Lady Macduff Act 4 Quotations

Question 1

Analyse the quotation - “From _______ himself does ___? He loves us not.”

Answer 1

Whence, fly

The declarative sentence utilised in conjunction with a rhetorical question indicates Lady Macduff’s panicked and emotional state. This not only foreshadows their death but shows the impact of Macbeths’s rule on those in Scotland, them now questioning their relationships and making people feel unsafe throughout Scotland.

Question 2

Analyse the quotation - “_________ he is, and yet he’s __________”

Answer 2

Fathered, fatherless

This insult demonstrates the insecurity in Scotland and the fear it causes people to have as a result, making them insult their partners.

Question 3

Analyse the quotation - “Every one that does so is a _______ and must be _______”

Answer 3

Traitor, hanged

The imperative used here shows the Macduff family’s obsession with divine authority as this is in relation to swearing and lying, acts viewed by a contemporary audience as evil and from Satan. This contrasts to the Macbeth family embracing acts rejected by the Christian view, foreshadowing the conflict between Macbeth and Macduff.

Question 4

Analyse the quotation - “_________ defence”

Answer 4

Womanly

The reference to women being inherently less violent than men, even in death, shows how grounded in the contemporary Christian ideals that the Macduff was, which heavily contrasts with Lady Macbeth, who completely rejects these norms throughout the play. On a deeper level this juxtaposes Macbeth and Macduff and foreshadows their fight at the end of the play.