Key Quotes for ACT 4

Question 1

‘I will be ___’

Answer 1

‘satisfied’

this shows Macbeth’s desperation to know his fate so much that he forgets his own position as a mortal

the witches are the ones that have the power to give Macbeth an eternal curse which he is forgetting (Macbeth is now almost addicted to the supernatural)

the irony of this sentence is very obvious

Question 2

‘For the ___ Banquo smiles upon me’

Answer 2

‘blood-boltered’

Macbeth sees a line of kings and they are all Banquo’s sons

although Banquo is dead, Macbeth sees him smiling and mocking him

he knows that his death was in vain since his son is still alive and can still take the throne (Fleance)

Question 3

‘For the poor ___…will fight…against the owl’

Answer 3

‘wren’

Lady Macduff is aware of her powerlessness

ultimately, the quote serves as a warning to the audience about the dangers of selfishness and the importance of fulfilling one’s responsibilities

wrens symbolize purity, showing how innocent and helpless Lady Macduff and her children are when they meet their death By characterizing Macbeth as a malevolent owl, it shows how ruthless he is to attack these poor unprotected, unsuspecting wrens (the Macduffs)

Question 4

‘New widows howl, new ___ cry, new sorrows’

Answer 4

‘orphans’

Macduff is talking about the state of the country

all of these things he speaks about are caused by Macbeth

Macduff is basically telling Malcolm that each day women’s husbands are dying, orphans continually cry, and even heaven feels Scotland’s pain

Macduff’s description of Scotland communicates the country’s chaos, disorder, and suffering

under Macbeth’s tyrannical reign, the citizens of Scotland suffer immeasurable hardships, and Macduff wishes to restore Scotland to its former glory

Macduff proceeds to lament the need for a righteous king while Malcolm cleverly tests his loyalty

Question 5

‘But I must also feel it as a ___’

Answer 5

‘man’

Macduff is telling Malcolm that he needs to feel it as a man and he can ‘t just forget about it, and that his family was the most important thing

links to the theme of masculinity also including acknowledging loss and mourning as valuable traits

Macduff acts upon ideas of order and patriarchy but does so in a way which allows for logic and sensitivity to intermingle with duty and order

shows a contrast in the way that Macbeth and Macduff both deal with the death of their wives