This is when we see how cold hearted and evil Macbeth is, and also how this action that Macbeth performs will change the outcome of his life later on in this play. Lady Macduff flees, and the murderers pursue her. The audience is left to assume that they kill her as well. The last scene of the act moves to Macduff, who has now fled to England to meet with Malcolm.
Malcolm does not trust Macduff, feeling as though Macbeth may have sent him as a spy. Lord Capulet is especially involved. He orders servants around and is committed to staying up all night to make sure that the event is perfect.
He says what Macduff has told him hath cowed my better part of man. When Macduff calls him a coward , he decides to fight anyway, even though he knows that he is going to die.
What makes Macduff so sure that he will be able to kill Macbeth? Macduff is the one man that can harm Macbeth! The so-called charm was just a trick. Macduff previous. Thy royal father. Was a most sainted king. I shall do so;. But I must also feel it as a man. Perhaps it would be better to say that Macbeth is the most orderly and just of the tragedies, insofar as evil deeds lead first to psychological torment and then to destruction. The nihilism of King Lear, in which the very idea of divine justice seems laughable, is absent in Macbeth —divine justice, whether Christian or not, is a palpable force hounding Macbeth toward his inevitable end.
The crowned child is Malcolm. He carries a tree, just as his soldiers will later carry tree branches from Birnam Wood to Dunsinane. Finally, the procession of kings reveals the future line of kings, all descended from Banquo. The mirror carried by the last figure may have been meant to reflect King James, sitting in the audience, to himself. The murder of Lady Macduff and her young son in Act 4, scene 2, marks the moment in which Macbeth descends into utter madness, killing neither for political gain nor to silence an enemy, but simply out of a furious desire to do harm.
It is a political approach without moral legitimacy because it is not founded on loyalty to the state. Their conversation reflects an important theme in the play—the nature of true kingship, which is embodied by Duncan and King Edward, as opposed to the tyranny of Macbeth. In the end, a true king seems to be one motivated by love of his kingdom more than by pure self-interest. Macduff and Malcolm are allies, but Macduff also serves as a teacher to Malcolm.
Malcolm believes himself to be crafty and intuitive, as his test of Macduff shows. Macduff shows that manhood comprises more than aggression and murder; allowing oneself to be sensitive and to feel grief is also necessary.
This is an important lesson for Malcolm to learn if he is to be a judicious, honest, and compassionate king. Ace your assignments with our guide to Macbeth! SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Are the Witches in Macbeth real? Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By William Shakespeare.
Previous Next. Malcolm suggests finding a nice shady spot where they can cry their eyes out. Macduff's got a better idea: maybe they should whip out their swords and fight like "men" against the good-for-nothing Macbeth.
Sure, that's an okay idea, says Malcolm; but he's worried Macduff might have something to gain by turning on him, Malcolm and betraying him to Macbeth. Besides, Macduff doesn't seem like a loyal guy these days, having abandoned his family back in Scotland and all.
No man, Macduff says; I'm totally loyal. Still, Malcolm's a little paranoid so he decides to test Macduff by suggesting that even he, Malcolm, might make a poor king, were they to defeat Macbeth.
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