Macbeth Act 4
The witches prepare a cauldron of spells as they pour in their hateful ingredients, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Macbeth. He claims that he isn’t daunted by their power and has come to seek the answers to his questions. The witches agree to answer Macbeth’s queries and summon apparitions in the fire. The first apparition is that of a man’s head in a helmet, that asks Macbeth to be wary of Macduff. The next apparition is that of a bloody child who encourages Macbeth to be ruthless since no man born of a woman will ever defeat him. The last apparition is of a crowned child holding a tree, and it tells him to continue fearlessly with his ruthless rule as he would rule until the Birnam wood comes to fight him on Glanisnane hill. Macbeth is assured that the apparitions have told him of a future in which he would hold his power as the King since all people are born from women and because a forest can never move. The witches are reluctant to answer Macbeth’s question about Banquo’s prophecy but upon his insistence, they gleefully present him a vision of Banquo’s descendants holding scepters. Macbeth is dismayed and believes that his rule will soon be replaced with that of the children of Banquo. The witches disappear and Macbeth learns that Macduff has fled to England. He resolves to attack Macduff’s Fife, to take over his castle, and kill his family.
Ross informs the distressed Lady Macduff that her husband has fled to England, and the lady curses her husband for abandoning her and the children. Ross attempts to assuage her and tells her that Macduff wishes to fulfill his duties as the king, but fails to calm the lady. Ross departs, while the Lady asks her son how he would proceed in life without a father. The son makes a witty reply, and feels that his father is not truly dead nor is he a traitor like Macbeth claims. A messenger enters the room and warns the lady of an impending attack. He advises her to leave the kingdom with her children before the arrival of the attackers. The lady begins to think of where she can go, but her reverie is interrupted by the entry of the murderers. Lady Macduff and her children are both slaughtered by the murderers.
Malcolm meets Macduff in England and hears his plea that they should attack Scotland which suffers under the yoke of the tyrant, Macbeth. Malcolm is distrustful of Macduff and so tests his true motives by claiming to be afflicted with vices like lust and greed. Macduff tries to convince the king that his lust and greed would pale in comparison to the cruelty of Macbeth’s rule. However, he soon changes his mind as Malcolm explains that he possesses no qualities of a just ruler, and loudly laments that Scotland is doomed since the rightful ruler, by his own admission is unfit to be king. Malcolm prevents Macduff from leaving in dismay and explains that he had falsely claimed to be an unfit king to examine Macduff’s intentions. Malcolm informs Macduff that the king of England has given him charge of the ten thousand troops to retake his home.
They meet a doctor and Malcolm tells Macduff of the many miracles that King Edward can perform to aid the needy and the suffering. He claims that the king is endowed with many holy blessings. Their conversation is interrupted by the entry of Ross, who learns that Malcolm intends to march to Scotland at the head of an army, and reluctantly tells Macduff about the death of his wife and children. Macduff is overcome with grief and laments the loss of his loved ones, while Malcolm reassures him that they would revenge their death. The three of them then head to see King Edward as they ready themselves to march to Scotland.
Analysis
The characters in the play refer to Duncan as the King, but rarely use that title for Macbeth and prefer to refer to him as the tyrant. It is theorized that Macbeth contains a lesson about the corrupting power of ambition in rulers for the benefit of the reigning King James. The monarch had rather recently written a treatise in which he had claimed that subjects of a kingdom need to obey the king in all things, even if the king is a tyrant.
Macbeth's interaction with the witches a second time allows the reader to understand how the witches use their prophecies to win over the trust of their victims. At the conclusion of the previous act, the reader learns that the Hecate has commanded the witches to brew a nasty spell for Macbeth, and yet the prophecies Macbeth receives appear to be mostly positive. These prophecies are much better described as riddles rather than premonitions about the future, and Macbeth laments being fooled by the witches as the true meaning of their words becomes apparent to him in the last act. This is another major theme that is developed continuously throughout the play as many of the characters say one thing but truly mean another. The theme is epitomized in this quote from the witches, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair."
