Macbeth Act 5

Act 5 Scene 1 Doctor and the gentlewoman witness Lady Macbeth sleepwalking In her hand, Lady Macbeth holds a candle that she has beside her continually (IMAGERY=LIGHT VS. DARK) Lady Macbeth makes a scrubbing motion with her hands and says, Line 38 “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” Makes reference to the murder of Macduff’s family as well as Banquo’s murder Doctor doesn’t quite know how to handle Lady Macbeth’s insanity The Doctor and the Gentlewoman agree not to tell anyone what they have witnessed

Scene 2. The English army is nearing The Scottish nobles speak about Macbeth’s state of mind (madness/valiant fury) The English and Scottish are to meet at Birnam Wood (a forest just near Dunsinane where Macbeth is fortified

Scene 3 Macbeth puts on a show about not fearing the English army because he cannot be vanquished ‘til Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane. Asks for Seyton (his armor bringer) to bring his armor so that he can dress for battle Doctor tells Macbeth that Lady Macbeth is “mind diseased” Macbeth treats his messenger very badly calling him a “lily-livered boy”

Scene Four Malcolm meets with the army generals and suggests that they all “hew” (cut) a bough (branch) from the trees of Birnam Wood. They will use the boughs as camouflage and carry it before them. Malcolm also says that the soldiers who are still defending Macbeth are “constrained things/ Whose hearts are absent too” lines 14-15 War is about to begin between the English/Scottish and Macbeth’s forces

Scene Five Macbeth asks for the banners to be put out to prepare for war There is a woman’s cry and Seyton tells Macbeth that Lady Macbeth is dead KEY LINES: line 17-28 “Out out brief candle” life as a light that can be exstinguished “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage” Life is like a stage /play and then is quickly over (meaninglessness??) “(Life) is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing” Macbeth reflects upon the lack of meaning life (human ambitions etc.) can sometimes hold Now the messenger tells Macbeth that Birnam Wood looks like it’s moving Macbeth prepares for battle (he does not back down)

Scene Six: Malcolm tells the soldiers to put down their camouflage (branches) And they prepare for battle Building of tension Rhyming couplet “give them all breath/ . . .. blood and death”—signals the end of the scene and prepares the reader for the next scene/completes the previous scene

Scene Seven Macbeth kills young Siward and feels strong because he knows that no one of woman born can harm him and exits Macduff enters and wants to find Macbeth to get revenge Malcolm’s side is winning the war—they are going to breach Macbeth’s castle walls

Scene Eight: Macbeth says that he will not yield and he will continue to fight Macduff finds Macbeth and Macbeth says that he’s been avoiding Macduff (prophesy and he’s killed his whole family) “Macduff says on line 15 “Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripp’d” Macduff was born as the result of a Caesarean section (baby surgically removed from the mother’s stomach) Although all odds are against Macbeth, he continues to fight on Macduff reenters with Macbeth’s head that he’s chopped off Before that, Siward is told of young Siward’s brave death fighting Macbeth Malcolm gets the last words (common to Shakespearean plays where the good king/character has the final thoughts) Malcolm speaks the fact that they can all move forward from this point onwards, free from Macbeth’s “tyranny” ORDER HAS BEEN RESTORED: Line 73 “We will perform in measure time and place” Malcolm to be crowned at Scone THE END!!! Well done!