... well;/ Within the volume of which time I have seen/ Hours dreadful and things strange, but this sore night/ Hath trifled former knowings" (II.iv.1-4). The old man thus confirms the evil that has occurred, and his testimony is all the more significant as he is older and has seen more ... by the clock "t is day,/ And yet dark night strangles the travelling lamp. [...] That darkness does the face of earth entomb" (II.iv.5-8). The unnatural state of things is thus paralleled to the darkness that has usurped the place of light. Likewise, the torches that carry Banquo and ... "I have almost f...

• Word Count: 2650
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... MACBETH's 'borrowed robes' and has its central emphasis in Macduff's ironic words "Lest our old robes sit easier than our new" (Act II, Scene IV), referring to MACBETH's new title as King of Scotland, thus MACBETH's ambition achieved. MACBETH now has the ultimate power he once craved. MACBETH not only ... , the witches are described with many traditional elements of witchery, such as a cauldron. (i.e.,"Round about the cauldron go;/ In the poisoned entrails throw."(IV.i.4-5)) These uses of the supernatural by the witches help to add an eerie mood throughout the play. However, the witches ...

• Word Count: 12917
• Approx Pages: 52
• Grade Level: High School

... of England, Lenox supports the cause of Malcolm to wrest the throne from the murderous Macbeth. (Jump to the text of Act III, Scene vi) Act IV Scene i In a cave, the weird sisters and Hecate cast spells on Macbeth over a boiling cauldron, chanting "double, double, toil and trouble" before ... them to flee. Before they can escape, Macbeth's murderers arrive, slay Macduff's young son and chase his wife off stage. (Jump to the text of Act IV, Scene ii) Scene iii: In England, Malcolm puts Macduff's loyalty to the test. He "confesses" to a depraved crime, and when Macduff mourns that a ... b...

• Word Count: 2387
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... other hand, expresses a feeling that Macbeth is the tyrant in the situation. He declares that his country, Scotland, is suffering under "a hand accursed" (III.iv.49). The hand that he is talking about is the power of Macbeth. Lennox means that not just sickness and plague torture the country, but also the omnipotent ... . The king of England supposedly had the power to heal people with scrofula by touching them with his hands. A brief referral to this in Act IV symbolizes that hands can also be a source of gentleness and goodness; just the opposite of the references in Act III show. The d...

• Word Count: 1653
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Nature vs. Nurture Sociological views of evil in Shakespearean and current society "Company, villainous company, has been the spoil of me." This quote in William Shakespeare's play Henry IV (3.3.11) showcases one of the common themes in many of William Shakespeare's plays: the role of the villain. For any storyline to be interesting, it must have some type of ... ...

• Word Count: 1501
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... his cousin. He is just letting her know that everything is okay and that Macduff will be back soon. When Ross says, "you must have patience, Madam"(IV,II,I), that's when its seems that he just wants to tell her that everything is okay. It is a different situation though when Ross lets Macduff know ... his wife and son are dead. When Macduff asks the two questions, " how does my wife, and all my children?" (IV,III,17 and 18) Ross says they are well, but they are dead. Ross tells Macduff that the people he loves most have been murdered slowly so he ... dinner banquet, Macbeth sees banqous...

• Word Count: 1486
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... relies on her to protect him so that she has to ask the guests at the feast to "feed and regard him not" (III.IV.69) when Macbeth is disturbed by the ghost of Banquo. Macbeth's weaknesses are once again covered up by Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth may have had ... Macbeth. Immediately after the episode involving Banquo's ghost, Macbeth regains his sanity as he mentions "strange things I [Macbeth] have in head" (III.IV.171). Lady Macbeth discourages these plans which scare her, as she tells him to go to sleep, thinking Macbeth "lacks the season of all natures, sleep& ... to one consumed by a...

• Word Count: 1877
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... when Macbeth numbly confronts the success of the two murderers he sent to kill Banquo, "Tis better thee without than he within" (III, iv, 16) In this scene, Macbeth describes the blood of Banquo and the fact that it is vital that his blood is not inside of him flowing through ... the winds and let them fightAgainst the churches, though the yeasty wavesConfound and swallow navigation up, Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down" (IV, I, 51-64) Macbeth is determined to get the "answer" he wants from the witches and he will do anything to get these desired ... speaks to Lennox in...

• Word Count: 1890
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... family, and they were supposed to kill Macduff but he was inn England planning an attack on Scotland. "Sinful Macduff / they were all struck for thee!" (IV, iii, 224-225). At the point in the play where he kills Macduff's family he has very little, if any, reasoning ability. His greed has taken ... him completely over. Although not exactly greed, cockiness and overconfidence are levels of greed. This side of Macbeth shines through in act IV, scene i, when Macbeth meets the witches for the second time and has his fortune told, after the first ones came true. After the witches and Hecate ....

• Word Count: 684
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... an armed head, Macbeth should have taken great heed of, "beware Macduff, beware the thane of fife" (IV, I). But after the second apparition he arrogantly dismisses it "Macduff, what need I fear of thee?" (IV, I) The second apparition a bloody child, "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" (IV, I) held a hidden clue which Macbeth missed. The third a child crowned with a tree in his hand, "Macbeth ... shall never vanquish"d be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him" (IV, I) also held a hidden clue, and was vague, it did not say how the wood would move. After...

• Word Count: 1441
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... he again visits with the witches' and commands them to answer his questions. The witches' give him three prophecies. " Beware Macduff"( Act IV, scene 1, 78) "for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth," (Act IV, Scene 1, 88-89) "Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until Bernam Wood to Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." ( Act ... IV, Scene 1, 101-103). These prophecies give Macbeth an overconfidence that nothing will happen to him. This eventually leads to his ... the witches' prophecies. Macduff escapes to England so Macbeth has Macduffs family and servants killed. " Wife, children,...

• Word Count: 799
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Banquo's ghost that at the feast he yells out, "Thou canst not say I did it; never shake Thy gory locks at me!" (III.iv.50-51). Macbeth appears crazy to his guests when he sees the ghost and where it was stabbed twenty times. Macbeth talks directly to the ghost and denies that ... Let the earth hide thee! Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; Thou hast no speculation in those eyes Which thou dost glare with" (III.iv.93-96). Macbeth wants Banquo's ghost to go back to it's grave where it won't be able to ruin Macbeth's reign of being king. Macbeth is fearful ... to convince Macbet...

• Word Count: 639
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... an apparition, a bloody child made by the witches prophecises, "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn / The power of man; fir none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" (IV.1.78-IV.1.80). What Macbeth does not know is the witches have cut up the truth, like the tailor and given it in a way that is trickier. Instead of saying, "The power ... of man; fir the one not of woman born shall harm Macbeth," the witches say, "The power of man; fir none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" (IV.1.78-IV.1.80). This has a better sound than the first statement because it does not point out that Macbe...

• Word Count: 1246
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... Enter the three Witches"(I, III), "Thunder. Enter the three Witches, meeting Hecate" (III, V), "In the middle, a boiling cauldron. Thunder. Enter the three witches"(IV, I) All of these indicate that thunder plays an important role in the appearance of the witches. The thunder symbolizes that something affecting the whole plot will soon be revealed. ... has the power to create havoc like a storm. Macbeth screams "That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, And sleep in spite of thunder." (IV, I, 85) Macbeth is angry at the future that he has seen, his death and the coronation of Fleance. ...

• Word Count: 592
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

In act IV, scene iii of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macduff learns that Macbeth killed his wife and his children. Also encouraged by Malcolm, he decides not to accept the situation and say I did not ... told to leave because she is in danger: "Whither should I fly? I have done no harm why then, alas, do I put up that womanly defence, to say I gave done no harm?-(IV,iii). Malcolm encourages Macduff to stay strong and be the "man-. Macbeth was encouraged to do similar things in act III, scene ... IV: "What man dare, I dare: Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear dare me to the desert with thy ...

• Word Count: 427
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... a dark state of affairs. In the rest of the act, darkness overshadows the light as Macbeth plots to kill Duncan, the good and kindly king. In I, IV, 57-58, Macbeth asks that "Stars, hide your fires/ let not light see my black and deep desires." Macbeth does not want the light (goodness) or ... goodness) was again gone from such dark dealings. Act four is the climax of the dark imagery in the beginning with the witches brewing some more heinous concoctions. In IV, I, 25-27, the witches ask for something, "Slivered in the moon's eclipse," and for, "Root of hemlock digged i" th" dark." These...

• Word Count: 1059
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... of Banquo. During dinner, Macbeth's conscience manifests the ghost of Banquo. When the ghost disappears, Macbeth states that, "Murders have been performed/ Too terrible for the ear," (III, iv, Ln.92). This illustrates Macbeth's guilt and regret towards Banquo's murder. These incidents show how his guilt is one of the main reasons for his mental decline. Macbeth's false hope ... by an apparition that he can't be harmed by anybody born by a woman, he becomes ecstatic and confident. He says, "Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?" (IV, i, Ln.89). This shows that Macbeth is confiden...

• Word Count: 815
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... ; Let not light see my black and deep desires; The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see." (I.iv. 48-53) Macbeth is perturbed and confused to why he is not chosen to be heir to the throne. His mind fills with thoughts that suggest killing Malcolm to clear ... Banquo's ghost to appear. Macbeth is petrified and acts out, making his guests suspicious. "Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake/ Thy gory locks at me." (III,iv, 54-55) Although nobody else can see Banquo's ghost, Macbeth is furious and cries that he can not be blamed for his best fri...

• Word Count: 1455
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... in all worldly and royal matters. A strong central government was needed to maintain order and provided a stable atmosphere in which trade could flourish. Productive leadership qualities were very noticeable in Henry the VIII, and even more so in his daughter, Elizabeth (Rowse 226-263). Furthermore, "There is no doubt that she regarded herself as appointed by God to rule over her ... subjects- (Rowse 264). Henry the VIII inherited a kingdom from Henry the VII which lacked natural recourses yet it was surrounded on three sides by water. Even though Henry's kingdom was protected by water,...

• Word Count: 1801
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... wants, this greed that he has causes a problem. He wants to become king, but others stand in his way, such as Banquo, Fleance, and Macduff. He says in Act I, Scene IV, to Banquo, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir." (157) He knows that he has done nothing to become Thane of Glamis, so ... he can't stop himself from killing; he wants to make the prophecies true and feels that to become king he has to kill. Macbeth returns to the witches in Act IV, Scene I, wanting to know more of his future. He felt he needed to go back to make sure his kingship was se...

• Word Count: 1236
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... this situation is a result of her impulsiveness and instability. Lady Macbeth imagines that she has ability to hide her true emotions, though her mind is as frail as an "egg" (IV-iii 83). She claims that she can act to "look like the innocent flower/But be the serpent under't" (I-v, 64-65). When Macbeth starts to hallucinate and go crazy at ... to make it seem as if it is nothing to be worried about. She uses a half-witted lie, calling this outburst "But as a thing of custom: "tis no other" (III-iv, 96). The only contribution she has made throughout the book is to worsen their situation...

• Word Count: 2456
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... this is a characteristic that Lady MacDuff possesses as she has five children that she loves. She lets one of her sons know that she cares when she calls himpoor monkey? (IV.ii.57) which is a term of endearment. Lady MacDuff is so loving towards her children that they in return love her a great deal. This is best shown when her son ... is stabbed and with his last breath he calls out to his mother:He has kill?d me, / mother: Run away, I pray you!? (IV.iii.86-87). This maternal bond with her son is an important aspect of the family life that Lady Macbeth values. She is enraged when her h...

• Word Count: 1394
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... plan to kill Duncan because she knew that Macbeth wouldn't do it because of his nature. "He is to full o the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way (I. iv.15-). She also lowered his self-esteem so that he would do as she requested; she says such things as "When you durst do it, then you were a man (I. vii ... obsession and his passionate nature causes him to become out of control. Which led him on his killing spree that turns him into bloodthirsty tyrant, whose sole name blisters tongues" (IV.iii.10-). Other characters are noticing Macbeth' s corruption. "Not in the legions of ...

• Word Count: 804
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... shows a desire to do so, saying to himself, "That is a step/On which I must fall down or else o'erleap...Let not light see my black and deep desires." (Act I. Scene iv). Although he already holds two high titles, Macbeth still lusts for more. His newly appointed position of "Thane of Cawdor" is afterthought to his possible future kingship. Macbeth's ambition ends ... nothing to fear from anyone who is born of a woman, and that he will never "vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him." (Act IV. Scene i). Macbeth ignores the first prophecy, favori...

• Word Count: 1512
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Banquo's ghost and panics, Lady Macbeth immediately attempts to cover it up by urging the guests that it is only "a thing of custom" (III.iv.120) and only to "[spoil] the pleasure of the time" (III.iv.121). Lady Macbeth is not only very good at covering the incidents up but she also saves Macbeth from trouble on numerous counts. She is ... determined to keep things covered she is willing to lead everyone to thinking Macbeth is crazy. After all the murdering Lady Macbeth refers to Macbeth as her "royal lord" (III.iv.40). Although Macbeth has murdered two people Lady Macbeth still does no...

• Word Count: 866
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School