Summary of act 4 scene 2 macbeth

Plot Summary. Literary Devices. LitCharts Teacher Editions.

Exit Ross. Enter Messenger. As the scene opens, Ross has already told Lady Macduff that her husband has fled from Scotland, and she is already extremely upset. She exclaims, "What had he done, to make him fly the land? She means that her husband has done nothing traitorous, but running away from Scotland makes it look like he has. Still trying to calm her down, Ross says that she doesn't know whether it was wisdom or fear that made her husband go to England. Ross is suggesting that Macduff's wisdom made him go, but Lady Macduff declares that it must have been his fear.

Summary of act 4 scene 2 macbeth

Here is a more detailed look at what happens in each scene of Macbeth, to help you look at the structure of the play and interrogate it. These are important character developments, or key questions that an acting company might ask when they first go through the play together at the start of rehearsal. If you work through these as you go, they will help you to make sense of the play as well as starting to look at the text itself. Notice what the Captain and Ross say about Macbeth before we meet him. What impression does this give of him as a man? Do his actions in the rest of the act match up with this description? When do these thoughts come to mind? What stops him? What tempts him? What persuades him to do the deed? Notice how many times imagery of false appearances and disguise are mentioned.

It is a political approach without moral legitimacy because it is not founded on loyalty to the state. The knocking continues.

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What had he done to make him fly the land? You must have patience, madam. He had none. His flight was madness. When our actions do not, Our fears do make us traitors. He had no patience. To run away was insane. Even if we're not actually traitors, our fears of being accused of treason can make us seem like traitors. You know not Whether it was his wisdom or his fear. To leave his wife, to leave his babes, His mansion and his titles in a place From whence himself does fly?

Summary of act 4 scene 2 macbeth

In Macduff 's castle in Fife, Lady Macduff comforts and is comforted by her young son, who displays a courage beyond his years when confronted with the possibility that his father has turned traitor. Although warned by the Thane of Ross to escape before it is too late, Lady Macduff is encountered by Macbeth 's henchmen, who brutally kill first her child and as the audience learns in the following scene her. This scene and the next should be considered together, for both deal with the question of treachery and loyalty, and both consider the nature of genuine courage, as opposed to the arrogant bravado of Macbeth.

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Now Ross says he must leave, promises to return, and tries to comfort the lady with the idea that things can't get much worse. Download this LitChart! Lady Macbeth greets the guests as they arrive. Do you think he manages to disguise his guilt? What do you think happens to Lady Macbeth after this point? Macbeth tells Banquo that he has heard that Malcolm and Donalbain are spreading terrible rumours. What causes him to react the way he does and how do you think his lords feel towards him as a leader? Contain at least one number. What the birds get is provided by God, as Jesus said: "Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them" Matt. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Under the surface -- though not very far under the surface -- this joke means that Macduff is alive and that Lady Macduff dearly loves him.

Plot Summary. Literary Devices. LitCharts Teacher Editions.

Teachers and parents! Log in Forgot Password. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of every Shakespeare play. He tells Lady Macduff that she doesn't know who he is, but he knows who she is, and he thinks that she and her children are in great danger. Sometimes it can end up there. In the end, a true king seems to be one motivated by love of his kingdom more than by pure self-interest. What does it mean to be a good king and a loyal subject? How does his language change? Malcolm then retracts the lies he has put forth about his supposed shortcomings and embraces Macduff as an ally. Your Free Trial Starts Now! What convinces Macbeth that the Witches' prophecy is true? What stops him? The boy thinks if traitors allow themselves to be hanged they must be fools, since there are undoubtedly more traitors than honest men in the world. They are surprised he is still awake.