Macbeth act 4

Macbeth act 4

1. Scene 1

   • stage directions: 'An isolated place. Thunder. Enter the three Witches with a cauldron.'
     • supernatural- isolated from society
       • Macbeth choses to go to them.
     • Pathetic fallacy- weather reflects the mood
       • Theme=darkness.
   • Witches
     • 'Double, double toil and trouble'
       • repeated refrain
         • chant like- ritualistic/scheming
       • alliteration- repetition of consonants
       • assonance- repetition of the same vowel sounds
         • The word double hints at a double meaning behind what the witches are doing.
   • Potion ingredients
     • 'liver of blaspheming Jew'
       • gone against religion
       • gruesome imagery
     • 'finger of birth-strangl'd babe'
       • cut after death
       • innocent- young
     • Gruesome list of body parts sets a dark and frightening tone.
   • 'Enter Hecate, and the other three witches'
     • Three was thought to be a number associated with the devil
     • head witch
   • 'something wicked, this way comes'
     • refers to Macbeth
       • suggests he is now evil
       • Shows how much he has changed from the brave hero he was in Act 1
     • abstracts noun
   • Macbeth
     • use of imperative verbs
       • 'answer me'
         • repeated
       • 'call 'em'
       • 'tell me, thou unknown power-'
         • still interrupted
           • witches still have the power over Macbeth
             • fear of the supernatural at the time
             • Witches pretend to obey him to trick him into asking for the apparitions by saying that he can talk to his 'masters'.
             • The witches know Macbeth's biggest weakness is his ambition, so they play on his lust for power.
       • Macbeth is confident at the start of the scene.
     • Macbeth calls the witches 'you secret, black, and midnight hags!'
     • Macbeth says 'through the yeasty waves/ Confound and swallow navigation up'
       • metaphor- Macbeth is a sailor and Scotland is the ship- links to A1S3- witches sabotage the sailor
   • Apparitions
     • First apparition- presented as an armed head
       • 'Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth: beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife.'
         • Warns Macbeth of Macduff
       • Symbolises the physical threat of Malcom's army
       • Foreshadowing Macbeths decapitation.
     • Second apparition- presented as a bloody child- possibly Fleance
       • 'Be bloody, bold and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.'
         • Tells Macbeth to be deadly, bold and to not change his mind as no body born from a woman can harm him.
       • horrific imagery
       • Also, could represent Macduff born by caesarean section.
     • Third apparition- presented as a child crowned with a tree in his hand
       • 'Be lion mettl'd, proud and take no car who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.
         • Tells Macbeth to be strong, proud and carefree of people who are angry, who complain or where conspirers lie.
         • Macbeth can't be killed until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill.
       • Could represent Malcom the rightful heir.
       • Branch could represent Birnam wood or the hope that Scotland might grow under Malcom's rule.
     • 'Enter a show of eight kings, and the last with a glass in his hand; Banquo's ghost following'
       • Links to real kings including James I
       • Suggests that Banquo's children will rein as kings for 8 years.
     • 'Thunder enter..... apparition'
       • links to stage directions at the beginning of A4S1 and A1S1

2. Scene 3

   • Malcom tests Macduff's loyalty
     • Suspicious of Macduff's motives.
       • 'you have loved him well/He hath not touched you yet.'
         • Macduff responds 'I am not the villain that thou think'st'
           • Openly accuses Macduff of being a vilain
       • Suspicious of all visitors after Macbeth's oppression and tyranny.
       • Distrusts Macduff as he used to be friends with Macbeth who hasn't harmed him yet.
     • Uses bluffing to do so
     • Describes Macbeth using 8 key adjectives
       • 'bloody, luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin that has a name.'
         • links to the 7 deadly sins- religious context
     • Lists the qualities a good king should have.
       • 'justice, verity, temp'rance, stableness, bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, devotion, patience, courage, fortitude.'
         • =fairness, truthfulness, self-control, even temper, generosity, perseverance, mercy, humility, devotion to God, patience, courage, strength.
           • Malcom says he is none of these things and that if he had power he would cause chaos and disorder.
             • 'had I power, I should uproar the sweet milk of concord into hell'
             • Macduff responds 'O Scotland, Scotland!' which proves his integrity to Malcom who then reveals that he has been bluffing/ lying.
               • Macduff responds with an oxymoron which suggests confusion.
                 • 'Such welcome and unwelcome things at once'
     • 'Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace'
       • Links to A1S1 'fair is foul and foul is fair'
   • Macduff finds out about the death of his wife and children.
     • At first he is in shock and disbelief- seen through repeated questions- sense of panic.
       • 'My children too?' 'My wife killed too?' 'Did you say all?'
       • Overwhelmed by emotions of grief and anger
         • Eventually through the influence of Malcom he declares that he is going to overthrow Macbeth- revenge.
           • 'let grief convert to anger'
           • 'Front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland'
     • Macduff has left his wife and children behind but doesn't want to talk about it.
       • 'why is this rawness left you wife and child'
   • Malcom and Macduff plan to overthrow and kill Macbeth.
     • 'Front to front bring this fiend of Scotland and myself; within my sword's length set him. If he scape, Heaven forgive him too.'
       • Bring Macbeth face to face with me to meet my sword and if I let him escape then may God forgive him.
   • Malcom
     • Speaks with language of action.
       • 'each new morn, New windows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows, strike heaven on the face, that it resounds as if it felt with Scotland and yell'd out like syllable of dolour'
     • Talks of appearance versus reality, showing a lack of trust.
       • 'all things foul would wear the brows of grace'
     • Speaks softly with lots of long vowel sounds.
       • 'let us seek out some desolate shade, and there weep our sad bosom empty.'
     • Personifies Scotland as a bleeding dying individual.
     • Considers himself to be capable of more evil than Macbeth and is bluffing.
       • 'black Macbeth will seem as pure as snow ,and the poor state esteem him as a lamb, being compared with my confineless harms'
     • Considers himself a danger to women and is bluffing.
       • 'your matrons, and your maids could not fill up the cistern of my lust.'
     • Considers himself too greedy to be king and is bluffing.
       • 'were i king, I should cut off the nobles for their lands, desire his jewels.'
   • Macduff
     • Speaks more assertively with harsh consonant sounds.
       • 'hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men bestride our down-fall'n birthdom.'
     • Considers lust a problem that has caused the downfall of many kings.
       • 'boundless intemperance in nature is a tyranny; it hath been th'untimely emptying of the happy throne and fall of many kings'
     • Personifies Scotland as a bleeding, dying individual.
       • 'bleed, bleed, poor country I think our country sinks beneath the yoke: It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash is added to her wounds'
     • Considers Macbeth far more fearsome than anyone else.
       • 'not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned In evils to top Macbeth'
     • Vows to leave Scotland because being ruled by Macbeth makes him despair.