Drama: Act IV- Macbeth

brindled, or having grey or black streaks against a tan or light-colored background.

hedgehog

an attendant spirit like Graymalkin and Paddock in Act I, Scene I

venom sweated out while sleeping

slice

from a swamp

legless lizard's

owl's

mummified flesh of a witch

ravenous

a, Explanation: Only this answer reflects the whimsical remarks of the boy ("as birds do, mother") and obvious affection he has for his mother. Choices b, c, and d are not supported by the text, their negative qualities quite contrary to the impression the son gives.

Students are likely to predict that what seems impossible will in fact happen, since "Fair is foul and foul is fair," and the unexpected has been happening all along. They may also point out that the supernatural characters are not friends of Macbeth (or any other human being) and that they seem bent on spreading evil and creating mischief.

In discussing how the seemingly impossible predictions will actually come to pass, students' speculations will of course vary and need only show a reasonable understanding of the predictions themselves (none of women born will harm Macbeth; Macbeth won't be harmed until Birnam wood comes to Dunsinane).

Students should cite examples of images, indicate the sense or senses to which each image appeals, and then consider how all the negative images work together to create a mood they are likely to describe as eerie, horrid, and/or evil. Among the many images they may cite are the harpier cries of line 3 (sound), the poisoned entrails thrown into the caldron in line 5 (sight), the toad under cold stone in line 6 (touch, sight), and the two images in the refrain of "fire burn and caldron bubble" (touch, sight, and sound).

Students should evaluate this praise based on the details of Act IV. They should focus on the behavior of Macbeth, 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.

Students should recognize that the murder of Duncan is motivated by ambition; the murder of Duncan's guards, by self-preservation; the murder of Banquo and attempted murder of his son, in part by ambition or pride (about his future descendants) and in part (in Banquo's case) by fear and the desire for self-preservation; and the murder of the Macduff family, by some combination of anger and revenge and the hope of sending out a warning to other would-be traitors. They should recognize that Macbeth's fears are becoming less and less rational. They should also recognize that all the murders are great evils—killing Duncan betrays the king to whom he has sworn loyalty, as well as a kinsman and a guest in his home; killing the grooms is an attempt at escaping the consequences of one's own acts by harming others; killing Banquo betrays a friend and comrade-in-arms; the killing Fleance and particularly the Macduff family seems like irrational overkill, with the killing of an innocent woman and her young children a particularly heinous act for a king (who vows to protect his subjects) and former soldier. Students are likely to say that the events show that violence seems to bring not happiness but only fear, isolation, insecurity, and more violence, and that as time goes on it seems to become easier and easier to commit violence with fewer and fewer pangs of conscience.

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.

Students should tell how Macbeth's presence is felt in each of the two scenes. For example, they might state that 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.

Sample answer: 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.

sight and touch

blood

". . . It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash / Is added to her wounds."

charming, naive, and affectionate

spotted

a demon spirit

He knows Macduff has fled to England.

Macbeth's downfall.