Macbeth - Act 4

• How many apparitions do the witches call up at the beginning of Act Four?

  3
• What word completes the quotation?"Eye of newt and toe of __________,Wool of bat and tongue of dog"

  Frog - The witches' potion is grotesque, showing that they are strange and inhumane
• What word completes the quotation?"Double, double toil and __________;Fire burn, and cauldron bubble"

  Trouble - The witches' chanting is unsettling for the audience because its rhythm and rhyme is unlike the rest of the dialogue in the play
• What word completes the quotation?"O hell-kite! All?What, all my pretty __________ and their damAt one fell swoop?"

  Chicken - The word "chicken" is a direct contrast to Macduff's description of Macbeth as a "hell-kite" - a savage bird of prey compared with harmless chickens
• What character says this quotation?"O hell-kite! All?What, all my pretty chickens and their damAt one fell swoop?"

  Macduff - Macduff's emotional reaction at the deaths of his family show his humanity, compared to Macbeth's ruthlessness
• What word completes the quotation?"By the pricking of my thumbs,Something ______ this way comes"

  Wicked - Again, the witches know Macbeth is coming before they see him. They also predict, or perhaps cause, his "wickedness".
• What word completes the quotation?"MacbethIs ripe for shaking, and the powers __________Put on their instruments"

  Above - "Powers above" refers to God. Malcolm has God on his side, whereas Macbeth has called on the witches and therefore the devil for assistance
• True or false? Malcolm immediately agrees to help Macduff save Scotland from Macbeth's tyranny.

  False - Macduff must prove his loyalty to Malcolm and to Scotland; then Malcolm must prove he is worthy to be King.
• How does Macduff respond when he hears Macbeth has slaughtered his family?

  What, all my pretty chickens...? - As Macduff meets Malcolm, he is asked how he could leave his wife and children at home. Macbeth demonstrates how much his ambition has destroyed his nobility here.
• What kind of weather helps to create a dark tone in the opening of Act Four?

  Thunder - The rumblings of thunder would help to create a sense of unease and introduce the witches once more. It was also an easy special effect to create in a Jacobean theatre, by simply shaking a piece of metal known as a "thunder sheet".
• How does Act Four open?

  With the witches in a isolated place - It seems the lure of more knowledge from the witches is irresistible to Macbeth. He demands more information, though he doesn't trust anyone. The isolation of the setting could represent Macbeth's isolation as King.
• When Lady Macduff hears that "danger does approach", why does she refuse to "fly"?

  She believes she is no threat to Macbeth - She says that she has no need to flee, because she has "done no harm". Perhaps Lady Macduff feels she won't be harmed because she is not a threat. However, Macbeth simply exercises his power through slaughter. He is out of control.
• Throughout the play, Shakespeare references birds. For example, Macduff refers to Macbeth as a "hell-kite" (a kite is a bird of prey) whilst his family are "chickens".What does Macduff's use of "hell-kite" tell the audience about Macbeth?

  He is praying on the vulnerable - Even at the start of the play, the Macbeths are linked with ominous scavenging birds. However, this descent to a bird of prey contrasts with his heroic comparison to an "eagle" when the Captain reports on the battle in Act One, Scene 2.
• Why is the murder of Macduff's children so much more cruel than the plot to murder Fleance?

  Its unnecessary to Macbeths remaining power - Macbeth attempts to kill Fleance because of the prophecy that Banquo's sons will be kings. There is no justification for the butchering of Macduff's family.
• Why does Macduff feel he cannot truly have revenge on Macbeth?

  Macbeth has no children - Macbeth cannot feel Macduff's grief at losing his children, as he isn't a father himself.
• In Act One, Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to help her kill the King. Who will Malcolm and Macduff have to help them kill the King?

  "The powers above" - Malcolm claims the forces of good are on their side, just as Lady Macbeth invoked the powers of evil for the murder of Duncan. "The powers above" refers to God, whereas Macbeth has the devil on his side.
• What does the third apparition, the royal child with a tree in its hand, represent?

  Malcolm, the rightful King of Scotland, who approaches the castles disguised with tree branches - Macbeth cannot interpret these symbols, but Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to show the audience what is meant
• What does the second apparition, the "bloody child", represent?

  Macduff, who was "from his mother's womb untimely ripp'd" - Macbeth cannot interpret these symbols, but Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to show the audience what is meant
• The Second Witch warns that "something wicked this way comes". Which character is she referring to?

  Macbeth - For the witches, who have been shown to be evil, to see Macbeth as "wicked", shows a degeneration through hamartia of his noble qualities.
• The first apparition that appears to Macbeth is an armed head. What does this represent?

  Macbeths' own head wearing a helmet - Macbeth cannot interpret these symbols, but Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to show the audience what is meant