1. Exam review Acts III, IV and V
The tragedy of Macbeth
Exam review
Acts III, IV and V

2. Rewind to act iii: the climax
1. Macbeth first defies his conscience when he murders Duncan. Afterward, he believes not even the ocean can wash away his guilt. But he chooses to have Banquo murdered in 3.1. Why? 2. How does his conscience torment him in 3.4? 3. He then defies his conscience again at the end of 3.4. What choice does he make? How does this choice serve as the climax of the play?

3. Rewind to act iii: the climax
1. Macbeth fears Banquo’s suspicions and envies Banquo’s prophecy. He does not want Banquo or his children to benefit from the regicide, especially since Macbeth risks and loses everything as a result– his ability to sleep, his marriage, and his soul. 2. Banquo’s ghost appears and shakes its “gory locks” at him, causing him to seem crazed in front of all his honored guests and causing Lady Macbeth to lose all control of him. 3. See the next slide for the answer.

5. 4.1. upon the heath
1. What do the witches chant before Macbeth’s arrival? What is significant about the word “Double”? 2. Who is the Second Witch referring to when she says, “By the pricking of my thumbs something wicked this way comes” ( ).

6. “Double, double, toil and trouble/ Fire burn and cauldron bubble”
“By the pricking of my thumbs,/ Something wicked this way comes”

7. 4.1. upon the heath
1. “Double” reminds us that the witches equivocate. Remember Banquo’s warning in 1.3. The witches’ chant reminds us not to take what they say at face value. We know to look for the double meaning, but Macbeth does not. Why? Arrogance? A determination to maintain his power and not feel anymore fear or guilt? “Double” also reminds us of how often characters are two-faced or fear those that are two-faced. 2. And, of course, Macbeth is that “something wicked”.

8. 4.1. upon the heath
Identify each apparition by appearance and prophecy. We will see how each is proven true in a later slide.

9. 4.2. fife, the Macduff castle
In an effective Shakespearean production, the scene changes are swift and dramatic. What effect should the switch between 4.1 and 4.2 have on the audience?
What is Lady Macduff feeling in this scene? Why?
Choose the line(s) from the first 25 or so lines of dialogue that best reflects a central theme in the play. Explain.

10. 4.2. fife, the Macduff castle
1. At the end of 4.1, Macbeth declares that he will kill Macduff. When we see Lady Macduff and her children we are meant to take a sharp inward breath because we quickly realize the peril awaiting them.
2. Lady Macduff feels betrayed. She accuses Macduff of fleeing Scotland out of fear and argues t there can be no wisdom in his decision. She accuses of him of lacking “the natural touch”, that even a poor wren stays to defend its young against its predator, the owl.. Consider the emphasis on unnatural behaviors throughout this dark and chaotic play.

11. 4.2. fife, the Macduff castle
3. “But cruel are the times when we are traitors/ And do not know ourselves; when we hold rumor/ From what we fear, yet know not what we fear,/ But float upon a wild and violent sea/Each way and move” ( ).

12. 4.2. fife, the Macduff castle
3. “But cruel are the times when we are traitors/ And do not know ourselves; when we hold rumor/ From what we fear, yet know not what we fear,/ But float upon a wild and violent sea/Each way and move” ( ).

13. 4.2. fife, the Macduff castle
1. How does Macduff’s son reveal his wisdom and humor in his conversation with his mother? 2. Why does Shakespeare give this wisdom to a child?

14. 4.2. fife, the Macduff castle
1. He realizes that his father is not dead; he explains to his mother that she would be crying if that were true. 2. He jokes about how few honest men there are in the world.

15. 4.3. England
This is the most difficult scene in the play to stage. Directors complain about the lengthy speeches and lack of action. The scenery is typically lush and green, serving as a contrast to the darkness emphasized in the other scenes, all of which take place in Scotland. 1. With that said, what are the two most emotional moments in this scene that make the scene important? See lines and

16. 4.3. England
First moment: Macduff passes Malcolm’s test of loyalty and expresses despair that there will be no help or hope for Scotland. Malcolm then reveals that he is an honest virgin who barely covets his own belongings. Together they will return to Scotland, along with 10,000 British soldiers, in order to oust Macbeth.

17. 4.3. England
Second moment: Macduff receives the news of his family’s brutal massacre. First, he feels it like a man, then vows revenge.

18. Sleepwalking scene
1. What knowledge does Lady Macbeth reveal in this scene? 2. What is she feeling? What actions and lines reveal this? How does this signify a major change in her character?

19. Sleepwalking scene
1. She says “the Thane of Fife had a wife”. She knows of Banquo’s murder and the Macduff massacre. 2. Her guilt is revealed by her obsessive hand-washing, something her servant says she does for 15 minutes at a time. She cries, “Out, out damned spot” and tells us that no perfumes can take away the smell of blood.

20. Act V – Macbeth gets what he deserves
1. What is happening among Macbeth’s ranks? 2. How is each apparition prove true?

21. Act V – Macbeth gets what he deserves
1. Macbeth’s men are deserting him. 2. Malcolm orders the men to cut and carry branches from Birnam Woods to disguise their numbers. Macduff reveals that he has been “untimely wripped” from his mother’s womb. He presents Macbeth’s severed head to Malcolm in the final scene.

22. Act V – RIP Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
1. How does Lady Macbeth die? 2. How does Macbeth react? 3. What does his final soliloquy reveal to us about his final state of mind?

23. Act V – RIP Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
1. Lady Macbeth takes her own life.
2. First he hears women crying in the distance and says he is unphased. Then he says she should have died “hereafter”, which is open to interpretation, but is quite a contrast to Macduff’s emotional response to his wife’s death.
3. “Life is tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying nothing “ - these are the words of a man filled with despair. By actively defying his conscience, Macbeth becomes utterly dehumanized.