Macbeth Act 4 Questions:

1. What knowledge does Macbeth seek from the weird sisters in Act IV, Scene i? Why is it so important for him to have this information?

2. Three apparitions appear to Macbeth in this scene. What does each one represent and what influence do you think they will have on Macbeth moving forward?

3. Macduff escapes to England at the end of Act IV, Scene i- this fills Macbeth with dread. Explain why.

4. Back in Act II, Macbeth kills Duncan offstage. In Act IV, Scene ii, the Macduffs are murdered on stage. How does this difference in location affect the reader/audience differently? Why do you think Shakespeare made this choice?

5. In Act IV, Scene iii there is an extensive conversation between Malcolm and Macduff. Malcolm begins the scene with a gruesome string of lies to Macduff. Why does he initially lie, and what happens that makes him become truthful again?

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Answer:

1.During the banquet in Act III, Scene IV, Macbeth learns that Banquo has been killed (as he ordered) but that Fleance, Banquo's son, has escaped. ... For Macbeth, then, seeing the witches again is important because it will help him to determine whether Fleance is indeed a threat to his throne.

2.The first apparition is a head wearing an armored helmet that tells Macbeth to beware of Macduff. The second apparition appears as a bloody child, who encourages Macbeth to be bold and confident because no man born of a woman will harm him. The third apparition appears as a child wearing a crown and holding a tree.

3.Lady Macduff is mystified and angry that Macduff would leave his children. ... He wants Malcolm and Macduff to return to Scotland and raise an army to oppose Macbeth.

4.In addition to the excellent answers given above, I would like to point out that Shakespeare called his play Macbeth a tragedy. Evidently he wanted the audience to feel a certain amount of pity or sympathy for Macbeth. Shakespeare seems to have taken pains to make it appear as if his hero is not entirely to blame for what happens to him. He doesn't want to kill Duncan, but his wife overcomes his scruples with her verbal manipulation. Furthermore, the Weird Sisters make it seem that what he has to do in order to become king is already decreed by fate.

5.Malcolm tells Macduff that he felt the need to lie in order to protect himself. If Malcolm tells Macduff that he is all manner of terrible things—lustful, avaricious, malicious—and Macduff still wants him to return to Scotland to rule, then that will seem like proof that Macduff hasn't come because he cares about Scotland but because he is serving the tyrant, Macbeth, like the others who have come before.

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