19 Macbeth Act 4 Scene 3 Part 2 Full Commentary and Analysis

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This video is a line-by-line walkthrough guide for William Shakespeare’s Macbeth: Act 4, Scene 3 Part 2.

I provide a close reading of the entire scene, including:
— Detailed explication
— Commentary
— Literary analysis

All commentary is supplemented by in-text, line-by-line study notes designed to help students:
— Prepare for GCSE, A-Level, IB, and AP evaluation
— Prepare for general high school and college quizzes, exams, and essays
— Generate ideas for analysis essays
— Participate knowledgeably in class discussions
Click here to download the annotated text of Macbeth: https://sites.google.com/view/shakespeare-walkthrough/home

This video discusses :

PLOT:
— In England, MacDuff tries to convince Malcolm to come back to Scotland to fight
— Malcolm insists he is unfit to replace his father; this ploy is a test of MacDuff’s loyalty to Scotland and Malcolm
— MacDuff’s heartfelt disappointment satisfies Malcolm, who announces that he has allies and 100,00 troops ready to march to Scotland
— Ross arrives and informs MacDuff that his family has been murdered
— MacDuff, Ross, and Malcolm agree that the proper response is womanly grief followed by manly resolve to exact justice

CHARACTER:
— MacDuff: man of action; realist; incorruptible; loyal; self-sacrificing; guilty about family’s death
— Malcolm: man of thought, careful deliberation; wise, not naive; worthy hero possessed of the kingly virtues: virgin, never perjured himself, not greedy, pious, loyal, honest (not serpent/flower); character foil for corrupt, narcissist king, Macbeth; complete man, possessing both feminine and masculine virtues
— English king: holy; cures diseases, heals wasteland = character foil for satanic, wasteland-creating Macbeth

THEME:
— The good ruler: kingly virtues; worthy hero, saviour; contrasts with previous scene’s depiction of corrupt wasteland, emphasizing the value of noble leadership
— Thought (Malcolm) vs action (MacDuff)
— Manhood = masculine+feminine; Malcolm insists on the validity of the feminine virtues of compassion
— Self vs society: MacDuff’s conflict; duty to self/family vs duty to Scotland
— Dualism: England as holy, in contrast to unholy Scotland
— Great Chain of Being disruption leads to wasteland paranoia, denunciation, cynicism, fear, distrust among friends and family
— Great Chain of Being: Kings were the conduit to God, could channel blessings
— Tyrant’s willingness to burn the world; Cain’s spite