Lady Macduff and her son are killed : Act 4

Question 1

what are lady macduff and his son’s murders emblematic of?

Answer 1

• macbeth’s excessive bloodthirst because they presented no threat, yet he is now on an unstoppable trajectory of murder
• they are symbols of innocence - the dialogue between lady macduff and fleance are intimate which shows their natural maternal bond

Question 2

how does lady macduff speak?

Answer 2

in a semantic field of birds - she compares herself to a ‘diminutive’ ‘wren’

Question 3

‘diminutive’ ‘wren’

Answer 3

• characterises them as prey, thus securing macbeth within the role of a predator

Question 4

staging

Answer 4

• first murder to happen on stage
• suggests that macbeth no longer cares for his reputation and takes pride in his heinous acts
• he has committed himself to evil
• CONVERSELY - it is intentional that macbeth does not carry out the murder himself - it ensures he is still somewhat redeemable from the epitome of evil
• this is vital in constructing the play as a tragedy as a tragic hero must be able to elicit some sympathy from the audience, despite their flaws

Question 5

topic sentence

Answer 5

the murder of macduff’s family is emblematic of macbeth’s excessive bloodthirst, symbolising innocence. lady macduff and her son present no threat to macbeth, yet he has them murdered purely as an act of aggression. it seems he has submitted himself to evil at this moment in the play