeding and suffering a new wound every day.

Image recalls the murder of Lady Macduff

Difference Between Father and Son

Duncan Too trusting Deceived by two

traitors Malcolm

Tests Macduff for for his loyalty

Good News

Malcolm states an army is ready to attack Macbeth’s forces Siward with 10,000 men Large enough to conquer

Macbeth’s army

Synecdoche

Ross arrives with news from Fife

Breaks the news with sensitivity

“Let not your ears despise my tongue forever,/Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound/That ever yet they heard.” Don’t hate me for what I

am about to tell you

Bearer of Bad News

Ross reveals that Lady Macduff, the children and all the servants have been murdered

Macduff turns his shock and grief into anger

Prays to meet Macbeth in battle

A Definition of Manhood

Lady Macbeth Man takes advantage of

opportunity no matter what cost

Malcolm Man must be strong and

not give into grief Macduff

Man must strong, but be able to express the pain of grief

Aphorism

A concise statement expressing a principle or truth

“The night is long that never finds the day” (line 240) Literal: Just as night

must give way to day Metaphoric: The

darkness of Macbeth’s reign will end and peace will be restored