Drama: Act IV – Macbeth – Flashcards

He claims to be worse than Macbeth and uninterested in helping to free Scotland from Macbeth's tyranny. He does so because he is in fact plotting against Macbeth and does not initially trust Macduff, since Macbeth has sent others to spy on him and he thinks Macduff may actually be such a spy.

Malcolm, Macduff, Lady Macduff and her son, and Ross and point out that their behavior and attitudes seem realistic. They should also explain that Shakespeare's knowledge of human nature holds up across the centuries. Students may disagree with this premise, as long as they support their opinions with textual details.

Students should recognize that the chant, unlike blank verse, uses end rhyme and that the lines are shorter than blank verse's iambic pentameter (five-beat) lines. They may speculate that Shakespeare uses this form because a witches' chant should by its nature be more musical and should not try to approximate the sound of spoken English (the way blank verse does) and that the strong, repetitious rhythm and rhyme adds to the lulling sense of the supernatural spell.

d, Explanation: The image of sinking beneath the yoke appeals to the sense of sight and perhaps touch; the weeping appeals to the sense of sound; and the new gash added to the wounds appeals to touch and sight. Choices a, b, and c are incorrect because they mention taste, smell, or both, and none of the images in those lines appeal to those senses.

c, Explanation: Examples include Lady Macduff's many remarks about flying and birds in IV, ii, 1-13; the exchange between son and mother in IV, ii, 32-36; and Malcolm's poignant remark in IV, iii, 218-219. The bird imagery stresses that Macduff's home is a nurturing place, like a nest; that Macduff had to flee his "nest" and leave it unprotected; and, most especially, Lady Macduff and her children's innocence, physical weakness, and lack of protection, thereby underscoring the horror of Macbeth having them killed.

b, Explanation: This is the only choice that accurately sums up the imagery in the chant. Choice a is incorrect because the images are generally negative and often disgusting. Choice c is incorrect because some of the images ("bubble, bubble," for example, and "fire burn") also appear to the senses of sound, touch, and smell. Choice d is incorrect because only a few of the images appeal to the sense of smell.

Lady Macduff's anger and fear in Scene ii, though directed at her absent husband, are really produced by the atmosphere of insecurity created by Macbeth's tyranny, and that the family's murders were ordered by Macbeth. Students may also mention that the meeting between Malcolm and Macduff grows from the need to save Scotland from Macbeth; Malcolm's suspicions and testing of Macduff are a direct result of the state of fear and distrust to which Macbeth has reduced everyone in Scotland.

He believes that they can never come true—he does not think it possible for there to be a person "not of woman born" or for "Birnam wood to come to Dunsinane."

Macduff's family murdered in Act IV, Macbeth for the first time commits a crime against completely innocent and defenseless people whose lives have little impact on his political power. This makes it an even more vicious crime than his previous murders. They might mention that his motive seems cloudy and paranoid, but Macbeth probably fears Macduff's line because of the warning to "Beware Macduff!"

They might find the first scene effective because of its frightening, otherworldly quality. They might suggest that the scene gives Macbeth more knowledge of his situation and shows the audience how brazen he has become. Students might find Scene ii effective because it gives us a view of Lady Macduff and her son that ensures we will feel pity for them and horror at the deed. Scene iii shows Macduff's and Malcolm's true natures as good men deeply saddened by Scotland's state. The testing of Macduff and the report that his family has been murdered are compelling. Of course, the scene sets the opposition to Macbeth in motion.