SUMMARY

In this scene, Macduff meets Malcolm in England and tries to persuade him to return
to Scotland and overthrow Macbeth. Malcolm is initially suspicious of Macduff,
thinking he may be an agent sent by Macbeth to lure him into a trap. To test Macduff's
loyalty, Malcolm pretends to be a worse tyrant than Macbeth, claiming he would be
full of lust, greed, and other vices if he became king.

Macduff is shocked but still urges Malcolm to return, saying Scotland has enough
wealth to satisfy his desires. He argues that Malcolm's goodness will outweigh any
faults. However, Malcolm continues to exaggerate his wickedness, saying he lacks all
the kingly virtues and would destroy peace and goodness if he ruled.

Macduff finally despairs for Scotland, lamenting that the rightful heir to the throne is
cursed by his own admission of evil. He prepares to leave, his hopes shattered. At
this point, Malcolm drops the pretense and reveals he was just testing Macduff. He
says Macduff's integrity has removed all his doubts. Malcolm then shares that the
English king has already provided thousands of troops led by Siward to help him
reclaim the Scottish throne.

As they talk, a doctor appears and describes how the English king miraculously cures
sick people with his touch. Malcolm confirms he has witnessed this himself and adds
that the king also has the gift of prophecy.

Just then, Ross arrives from Scotland with news of the terrible suffering under
Macbeth's rule. Macduff asks about his own family and grows uneasy at Ross's
hesitant replies. When Ross finally reveals that Macbeth has had Macduff's wife and
children brutally murdered, Macduff is consumed by grief and guilt for leaving them
unprotected.
Malcolm urges Macduff to turn his sorrow to anger and seek revenge against
Macbeth. Macduff resolves to confront the tyrant in person, even if it costs him his
own life. Malcolm says this is a manly response and declares that Macbeth is ripe for
defeat. He invites Macduff to join him in returning to Scotland with their English allies
to liberate their suffering homeland from the evil king's reign.

Summary: Act 4: Scene 3

Outside King Edward’s palace, Malcolm speaks with Macduff, telling him that he
does not trust him since he has left his family in Scotland and may be secretly
working for Macbeth. To determine whether Macduff is trustworthy, Malcolm rambles
on about his own vices. He admits that he wonders whether he is fit to be king, since
he claims to be lustful, greedy, and violent. At first, Macduff politely disagrees with
his future king, but eventually Macduff cannot keep himself from crying out, “O
Scotland, Scotland!” (4.3.101).

Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland leads him to agree that Malcolm is not fit to govern
Scotland and perhaps not even to live. In giving voice to his disparagement, Macduff
has passed Malcolm’s test of loyalty. Malcolm then retracts the lies he has put forth
about his supposed shortcomings and embraces Macduff as an ally. A doctor
appears briefly and mentions that a “crew of wretched souls” waits for King Edward
so they may be cured (4.3.142). When the doctor leaves, Malcolm explains to
Macduff that King Edward has a miraculous power to cure disease.

Ross enters. He has just arrived from Scotland, and tells Macduff that his wife and
children are well. He urges Malcolm to return to his country, listing the woes that
have befallen Scotland since Macbeth took the crown. Malcolm says that he will
return with ten thousand soldiers lent him by the English king. Then, breaking down,
Ross confesses to Macduff that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children.
Macduff is crushed with grief. Malcolm urges him to turn his grief to anger, and
Macduff assures him that he will inflict revenge upon Macbeth.

Summary
Analysis

In England, near the palace of King Edward, Macduff urges Malcolm to quickly
raise an army against Macbeth. But Malcolm says Macduff might actually be
working for Macbeth, a suspicion heightened by the fact that Macduff left his family
behind and unprotected in Scotland.
Why does Macduff leave his family behind when he goes to England? Does he
underestimate Macbeth's depravity, or has he put too much emphasis on country at
the expense of family?

Malcolm then adds that he delays attacking Macbeth because he fears that he
himself would perhaps be even a worse ruler. Malcolm describes himself as so
lustful, vicious, and greedy that he makes Macbeth look kind. Macduff cries out in
horror, and says he will leave Scotland forever since there is no man fit to rule it.
Malcolm then reveals that none of his self-description was true: it was a trick to test
Macduff's loyalty. Malcolm now believes that Macduff is loyal to Scotland and not
Macbeth, and that he has an army of ten thousand men commanded by the English
Lord Siward, ready to invade Scotland.
Macduff proves that his morality and love of country is greater than his ambition.
Just then an English doctor enters. Malcolm speaks with the doctor, then
tells Macduff that King Edward of England is so saintly that he can cure disease.
In contrast to Macbeth, Edward is so virtuous his touch restores order to nature: it
heals.
Ross enters. He tells Malcolm that if he invaded the Scottish people would line up to
join his army against Macbeth. Finally, Ross tells Macduff his family has been
murdered. Macduff cries out in anguish. Malcolm tells him to fight it like a man.
Macduff responds that he must also "feel it like a man" (4.3.223). But they agree that
Macduff's anger and grief should be used to fuel his revenge.
True manhood, Macduff realizes in his moment of anguish, involves not just strength,
honor, and loyalty, but also emotion, feeling, and love.

Macbeth TranslationAct 4, Scene 3

Also check out our detailed summary & analysis of this scene
Original

Translation

MALCOLM and MACDUFF enter.

MALCOLM and MACDUFF enter.
MALCOLM
Let us seek out some desolate shade and thereWeep our sad bosoms empty.
MALCOLM
Let’s find some private shady place where we can go and cry our hearts out.
MACDUFF
Let us ratherHold fast the mortal sword and, like good men,5Bestride 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 yelled outLike
syllable of dolor.
MACDUFF
Instead, let’s hold tight to our swords, and defend our fallen country like honorable
men. Each morning new widows howl and new orphans cry. New sorrows fly up to
heaven so that heaven itself echoes with the screams, and seems to feel Scotland’s
pain.
MALCOLM
10What I believe I’ll wail;What know believe, and what I can redress,As I shall find
the time to friend, I will.What you have spoke, it may be so perchance.This tyrant,
whose sole name blisters our tongues,15Was once thought honest. You have loved
him well.He hath not touched you yet. I am young, but somethingYou may deserve
of him through me, and wisdomTo offer up a weak, poor, innocent lambT’ appease
an angry god.
MALCOLM
I will avenge whatever I believe is wrong. I’ll believe whatever I know is true. And
when the time is right, I’ll fix whatever I can. What you’ve told me may in fact be
true. This tyrant—whose mere name is so awful that saying it puts blisters on our
tongues—was once thought to be honest. You and he were great friends. He’s done
nothing yet to harm you. I’m inexperienced, but you could win Macbeth’s favor by
betraying me and then offer me up to him like a sacrificial lamb to an angry god.

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MACDUFF
20I am not treacherous.
MACDUFF
I am not treacherous.
MALCOLM
But Macbeth is.A good and virtuous nature may recoilIn an imperial charge. But I
shall crave your pardon.That which you are, my thoughts cannot transpose.25Angels
are bright still, though the brightest fell.Though all things foul would wear the brows
of grace,Yet grace must still look so.
MALCOLM
But Macbeth is. Even someone with a good and virtuous nature might give in to the
command of this king. Still, I beg your pardon. My fears don’t change what you truly
are. Angels are still bright even though Lucifer, the brightest angel, fell from
heaven. Though everything evil tries to disguise itself as good, good must continue
to look good as well.
MACDUFF
I have lost my hopes.
MACDUFF
My hopes are lost.
MALCOLM
Perchance even there where I did find my doubts.30Why in that rawness left you
wife and child,Those precious motives, those strong knots of love,Without leave-
taking? I pray you,Let not my jealousies be your dishonors,But mine own
safeties. You may be rightly just,35Whatever I shall think.
MALCOLM
Perhaps you lost your hope in the same place I found my suspicions of you. Why did
you leave behind your wife and child—the most precious things in your life that the
strong bonds of love should motivate you to protect—in that dangerous place,
without even saying goodbye? I beg you, don’t take my suspicion as an insult. I just
have to protect myself. You may truly be honest, no matter what I think.
MACDUFF
Bleed, bleed, poor country!Great tyranny, lay thou thy basis sure,For goodness dare
not check thee. Wear thou thy wrongs;The title is affeered.—Fare thee well, lord.40I
would not be the villain that thou think’stFor the whole space that’s in the tyrant’s
grasp,And the rich East to boot.
MACDUFF
Bleed, bleed, my poor country! Terrible tyrant, be comfortable in your position,
because good people fear to confront you. Enjoy what you stole, because your title is
safe!

[To MALCOLM] Goodbye, my lord. I wouldn’t be the villain that you think I am, even
if I were offered all of Macbeth’s kingdom and the wealth of the East as well.
MALCOLM
Be not offended.I speak not as in absolute fear of you.45I think our country sinks
beneath the yoke.It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gashIs added to her
wounds. I think withalThere would be hands uplifted in my right;And here from
gracious England have I offer50Of goodly thousands. But, for all this,When I shall
tread upon the tyrant’s head,Or wear it on my sword, yet my poor countryShall have
more vices than it had before,More suffer, and more sundry ways than ever,55By
him that shall succeed.
MALCOLM
Don’t be offended. It’s not that I totally mistrust you. I agree that Scotland is sinking
under Macbeth’s tyranny. Scotland weeps, it bleeds, and each day a new injury is
added to her wounds. I think, too, that many men would fight for me if I returned to
claim the throne. And England has promised to give me thousands of troops. But, for
all this, when I have my foot on Macbeth’s head, or have his head on my sword, then
my poor country will be in even worse shape than before. It will suffer more, and in
more ways, under the king who succeeds Macbeth.
MACDUFF
What should he be?
MACDUFF
And who would that be?
MALCOLM
It is myself I mean, in whom I knowAll the particulars of vice so graftedThat, when
they shall be opened, black Macbeth60Will seem as pure as snow, and the poor
stateEsteem him as a lamb, being comparedWith my confineless harms.
MALCOLM
I mean myself. I know I have so many evil qualities that—when they are exposed—
will make evil Macbeth seem pure as snow, and poor Scotland will think of him as a
sweet lamb in comparison to me and my infinite wickedness.
MACDUFF
Not in the legionsOf horrid hell can come a devil more damned65In evils to top
Macbeth.
MACDUFF
There is not a devil as cursed as Macbeth in all of hell.
MALCOLM
I grant him bloody,Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful,Sudden, malicious,
smacking of every sinThat has a name. But there’s no bottom, none,70In my
voluptuousness. Your wives, your daughters,Your matrons, and your maids could
not fill upThe cistern of my lust, and my desireAll continent impediments would
o’erbearThat did oppose my will. Better Macbeth75Than such an one to reign.
MALCOLM
I admit he’s violent, lecherous, greedy, deceitful, hot-tempered, malicious, and guilty
of every sin that has a name. But there is no end—absolutely none—to my sexual
sinfulness. Your wives, your daughters, your old women, and your young women
could not satisfy the depths of my lust. My desire would overwhelm anything and
everyone who opposed me. It’s better that Macbeth rule rather than someone like
me.
MACDUFF
Boundless intemperanceIn nature is a tyranny. It hath beenThe untimely emptying of
the happy throneAnd fall of many kings. But fear not yet80To take upon you what is
yours. You mayConvey your pleasures in a spacious plentyAnd yet seem cold; the
time you may so hoodwink.We have willing dames enough. There cannot beThat
vulture in you to devour so many85As will to greatness dedicate themselves,Finding
it so inclined.
MACDUFF
Extreme lust can overwhelm a man. It has caused the downfall of many kings in
previously happy kingdoms. But don’t be afraid to take the crown that is yours. You
can satisfy your desires in secret, while still appearing virtuous in public. You can
hide the truth from everyone. Scotland has more than enough willing women. It’s not
possible that your lust could be so great that you’d go through all the women willing
to sleep with the king once they find out his interest in them.
MALCOLM
With this there growsIn my most ill-composed affection suchA stanchless avarice
that, were I king,90I should cut off the nobles for their lands,Desire his jewels and
this other’s house.And my more-having would be as a sauceTo make me hunger
more, that I should forgeQuarrels unjust against the good and loyal,95Destroying
them for wealth.
MALCOLM
In addition to my lust, I’m also insatiably greedy. If I were king, I’d take the nobles’
lands, steal the jewels of one, and take the house of another. And everything I took
would make me hungrier to steal even more, until I’d create unjustified arguments
with my good and loyal subjects so that I could take their wealth.
MACDUFF
This avariceSticks deeper, grows with more pernicious rootThan summer-seeming
lust, and it hath beenThe sword of our slain kings. Yet do not fear;100Scotland hath
foisons to fill up your will,Of your mere own. All these are portable,With other graces
weighed.
MACDUFF
This greed you describe is even worse than lust because it will not pass as you leave
your youth, and it has led to the death of numerous kings. But don’t be afraid.
Scotland has enough wealth that you will be satisfied, even by your own income
alone. These bad qualities are bearable when weighed against your good qualities.
MALCOLM
But I have none. The king-becoming graces,As justice, verity, temperance,
stableness,105Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness,Devotion, patience, courage,
fortitude,I have no relish of them but aboundIn the division of each several
crime,Acting it many ways. Nay, had I power, I should110Pour the sweet milk of
concord into hell,Uproar the universal peace, confoundAll unity on earth.
MALCOLM
But I have no good qualities. I have none of the qualities necessary for a king—such
as justice, truthfulness, moderation, consistency, generosity, perseverance, mercy,
humility, devotion, patience, courage, and bravery. Instead, I’m full of every type of
sin, and each of those in a variety of ways. No, if I had power, I would take the sweet
milk of peace and pour it into hell. I would destroy all peace, end all unity on earth.
MACDUFF
O Scotland, Scotland!
MACDUFF
Oh, Scotland, Scotland!
MALCOLM
If such a one be fit to govern, speak.115I am as I have spoken.
MALCOLM
If someone like me is fit to rule, tell me. I am exactly as I have described myself.
MACDUFF
Fit to govern?No, not to live. —O nation miserable,With an untitled tyrant bloody-
sceptered,When shalt thou see thy wholesome days again,120Since that the truest
issue of thy throneBy his own interdiction stands accursed,And does blaspheme his
breed? —Thy royal fatherWas a most sainted king. The queen that bore
thee,Oftener upon her knees than on her feet,125Died every day she lived. Fare
thee well!These evils thou repeat’st upon thyselfHave banished me from
Scotland. —O my breast,Thy hope ends here!
MACDUFF
Fit to rule? No, not even fit to live. Oh, miserable country, ruled by a murderous
tyrant with no right to rule—when will you possibly see peaceful days if your legal
heir to the throne indicts himself as a cursed man and a disgrace to the royal
family? Your royal father Duncan was a virtuous king. The queen your mother was
more often kneeling in prayer than standing up, and lived a pious life. Goodbye. The
evils of which you accuse yourself have driven me from Scotland forever. Oh, my
heart, your hope ends here!
MALCOLM
Macduff, this noble passion,130Child of integrity, hath from my soulWiped the black
scruples, reconciled my thoughtsTo thy good truth and honor. Devilish MacbethBy
many of these trains hath sought to win meInto his power, and modest wisdom
plucks me135From overcredulous haste. But God aboveDeal between thee and me,
for even nowI put myself to thy direction andUnspeak mine own detraction, here
abjureThe taints and blames I laid upon myself,140For strangers to my nature. I am
yetUnknown to woman, never was forsworn,Scarcely have coveted what was mine
own,At no time broke my faith, would not betrayThe devil to his fellow, and
delight145No less in truth than life. My first false speakingWas this upon
myself. What I am truly,Is thine and my poor country’s to command.Whither indeed,
before thy here-approach,Old Siward, with ten thousand warlike men,150Already at
a point, was setting forth.Now we’ll together, and the chance of goodnessBe like our
warranted quarrel! Why are you silent?
MALCOLM
Macduff, this noble outburst can only be a product of integrity, and has removed from
my soul the doubts I had about you, proving your honor and truthfulness to me. The
devilish Macbeth has tried many plots to lure me into his power, so I must be
cautious and not too quick to trust anyone. But may God show my truthfulness now
to you! I will let myself be guided by you, and I take back all of the terrible things I
said about myself. All the flaws I described myself as having are in fact alien to my
character. I haven't slept with a woman yet, and I’ve never broken a vow. I barely
even care about my own possessions, much less what anyone else owns. I’ve never
broken a promise and wouldn’t even betray the devil. I love truth as much as I love
life. Those lies I told about myself are the first false words I’ve ever said. The true me
is ready to serve you and our poor country. In fact, before you got here, old Siward—
with ten thousand battle-ready soldiers—was just setting out for Scotland. Now we’ll
fight Macbeth together, and our chance of our success is as good as the reasons
motivating us to act! Why are you silent?
MACDUFF
Such welcome and unwelcome things at once‘Tis hard to reconcile.
MACDUFF
It’s hard to understand such a sudden change in your story.
A DOCTOR enters.
A DOCTOR enters.
MALCOLM
155Well, more anon.—Comes the king forth, I pray you?
MALCOLM
Well, we’ll speak more about this soon.

[To the DOCTOR] Can you tell me, is King Edward coming?
DOCTOR
Ay, sir; there are a crew of wretched soulsThat stay his cure. Their malady
convincesThe great assay of art, but at his touch—Such sanctity hath heaven given
his hand—160They presently amend.
DOCTOR
Yes, sir. A wretched group of the sick wait for him to heal them. Their illness doesn’t
respond to the efforts of medicine, but when Edward touches them—because of the
sacred power given to him by heaven—they are healed.
MALCOLM
I thank you, doctor.
MALCOLM
Thank you, doctor.
The DOCTOR exits.
The DOCTOR exits.
MACDUFF
What’s the disease he means?
MACDUFF
What disease does he mean?
MALCOLM
‘Tis called the evil.A most miraculous work in this good king,165Which often since
my here-remain in EnglandI have seen him do. How he solicits heaven,Himself best
knows, but strangely visited people,All swoll’n and ulcerous, pitiful to the eye,The
mere despair of surgery, he cures,170Hanging a golden stamp about their necks,Put
on with holy prayers. And, ’tis spoken,To the succeeding royalty he leavesThe
healing benediction. With this strange virtue,He hath a heavenly gift of
prophecy,175And sundry blessings hang about his throne,That speak him full of
grace.
MALCOLM
It’s called the evil. Many times during my stay in England, I have seen the good king
Edward perform an incredible miracle. Only he can say how he prays to heaven for
these gifts. He cures people afflicted with this strange disease—all swollen and
ulcerous, pitiful to look at, and beyond the help of surgery—by placing a gold coin
around their necks and saying holy prayers over them. And it’s said that he will pass
on this blessed healing power to his royal descendants. In addition to this strange
power, he has the gift of prophecy, as well as various other abilities that mark him as
a man full of God’s grace.
ROSS enters.
ROSS enters.
MACDUFF
See, who comes here?
MACDUFF
Look there, who’s coming?
MALCOLM
My countryman, but yet I know him not.
MALCOLM
He’s dressed like a Scotsman, but I don’t know him.
MACDUFF
My ever-gentle cousin, welcome hither.
MACDUFF
My always noble kinsman, welcome.
MALCOLM
180I know him now.—Good God, betimes removeThe means that makes us
strangers!
MALCOLM
I recognize him now. Dear God, may you quickly change the circumstances that
keep us apart!
ROSS
Sir, amen.
ROSS
Amen to that, sir.
MACDUFF
Stands Scotland where it did?
MACDUFF
Is Scotland as it has been?
ROSS
Alas, poor country!185Almost afraid to know itself. It cannotBe called our mother, but
our grave, where nothing,But who knows nothing, is once seen to smile;Where sighs
and groans and shrieks that rend the airAre made, not marked; where violent sorrow
seems190A modern ecstasy. The dead man’s knellIs there scarce asked for
who, and good men’s livesExpire before the flowers in their caps,Dying or ere they
sicken.
ROSS
Alas, poor country! It's almost too scared to even recognize itself. Scotland is no
longer our motherland. It is our grave, where the only people who smile are those
who know nothing. Where sighs, groans, and shrieks split the air, but no one pays
attention. Where violent sorrow is a common emotion. When the funeral bells ring,
people no longer ask who died. Good men’s lives are shorter than the time it takes
the flowers in their caps to wilt. They die before they even fall sick.
MACDUFF
Oh, relation195Too nice and yet too true!
MACDUFF
Oh, your report is too precise and too true!
MALCOLM
What’s the newest grief?
MALCOLM
What is the latest bad news?
ROSS
That of an hour’s age doth hiss the speaker.Each minute teems a new one.
ROSS
Every hour brings new bad news. Every minute gives birth to some new bad thing.
MACDUFF
How does my wife?
MACDUFF
How is my wife?
ROSS
200Why, well.
ROSS
She’s well.
MACDUFF
And all my children?
MACDUFF
And all my children?
ROSS
Well too.
ROSS
They’re well too.
MACDUFF
The tyrant has not battered at their peace?
MACDUFF
The tyrant Macbeth hasn’t come after them?
ROSS
No, they were well at peace when I did leave ‘em.
ROSS
No, they were at peace when I left them.
MACDUFF
205Be not a niggard of your speech. How goes ’t?
MACDUFF
Don’t be coy with what you’re saying. What’s happened?
ROSS
When I came hither to transport the tidings,Which I have heavily borne, there ran a
rumorOf many worthy fellows that were out;Which was to my belief witnessed the
rather210For that I saw the tyrant’s power afoot.Now is the time of help. Your eye in
ScotlandWould create soldiers, make our women fight,To doff their dire distresses.
ROSS
As I was coming here to tell you the news that has weighed me down, I heard
rumors that many good men are armed and moving to fight Macbeth. I knew the
rumors were true when I saw Macbeth’s army on the move. Now is the time when we
need your help. Your presence in Scotland would inspire more men—and women—
to fight against Macbeth’s tyranny.
MALCOLM
Be ’t their comfort215We are coming thither. Gracious England hathLent us good
Siward and ten thousand men;An older and a better soldier noneThat Christendom
gives out.
MALCOLM
Let them be comforted—we’re returning to Scotland. Gracious King Edward has lent
us noble Lord Siward and ten thousand soldiers. No soldier is more experienced or
successful than Siward in all of the Christian countries.
ROSS
Would I could answer220This comfort with the like. But I have wordsThat would be
howled out in the desert air,Where hearing should not latch them.
ROSS
I wish I could respond to this good news with good news of my own. But I do have
news that should be howled out into the sky of a barren desert, where nobody could
hear it.
MACDUFF
What concern they?The general cause, or is it a fee-grief225Due to some single
breast?
MACDUFF
What is the news about? Does it concern everyone, or is it a grief belonging to just
one person?
ROSS
No mind that’s honestBut in it shares some woe, though the main partPertains to you
alone.
ROSS
No honest man could stop himself from sharing in the sorrow, but my news relates to
you alone.
MACDUFF
If it be mine,230Keep it not from me. Quickly let me have it.
MACDUFF
If it’s for me, don’t keep it from me. Quickly, tell me.
ROSS
Let not your ears despise my tongue forever,Which shall possess them with the
heaviest soundThat ever yet they heard.
ROSS
I hope your ears won’t hate my tongue forever for saying these things, the saddest
news they’ve ever heard.
MACDUFF
Hum! I guess at it.
MACDUFF
Oh no! I can guess what you’re going to say.
ROSS
235Your castle is surprised, your wife and babesSavagely slaughtered. To relate the
manner,Were, on the quarry of these murdered deerTo add the death of you.
ROSS
Your castle was ambushed. Your wife and children were savagely slaughtered. If I
described their murders, it would kill you too, and add your body to the pile.
MALCOLM
Merciful heaven!240What, man! Ne’er pull your hat upon your brows.Give sorrow
words. The grief that does not speakWhispers the o’erfraught heart and bids it break.
MALCOLM
Merciful heaven!

[To MACDUFF] Come, man, don’t hide your grief. Put your sorrow into words. A grief
that hides in silence will whisper in your heart and break it.
MACDUFF
My children too?
MACDUFF
My children too?
ROSS
Wife, children, servants, all that could be found.
ROSS
Your wife, your children, your servants—everyone they could find.
MACDUFF
245And I must be from thence!My wife killed too?
MACDUFF
And I was away! My wife was killed too?
ROSS
I have said.
ROSS
As I have said.
MALCOLM
Be comforted.Let’s make us med’cines of our great revenge,250To cure this deadly
grief.
MALCOLM
Take comfort. Let’s make a medicine out of revenge to ease your dreadful grief.
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?
MACDUFF
He doesn't have any children. All my little children? Did you say all? Oh, hawk from
hell! All of them? What, all my children and their mother killed in one deadly swoop?
MALCOLM
255Dispute it like a man.
MALCOLM
Fight it like a man.
MACDUFF
I shall do so,But I must also feel it as a man.I cannot but remember such things
wereThat were most precious to me. Did heaven look on,260And would not take
their part? Sinful Macduff,They were all struck for thee! Naught that I am,Not for their
own demerits, but for mine,Fell slaughter on their souls. Heaven rest them now.
MACDUFF
I’ll do that. But I must also feel it like a man. I can’t help remembering those things
that were most precious to me. Did heaven just watch my family die, and refuse to
help them? Sinful Macduff, they were killed because of you! As wicked as I am, they
were slaughtered not because of their own flaws, but because of mine. May they rest
in heaven now.
MALCOLM
Be this the whetstone of your sword. Let grief265Convert to anger. Blunt not the
heart, enrage it.
MALCOLM
Let all this sharpen your sword. Let grief become anger. Don’t hold back your heart.
Let it rage.
MACDUFF
Oh, I could play the woman with mine eyesAnd braggart with my tongue! But, gentle
heavens,Cut short all intermission. Front to frontBring thou this fiend of Scotland and
myself.270Within my sword’s length set him; if he ’scape,Heaven forgive him too.
MACDUFF
Oh, I could weep like a woman while bragging about taking revenge! But, gentle
heavens, cut short any delay. Bring me face to face with the devil of Scotland, so
that he’s within reach of my sword. If he escapes, may heaven forgive him as well!
MALCOLM
This tune goes manly.Come, go we to the king. Our power is ready;Our lack is
nothing but our leave. Macbeth275Is ripe for shaking, and the powers abovePut on
their instruments. Receive what cheer you may.The night is long that never finds the
day.
MALCOLM
Now you sound like a man. Come, we'll go see King Edward. Our army is ready, and
we can leave once we get King Edward's permission. Macbeth is ripe for the taking,
with the powers above are armed and on our side. Take heart, as much as you can.
A new day will dawn.
ALL exit.
They all exit.

CONTEXT QUESTIONS

1. Macduff: Let us rather

Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men Bestride our downfall birthdom. Each new mom, New
idols howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds As if it felt with
Scotland, and yell'd out Like syllable of dolour.

a. Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking to?

Answer. The speaker is Macduff. He is speaking to Malcolm

b. What is the speaker's main concern?

Answer The speaker's main concern is the suffering of the people in Scotland under Macbeth's
tyrannical rule

c. What is the person's attitude who is spoken to? Why has the person adopted such an attitude?
Answer: Malcolm is initially suspicious of Macduff, thinking he may be Macbeth's agent sent to lure
him to his destruction Malcolm adopts this attitude to test Macduff's sincerity

d. What does the person accuse the speaker of? How does he justify the reason for doing so?

Answer Malcolm accuses Macduff of nossibly being treacherous like Macbeth He justifies this by
saving that agood person may falter when given power and responsibility

e. Explain the lines: Each new morn........like syllable of dolour.

Answer. Each new morning brings fresh cries of grief from new widows and orphans. The cries of
sorrow strike the heavens until it resounds as if the heavens themselves felt Scotland's pain and
yelled out with the same anguished tone

2. Malcolm: But Macbeth is, A good and virtuous nature may recoil In an imperial charge. But I shall
crave your pardon; That which you are my thoughts cannot transpose; Angels are bright still, though
the brightest fell; Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace, Yet grace must still look so.

a. What are Malcolm's apprehensions regarding the credibility of Macduff?

Anewer Malcolm is apprehensive that Macduff may be working for Macbeth to lure Malcolm intis a
trap

What does Malcolm say about virtue? Which example from the Bible does he give?

Answer Malcolm says that even a virtuous person may falter when given imperial power. He gives
the example of Lucifer, the brightest angel, who fell from grace

c. What pertinent question does Malcolm ask Macduff regarding the latter deserting his family?

Answer Malcolm asks Macdurf why he left his wife and children unprotected in Scotland when he
came to England

d. How does Macduff react to Malcolm's question?

Answer: Macourt is taken aback by Malcolm's question and begins to lose hope that Malcolm will
help save Scotand

Why does he bid farewell to Malcolm?

Answer: Macourt bids farewell to Malcolm out of despair and a sense of betrayal After Marcom
portrays hemself as being full of vices and unfit to rule Scotland-clanning to be more harmful than
Macbeth-Macdures disheartened.

3. Malcolm: With this, there grows In my most ill composed affection such A staunchless avarice,
that, were I King, I should cut off the nobles for their lands; Desire his jewels, and this other's house
And my more- having would be as a sauce To make me hungry more, that I should forge Quarrrels
unjust against the good and loyal, Destroying them for wealth.

a. What personal drawbacks of himself does Malcolm apprise Macduff of?

Answer. Malcolm reveals his excessive greed and insatiable desire for more, admitting that if he
were king, he would unjustly take the lands of nobles, covet their wealth, and engage in further
greed-driven actions that would harm the good and loyal for personal gain

b. Why is Malcolm degrading himself in front of Macduff?

Answer. Malcolm degrades himself in front of Macduff to test Macduff's loyalty and intentions. By
presenting himself as worse than & Mackett, he aims to discem whether Macdutt is genuinely
opposed to tyranny or if he seeks to use Malcolm for nis own ends.

c. How does Macduff show his desperation towards Malcolm? What does he say to Malcolm
regarding the satisfaction of the latter's greed?

Answer: Macduff shows his desperation by challenging Malcolm's self-degradation, arguing that
Scotland can offer enough to satisfy Malcolm's stated greed without harming the good and loyal,
thereby attempting to mitigate Malcolm's concerns about his own suitability as king

d. How does Malcolm go on to further degrade himself?

Answer Malcolm further degrades himself by claiming he lacks the king-becoming graces such as
justice, verity, temp'rance, and others. He admits to an abundance in the division of each several
crime, suggesting he would bring greater harm to Scotland than Macbeth

e. How does Macduff show his frustration towards Malcolm in the succeeding lines of the extract?

Answer Macduff expresses his frustration and despair for Scotland's future under Malcolm's
described leadership by questioning Malcolm's fitness to govern and lamenting the state of a nation
that might be led by someone who perceives himself as so deeply flawed and tyrannical

4. Malcolm: Macduff, this noble passion, Child of integrity, hath from my soul Wip'd the black
scruples reconcil'd my thoughts To thy good truth and honour. Devillish Macbeth By many of these
trains hath sought to win me Into his power, and modest wisdom plucks me From over credulous
haste: but God above Deal between thee and me!

5. a. What aroused the "black scruples' in Malcolm's mind against Macduff?

Answer: Malcolm's 'black scruples' or doubts about Macduff were aroused by his suspicion of
Macduff's intentions, fearing that Macduff, who once supported Macbeth, might be a spy or traitor
sent by Macbeth to lure Malcolm into a trap

b. What made Malcolm remove the "black scruples' regarding Macduff?

Answer Malcolm's doubts were removed by Macdutt's display of genuine passion and integrity,
particularly Macduff's reaction to the prospect of Malcolm being a worse ruler than Macbeth

c. What does Malcolm tell Macduff in the succeeding lines of the extract about himself? How does
he justify his credibility?
Answer: Malcolm reveals that his previous claims of vice and unworthiness were a test of Macdurt's
loyalty, not true reflections of his character. He assures Macduff of his virtue, stating he has not
been involved in the vices he claimed, thus restoring his credibility.

d. What good news does Malcolm give to Macduff? What does Macduff tell Malcolm that shows that
he is wary of Maicoim now?

Answer Malcolm shares that the English king has already dispatched an army of ten thousand
soldiers led by Siward to invade Scotland Macdutt is wary, saying it's hard to reconcile such welcome
and unwelcome news at once.

e. Who enters the scene? What light does the person throw about the King of England?

Answer: A doctor enters the scene. He highlights King Edward's miraculous healing abilities,
describing how the King cures the evil, a disease thought incurable, through his divine gift

5. Macduff: See, who comes here.

Malcolm: My countrymen; but yet I know him not.

a. Who comes here? What news has the person brought about the terrible condition prevailing in
Scotland at that time?

Answer Ross enters, bringing news of the terrible conditions in Scotland under & Macbeth's rule. He
says Scotland is like a grave where people are dying before their time

b. What does Macduff ask the person that makes the person answer with a note of hesitation?

Answer Macduff asks how his wife and children are doing

c. What does the person tell Macduff which arouses the latter's fears?

Answer He, without providing a definite answer to Macduff's queries, said that his wife and son were
well at peace when he had left them, which aroused Macourt's fears

d. How does Macduff react to the sad news?

Answer. When Ross reveais that Macdurt's entire family has been brutally murdered Macduff is
overwhelmed with grief and anguish. He blames himself for leaving them unprotected.

e. How does Malcolm stir in Macduff the determination to take revenge on Macbeth?

Answer: Malcolm urges Macduff to turn his grief to anger and seek revenge on Macbeth. He says
this is the only medicine to cure Macdutt's pain. Macdurt resolves to confront the "hend of
Scotland" directly and kill Macbeth or die trying

Extra/additional MCQs

1. Where does Macduff find Malcolm to urge him to attack Macbeth?

A in Scotland B At the English court C. In France D. At Macbetris castle

Answer. B. At the English court

18. What emotional response does Macduff have to the murder of his family?

A. Resignation B. Relief C. Fury and sorrow D. Indifference

Answer. C. Fury and sorrow

Extra/additional questions and answers

1. Why does Macduff flee Scotland to seek Malcolm at the English court?

Answer: Macduft flees from Scotland partly from fear of the tyranny of Macbeth and partly to
expedite reactionary forces against him

18. What is Malcolm's reaction upon hearing about the fate of Macduff's family, and how does he
counsel Macduff?

Answer Upon hearing the news of Macdoff's family being murdered, Malcolm is merciful and
counsels Macduff"Be comforted. Let's make us medicines of our great revenge to cure this deadly
grief He advises Macduff to convert his grief into a desire for vengeance against Macbeth.