MACBETH ACT 4

SCENE 1 On a dark and stormy night, the three witches are hanging out in a cave chanting spells around a boiling cauldron, into which they cast all sorts of nasty bits, from lizard's leg to the finger of a "birth-strangled babe." Hecate enters, announcing "something wicked this way comes." Not surprisingly, Macbeth promptly follows. Macbeth gives the witches some props for being able to control the weather and conjure crazy winds that batter churches, cause huge ocean waves to "swallow" ships, destroy crops, topple castles, and so on. Macbeth says he has some more questions about his future and he wants some answers. The witches add some more ingredients to the cauldron, and then apparitions begin to appear, each addressing Macbeth. First, an armed head warns him to beware of Macduff. Second, a bloody child promises, "None of woman born shall harm Macbeth." Macbeth welcomes this good news and, assuming Macduff was born the natural way, Macbeth thinks he has nothing to fear. Though he has no need to kill Macduff now, he pledges to do it anyway The third apparition is a child wearing a crown with a tree in his hand. The child promises that Macbeth won't be conquered until Birnam Wood marches to Dunsinane. Given all of this, Macbeth feels safe that he won't be conquered in the upcoming war. But again, to be on the safe side, he still asks if Banquo's children will ever rule the kingdom. He is warned to ask no more questions. He demands to be answered anyway. Macbeth is not pleased when he's shown a line of eight kings, the last of which holds a mirror that reflects on many more such kings. One of the kings in the mirror happens to be holding two orbs. -King James I of England (a.k.a. King James VI of Scotland) traced his lineage back to Banquo and, at his coronation ceremony in England (1603) James held two orbs (one representing England and one representing Scotland). The apparitions disappear and the witches tease Macbeth for looking horrible when he saw his future destruction. Enter Lennox to find a perplexed Macbeth. Lennox tells Macbeth the news that Macduff has definitely run away to England, presumably to get some help for a rebellion. Macbeth says that from now on, he's going to act immediately on whatever thought enters his mind: "From this moment / The very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand." In other words, no more thinking and contemplating about the pros and cons of being bad – he's just to do whatever the heck he feels like doing.

QUOTESMACBETH That will never be.Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earthbound root? Sweet bodements, good! Rebellious head, rise never till the Wood Of Birnam rise, and our high-placed Macbeth Shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath To time and mortal custom. (4.1.103-114) When Macbeth comes knocking on the three witches' doors again, he wants another glimpse into his future. They give him riddles. But look at those riddles: they're designed so Macbeth interprets them to mean that he's safe, which obviously affects his decision-making. Is his death fate? Or is just savvy manipulation? MACBETH Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo. Down! Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs. And thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, is like the first. A third is like the former.—Filthy hags! Why do you show me this?—A fourth? Start, eyes! What, will the line stretch out to th' crack of doom? Another yet? A seventh? I'll see no more.And yet the eighth appears who bears a glass Which shows me many more, and some I see That two-fold balls and treble scepters carry.Horrible sight! Now I see 'tis true,For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me, And points at them for his. (4.1.127-139) Macbeth is not pleased when the witches conjure a vision of eight kings, who just so happen to be Banquo's heirs, who just so happen to result in Shakespeare's very own King James I. FIRST APPARITIONMacbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff!Beware the Thane of Fife! Dismiss me. Enough. (4.1.81-82) You'd think that Macbeth would have learned to be wary of weird (in both ways) visions and creepy, bodiless ghosts. Instead, he just takes what they say and runs with it.

SCENE 2 At Fife, in Macduff's castle, Lady Macduff is lamenting to Ross that her husband has run away, which, sure makes him look suspicious. Also, abandoning your family with no defense is seriously uncool.It's cool, Ross says. Macduff had his reasons. Lady Macduff then has a funny bit of banter with her young son about how his father is dead. Before she can go to market to buy a new husband (as she says), a messenger enters advising her to flee with her children. Since she's innocent, she sees no reason to leave.Try telling that to the murderer, who enters claiming that Macduff is a traitor. Macduff's son retorts, is stabbed, and then dies, leaving the murderers to pursue mom.

QUOTES

SCENE 3 Near King Edward's palace in England, Malcolm and Macduff brainstorm about Scotland's plight under the tyrannous Macbeth. 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. 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. Scotland would suffer, he says, under his own bad habits. What bad habits? Malcolm's got "an impossible lust" that would only get worse as he devoured all of the maidens of Scotland. Macduff at first insists there are plenty of maidens in Scotland, and Malcolm would be satisfied. But Malcolm won't let up talking about how bad a king he'd be, and Macduff finally gives up and admits that Scotland's pretty much doomed. Once Malcolm sees that Macduff is truly devoted to Scotland rather than just a political alliance, Malcolm goes "sike!": not only is he not lustful, he's never even "known" a woman. So, Macduff, Malcolm and ten thousand Englishmen at their backs get ready to take Scotland back. Then a doctor shows up (rather unexpectedly) and talks about how King Edward is tending to a crew of poor souls afflicted by a nasty disease called "scrofula," which the King heals with his touch. This is why it's helpful to have a genuine king: he gets his power from God and can do cool stuff like cure diseases and rule with an iron fist.-Scrofula (what we now know is a form of tuberculosis that affects the lymph nodes and skin) was also called the "King's Evil" and it was thought to be cured by a little something called the "Royal Touch," a kind of laying on of hands ceremony that was performed by monarchs in France and England as far back as the middle ages. Ross shows up and chats with Malcolm and Macduff about how Scotland is in a bad wayl Macduff asks after his family, and Ross lies that they're fine. He adds that if Macduff were to return, Scotland might gather and take up arms against Macbeth. Malcolm promises when they finally arrive in Scotland, ten thousand English soldiers will come, too. Ross then announces he has some bad news, actually. Macduff offers to guess at it, but before he does Ross blurts out that, oops, actually Macduff's family has been gruesomely murdered. Macduff blames himself for leaving, but Malcolm recommends that Macduff take his own advice and get his feelings out by murdering rather than weeping. Macduff vows to slay Macbeth, committing to action instead of thought.

QUOTESMALCOLM 'Tis call'd the evil:A most miraculous work in this good king,Which often, since my here-remain in EnglandI have seen him do. How he solicits heavenHimself best knows, but strangely visited peopleAll swoll'n and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye,The mere despair of surgery, he cures, Hanging a golden stamp about their necks, Put on with holy prayers: and 'tis spoken, To the succeeding royalty he leaves The healing benediction. With this strange virtue, He hath a heavenly gift of prophecy, And sundry blessings hang about his throneThat speak him full of grace. (4.3.168-181) Shakespeare is totally the teacher's pet. Here, he gives even more props to King Edward the Confessor of England by alluding to the "Royal Touch," a kind of laying on hands ceremony that was performed by English (and French) monarchs. The "strangely-visited people" referred to here by the Doctor suffer from scrofula, or the King's Evil. And if King Edward can cure a nasty disease like scrofula, just imagine what he can do to help cure Scotland of Macbeth.MACDUFF He has no children. All my pretty ones?Did you say "all"? O hell-kite! All?What, all my pretty chickens and their damAt one fell swoop? MALCOLMDispute it like a man. MACDUFFI shall do so,But I must also feel it as a man.I cannot but remember such things wereThat were most precious to me. (4.3.255-262) Boys don't cry? Not so, says Macduff. He can be a man and also mourn the brutal murder of his wife and children. MALCOLMLet us seek out some desolate shade and thereWeep our sad bosoms empty. MACDUFF Let us ratherHold fast the mortal sword and, like good men,Bestride our downfall'n birthdom. Each new mornNew widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrowsStrike heaven on the face, that it resoundsAs if it felt with Scotland, and yell'd outLike syllable of dolor. (4.3.1-9) Malcolm wants to take a second to weep about his murdered father, but Macduff is ready to get some avenging done. Notice how he talks about it, though. He doesn't say, "Let's go kill us some men"; he says, "Let's go make some widows and orphans." Is this just a poetic way of saying it, or is this Shakespeare slyly reminding us that violence has consequences.