Act 4 Scene 1 Summary In a dark

Act 4 Scene 1

Summary In a dark cavern, a bubbling cauldron hisses and spits, and the three witches suddenly appear onstage. They circle the cauldron, chanting spells and adding bizarre ingredients to their stew—“eye of newt and toe of frog, / Wool of bat and tongue of dog” (IV. i. 14– 15). Hecate materializes and compliments the witches on their work. One of the witches then chants: “By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes” (IV. i. 61– 62). In fulfillment of the witch’s prediction, Macbeth enters. He asks the witches to reveal the truth of their prophecies to him. To answer his questions, they summon horrible apparitions, each of which offers a prediction to allay Macbeth’s fears.

First, a floating head warns him to beware Macduff; Macbeth says that he has already guessed as much. Then a bloody child appears and tells him that “none of woman born / shall harm Macbeth” (IV. i. 96– 97). Next, a crowned child holding a tree tells him that he is safe until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Finally, a procession of eight crowned kings walks by, the last carrying a mirror. Banquo’s ghost walks at the end of the line. Macbeth demands to know the meaning of this final vision, but the witches perform a mad dance and then vanish. Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth resolves to send murderers to capture Macduff’s castle and to kill Macduff’s wife and children.

Things to focus on: The 3 prophecies given to Macbeth by the witches and how Macbeth reacts/responds to each prophecy. What this reveals about him. The prophecy regarding Banquo and how Macbeth reacts to it. What this reveals about him. Macbeth’s decision after the news from Lennox, and what this tells us about him

“Beware Macduff. Beware the Thane of Fife” First Prophecy The witches tell Macbeth that Macduff poses a threat to his kingship and that he should be aware of how dangerous he could be. They tell Macbeth that Macduff will never obey him, serve him or be commanded by him. Macbeth’s response Macbeth reveals that he had already thought about the potential threat of Macduff and that he has been afraid and worried about his disloyalty.

Techniques Characterisation Dialogue

“none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” Second Prophecy The witches promise Macbeth that he will never be killed or harmed by another person who has been born from a woman and that he should not fear any threat posed by other men. They tell Macbeth that he must remain determined and unwavering in his kingship and that he should be fearless, brave and confident as king. Macbeth’s response This fills Macbeth with confidence and greatly reassures him. Macbeth states that he now has no reason to fear Macduff and that it is no longer necessary to kill him. However, even though Macduff poses no threat, Macbeth states that he will still murder him in order to make sure that any potential danger he poses is completely removed. In doing so, he will have peace of mind.

Techniques Characterisation Dialogue

“Macbeth shall never be vanquished until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him” Second Prophecy The witches assure Macbeth that he will never be defeated by any enemy until the forest at Birnam Wood travels to his royal castle at Dunsinane to fight against him. Macbeth’s response This prophecy increases Macbeth’s confidence and makes him even more certain of his invulnerability. He now, almost arrogantly, believes that there will be no consequences or punishments for the murders he has committed and that he will remain the king of Scotland until the end of his natural life.

Techniques Characterisation Dialogue

Foreshadowing For each of the three prophecies, the witches conjure a different apparition. Each apparition can be said to foreshadow how the witches’ prophecies will be fulfilled: The child in the first prophecy wears armour on his head. This could represent how Macduff goes to England to raise an army to defeat Macbeth. The fact that the child does not have a body could represent Macbeth’s beheading by Macduff later in the play. The child in the second prophecy has a bloody head. This could represent Macduff’s birth by caesarean section The child in the third prophecy wears a crown and carries a tree. This could represent Malcolm who takes Macbeth’s throne after instructing his army to disguise their number with tree branches from Birnam Wood.

“I will be satisfied. Deny me this and an eternal curse fall on you!” After being given the first three prophecies by the witches, and despite being greatly reassured and being filled with confidence and a feeling of invulnerability, Macbeth demands to know more from them. He asks the witches if Banquo’s sons will ever be kings of Scotland, which implies that he is still very concerned about the threat posed to his legacy by Fleance and Banquo’s other descendants. Even though the witches warn Macbeth not to ask any more questions, and tell him not to try to find out any more about his future, he insists that they answer him. He pays no attention to their warnings.

Techniques Characterisation Dialogue

“Eight kings march across the stage, the last one with a mirror in his hand, followed by the ghost of Banquo” Fourth prophecy The witches show Macbeth a vision of 8 generations of Banquo’s descendants who all become kings of Scotland and/or countries abroad. The children who appear in the vision are the children of Fleance. Macbeth’s reaction Macbeth finds this vision painful to look at and has to divert his gaze. He is greatly disturbed and horrified as the vision confirms his worst fears about Banquo’s family line taking his throne from him and his own descendants. He is confused as this vision seems to suggest that his legacy is under threat, which appears to contradict the other prophecies given to him by the witches. The vision appals him and takes away the strength and courage he gained from the earlier 3 prophecies.

Techniques Stage directions Characterisation

“From this moment the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand” After the witches disappear, Macbeth is informed by Lennox that Macduff has fled to England. Upon hearing this news, Macbeth bemoans the fact that he had not dealt with Macduff’s threat sooner. He vows, henceforth, to act immediately when he decides upon a course of action before he loses his sense of purpose: in other words, from now on, he will always put his thoughts into action. He decides to punish Macduff by raiding his castle and murdering his wife, children, family and servants. It could be argued that the murder of Lady Macduff and her young son marks the moment in the play where Macbeth descends into madness. Up until this point, any murders that he has committed or planned have been motivated by political gain (Duncan) or to remove a rival (Banquo). However, the murder of Macduff’s family seems to be motivated by anger and revenge and a furious desire to punish Macduff for his disloyalty. There is no justification for it.

Techniques Aside Characterisation

Act 4 Scene 2

Summary At Macduff’s castle, Lady Macduff accosts Ross, demanding to know why her husband has fled. She feels betrayed. Ross insists that she trust her husband’s judgment and then regretfully departs. Once he is gone, Lady Macduff tells her son that his father is dead, but the little boy perceptively argues that he is not. Suddenly, a messenger hurries in, warning Lady Macduff that she is in danger and urging her to flee. Lady Macduff protests, arguing that she has done no wrong. A group of murderers then enters. When one of them denounces Macduff, Macduff’s son calls the murderer a liar, and the murderer stabs him. Lady Macduff turns and runs, and the pack of killers chases after her.

Act 4 Scene 3

Summary Outside King Edward’s palace, Malcolm speaks with Macduff, telling him that he does not trust him since he has left his family in Scotland may be secretly working for Macbeth. To determine whether Macduff is trustworthy, Malcolm rambles on about his own vices. He admits that he wonders whether he is fit to be king, since he claims to be lustful, greedy, and violent. At first, Macduff politely disagrees with his future king, but eventually Macduff cannot keep himself from crying out, “O Scotland, Scotland!” (IV. iii. 101). Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland leads him to agree that Malcolm is not fit to govern Scotland perhaps not even to live. In giving voice to his disparagement, Macduff has passed Malcolm’s test of loyalty. Malcolm then retracts the lies he has put forth about his supposed shortcomings and embraces Macduff as an ally.

A doctor appears briefly and mentions that a “crew of wretched souls” waits for King Edward so they may be cured (IV. iii. 142). When the doctor leaves, Malcolm explains to Macduff that King Edward has a miraculous power to cure disease. Ross enters. He has just arrived from Scotland, and tells Macduff that his wife and children are well. He urges Malcolm to return to his country, listing the woes that have befallen Scotland since Macbeth took the crown. Malcolm says that he will return with ten thousand soldiers lent him by the English king. Then, breaking down, Ross confesses to Macduff that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children. Macduff is crushed with grief. Malcolm urges him to turn his grief to anger, and Macduff assures him that he will inflict revenge upon Macbeth.

Things to focus on: The opinions of Macduff, Ross and Malcolm regarding Macbeth and his rule over Scotland

“I think our country sinks beneath the yoke” Malcolm believes that Macbeth has turned into a tyrant and he feels mental and even physical pain when he speaks Macbeth’s name due to him stealing his throne after murdering his father (Duncan) and due to the harm that he is causing Scotland as a country. He is determined to take his revenge against him. Malcolm believes that Scotland is suffering under Macbeth’s tyrannical, evil and brutal rule and that he is oppressing the people and causing them great misery and anguish. Malcolm believes that Scotland is dying with each day that Macbeth remains King and that his murderous and violent reign is not only illegitimate but also a plague on the country. From Malcolm’s perspective, by freeing Scotland from Macbeth’s tyranny he will be acting under the direction of God. He believes that it is moral and just to wage war against Macbeth as he possesses none of the necessary qualities of kingship, such as justice, honesty, honour, humility and mercy (like Duncan).

Techniques Dialogue Characterisation Setting

“It cannot be called our mother, but our grave” Ross describes Scotland under Macbeth’s rule to be a country which instead of nurturing and protecting its people, is actually killing them and causing them great pain and suffering. He states that since Macbeth became king, Scotland seems like a completely different country and is almost unrecognisable from the nation that was ruled by Duncan. Misery, anguish and death are inescapable throughout the country and a mood of mourning and sorrow hangs over everyone.

Techniques Dialogue Characterisation Setting