Thursday, April 18, 2013

Notes Act IV


SCENE I:
  • enter the witches 
    • here comes that famous "Double, double, toil and trouble" line
  • enter Hecate ('witch boss'), next Macbeth (another famous line: "...Something wicked this way comes")
  • Macbeth is seeing things again (three apparitions; think A Christmas Carol)
    • an armed head ("Beware Macduff")
    • a bloody child
    • a crowned child holding a tree
  • next, eight kings, the last king with a glass in his hand; ghost of Banquo follows
  • exit witches, enter Lennox
  • Macduff has fled to England
SCENE II:
  • Ross and Lady Macduff discussing why Macduff would leave his family
  • Lady Macduff speaking to her son: How will you go on without a father?
  • She assumes her husband is a guilty man (murder), because he has fled and she is not suspicious of Macbeth like the others
  • enter the three murderers, who call Macduff a traitor (to his son; this makes the boy angry)
    • one of the murders stabs the boy, and kills him (stab-die!)
SCENE III:
  • Macduff speaking to Malcolm
    • Malcolm says he can understand bloodlust, but Macduff disagrees with him
  • Enter a Doctor
    • "what's this disease he means?"/"'Tis called the evil" (in reference to Macbeth)
  • Scotland is suffering
  • Ross gives Macduff the news about his castle being "surprised" and his family, servants being killed
    • "not for their own demerits, but mine": Macduff feels guilty, as they were killed because of him
  •  "Be this the whetstone of your sword: let grief Convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it."

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