Macbeth Act Four – “Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.”

Macbeth Act Four –  “Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break.”

Thunder. Enter the three Witches

First Witch:

“Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd…” And so begins Act Four of ‘Macbeth, in a dark cave with a cauldron on the boil and the three witches chanting, casting charms and spells and filling the cauldron. Hecate appears and praises the witches on their work. Suddenly Macbeth is heard.

Macbeth enters and demands that the witches reveal all that they know and the witches ask Macbeth whether he would rather hear it from them or from their masters. Macbeth wants it from the masters and three apparitions appear. The first apparition warns him to beware Macduff;and Macbeth suggests that he has already thought this. The second is the apparition of a bloody child and this apparition tells Macbeth that “…none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”. The third apparition is a child with a crown holding a tree which tells Macbeth not to fear until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. When macbeth presses the witches further to find out whether Banquo's issue will ever reign in the kingdom, a procession of eight kings in crowns appear and the last carries a mirror and the ghost of Banquo appears at the end. Macbeth demands to know the meaning of this final vision, but do a dance and vanish into the air at the end. Then Lennox enters with the news that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth decides to take Macduff’s castle and to kill Macduff’s wife and all his children in one fell swoop.

We cross to Fife and Macduff’s castle, where Lady Macduff confronts Ross, demanding to know why her husband has fled. Ross gently tries to reinforce to Lady Macduff that she should trust her husbands judgement in these matters. When Ross leaves, Lady Macduff rants on to her son about how his father is all but dead to them. Then a strange unknown messenger enters and warns lady macduff to flee. She tragically decides to stay saying she has done no harm. Then the murderers enter and claim that Macduff is a traitor. Macduff’s son claims that the murderer is a liar, andhe is stabbed by the murderer. Lady Macduff turns and runs, and screams before, we assume, she is horrifically killed.

A little later, probably about a week with the road time Ross would take, down in England outside the palace of King Edward, Malcolm speaks with Macduff, telling him that he does not trust him since he has left his family in Scotland and may be secretly working for Macbeth. Malcolm denounces his own vices and claims he would make a terrible king since he claims to be lustful, greedy, and violent.

“But I have none: the king-becoming graces,

As justice, verity, temperance, stableness,

Bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness,

Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude,

I have no relish of them, but abound

In the division of each several crime,

Acting it many ways. Nay, had I power, I should

Pour the sweet milk of concord into hell,

Uproar the universal peace, confound

All unity on earth.”

Initially, Macduff politely disagrees with his future king, but eventually Macduff cannot contain himself and cries out for Scotland. Malcolm then reveals that he was testing Macduff and that he embraces him now as an ally against Macbeth.

Ross arrives from Scotland and he initially tells Macduff that his wife and children are well. Ross tries to encourage Malcolm to return to Scotland as he talks of what has bellan Scotland since he left.  Malcolm says that he will return with an English force of ten thousand soldiers. Then, Ross confesses to Macduff that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children. Macduff is grief stricken while Malcolm urges him to dispute it like a man to which Macduff replies:

“But I must also feel it as a man:

I cannot but remember such things were,

That were most precious to me. Did heaven look on,

And would not take their part? Sinful Macduff,

They were all struck for thee! naught that I am,

Not for their own demerits, but for mine,

Fell slaughter on their souls. Heaven rest them now!”

Macduff avouches that he will take revenge out on Macbeth whatever the cost.