Macbeth: Act 4 – Summary Page
Macbeth: Act 4 – In Short
As Macbeth grows anxious, he goes to meet the witches again to know his future. They produce three apparitions (ghosts) who can answer his queries. The first apparition, an armed head, instructs Macbeth to be careful of Macduff. Secondly, a bloody child, tells him that only a man who is not born of woman can be able to harm Macbeth. The third apparition, a crowned child holding a tree, tells Macbeth that he will be safe until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill.
Macbeth feels secure because he knows that there is no man who is not born in a woman’s womb and the wood can not move. When Macbeth wants to know of Banquo’s descendants becoming Kings, the witches present a procession of eight kings. In appearance, all those kings are similar to Banquo. Then Macbeth realizes that Banquo’s successors will be harmful for him.
Lenox (a Scottish noble) informs Macbeth that Macduff has gone to England to get the English King’s support for Malcolm against Macbeth. Macbeth orders to capture Macduff’s castle and to kill Lady Macduff and her children. Lady Macduff and her children are killed cruelly.
In England, Macduff is informed that his family members are killed. He is overwhelmed with grief and oaths that he must take revenge. There he joins Prince Malcom’s army and prepares for an attack on Macbeth.
Scene-wise Summary & Analysis
Questions & Answers on Act 4
Portions of this article were developed with the assistance of AI tools and have been carefully reviewed, verified and edited by Jayanta Kumar Maity, M.A. in English, Editor & Co-Founder of Englicist.
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