Macbeth: Act IV, Scene 3 Questions

1. Malcolm tests/tricks Macduff - How?  Why?  How does Macduff prove himself to Malcolm?


Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty to the king. Malcolm thinks that if he can make Macduff believe he has Macbeth's character qualities as king, then Macduff might change his mind and follow Macbeth as king. He also calls himself (in lines 71-73) "deceitful, sudden, malicious, and smacking of every sin that has a name." By testing Macduff to see what qualities fit a king from Malcolm's perspective, then he will believe Macbeth is true as king. However, Macduff proves himself by saying that "In nature is a tyranny" and ruling like Macbeth will only lead to the fall of kings.



3. Macduff has 4 reactions (group his first two lines together) to the news of his family that Ross brings.  Paraphrase each (lines 248-276, only Macduff's parts).  What conclusions can you draw about his emotional process here?


"He killed my wife and children too? And I wasn't there when he did it?
Macbeth doesn't have any children. My beautiful family?
All of them? Oh, goodness! All?!
My wife and kids all died 
All at once by one murder?


I will fight back,
But I should fight from the heart and with what I believe is manly.
I haven't had anything
This sacred to me. Were they all banished
From heaven as if it overlooked them? Oh sinful to me,
They were killed because of me! The wicked one that I am,
They didn't die from their own faults, but from mine,
Which made each of them be murdered. May they rest in peace.


I could weep now,
And say how I will get them back! But, heavens, 
Cut the delay for the facedown between Macbeth and I! Bring him
Face to face with me.
Within a length where I can kill him. If he gets away,
He can be forgiven."


His reactions throughout the news reached to him about the death of family are first confused and shocked that they all died in his absence. He repeats the word "all" to emphasize that they were all gone in an instant. Next he wants to take vengeance for what Macbeth's murderers did, so he proclaims his manliness. Then he blames himself because he is responsible for their deaths. Finally, he feels both regretful and sorrowful that they died, but remembers his goal is to get back at Macbeth.





2. What is the subtext of Ross's lines to Macduff when Macduff inquires about his wife and children? (lines 203-208)  How might Ross say this onstage?


In Ross's lines (203-208), he says that Macduff's family is doing well when he asks immediately. What he really means in the subtext is that they have all died, but he wants to allude to that carefully so Macduff doesn't get angry. On stage, Ross might sound depressed or bringing bad news when he says, "Why, well" to Macduff after he asks how his family is.