Macbeth Reading Journal: Act Five

Scene 1:
Lady Macbeth brings great distress as she sleep walks and talks in her sleep about the treachery her and Macbeth have committed. "Out, dammed spot! Out, I say!" She hallucinates of the blood on her hands from her murders showing she is perpetuated by guilt. All these occurrences show she has clearly gone mad from guilt. "The Thane of Fife had a wife; where is she now?" The Thane of Fife being Macduff and his wife having been murdered, it may show Lady fears for her own safety by the tyrannical Macbeth asides from feeling guilt.
Scene 2:
The Lords and the English Army march on towards Birnan Wood and make their battle plan against Macbeth. Macbeth's treacheries are clear to the Lords "His secret murders sticking on his hands;" and they denounce his followers "Those he commands move only in command, Not in love." They have the impression that Macbeth has swum out his depth "Now does he feel his title Hang loose about him like a giant's robe Upon a dwarfish thief."
Scene 3:
Falsely confident from the prophecies told by the apparitions, Macbeth courageously prepares for battle, unwavering at the oncoming battle; whilst also showing little concern towards Lady's worsening condition.
Scene 4:
At Birnan Wood, Malcolm discusses battle plans; they will carry shrubbery as they advance to hide their numbers...they are moving Birnan Woods.
Scene 5:
Macbeth rallies his forces showing he is still a fierce soldier. After hearing a woman cry, Macbeth claims to have forgotten the feeling of fear and that to hear a scream in the night would have shaken him once before but he has seen so many horrors now, nothing stirs him; lines 9-16. These few lines make the following remarks on life less shocking. Macbeth ultimately calls all his actions in life pointless and brief because death is the final result of everything "To the last syllable of recorded time;" Macbeth calls life a walking shadow, possibly the shadow of death in accordance with the idea that death is the true face of everything. "a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage" may suggest that Macbeth believes he has been a tool of the Witches. The last line of Macbeths mini-speech "Signifying nothing." fully encompass the message by Macbeth, life, his deeds and even the speech he just gave are summarised as nothing. Macbeth is informed the woods are moving. "There is nor flying hence nor tarrying here. I 'gin to aweary of the sun." this is a direct reference to the Greek myth of Icarus who flew too close to the sun and suffered for it, Macbeth knows there is no escape and is tired of his reign.
Scene 6:
Macbeth kills Lord Seyward's son reinforcing his belief he cannot be killed by a man woman-born. Malcolm and Seyward enter the castle. "Why should I play the Roman fool and die" this line spoken by Macbeth may refer to Julius Caesar who was brutally murdered by his followers. Macduff finds Macbeth and reveals to him he "was from his mother's womb Untimely ripped.” they fight and Macbeth is killed. Macduff meets with the other Lords carrying Macbeth's severed head. Malcolm proclaims a new reign and grants his Thanes the title of Earls, an English term; symbolising a new era and prosperity between once enemies.

Macbeth Reading Journal: Act Four

Scene 1:
Rather than the Witches coming to Macbeth, Macbeth has chosen to seek the Witches for knowledge on his future. The Act begins with the Witches enchanting another spell like they did at the beginning of Act 1, which signalled the dawn of a new King brought about by bloodshed, with hindsight, it is possible to deduct the chanting in Act 4, Scene 1 is bringing about another King's downfall: Macbeth's. This is reinforced by the Witches response to Macbeth when he meets them "A deed without a name", they will not disclose their plans for they spell his death, like Duncan's death was kept secret from him. From the second apparition, it is also revealed that Macbeth cannot die at the hands of a man born of a woman; which logically would grant Macbeth immortality but it is clear the apparitions are telling the truth but not the whole truth as from Act 3, the Witches have turned on Macbeth. Macbeth is also fooled into an untouchable status that his castle will not fall till the woods themselves of Birnan move. Through conversing with the Witches, it is revealed Macbeth should fear Macduff and after learning Macduff has fled to England; Macbeth plans to kill Macduff's family and house.
Scene 2:
Macduff's wife and son are warned of their imminent murders by Ross, Macbeth's own man; which shows even Macbeth's own followers are wary, concerned and beginning to turn against Macbeth. Wife and Son also have a conversation concerning Macduff as a traitor "What is a traitor?" which may foreshadow Macbeth's betrayal of country and their betrayal of Macbeth. Son and Wife are killed.
Scene 3:
Macduff finds Malcolm in England. Macduff having seemingly lost hope in Scotland is tested by Malcolm who pretends to not care for Scotland until Malcolm is confident Macduff's loyalty is still tied to Scotland. They speak of the deterioration of Scotland and Macbeth's tyranny "Bleed, bleed, poor country! Great tyranny, lay thy basis sure,” Notably, the King of England is praised as being a most prosperous and caring King. Ross meets the pair and tells Macduff of his murdered family. Malcolm tells Macduff to turn his grief to anger as they head to Scotland to overthrow Macbeth with English forces backing them.

Macbeth Act Three Reading Journal

Scene 1:
Banquo fathoms the Witches prophecy that he and Macbeth shall be Kings and the subsequent fulfilment of Macbeth's fate begs him to consider what will happen to his own fate. So too does Macbeth begin to consider the very same idea, beginning to fear his own betrayal by Banquo "a barren sceptre in my grip, Thence to be wrenched by with an unlineal hand," resulting in his decision to have Banquo murdered. Macbeth feels as though his betrayal of his King has been in vain because it is just a step for Banquo’s lineage to take over "For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered,” Macbeth's murderous tendencies have manifested that he begins to become indifferent to more bloodshed.
Scene 2:
This scene is a pivotal moment for the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as Macbeth becomes the bolder and more malicious of the two, having to carry their dark deeds as Lady had done. It's as if they have switched roles which is reinforced by the way Macbeth stirred the murderers in Scene 1 by questioning their manhood as Lady had done to Macbeth in Act Two.
Scene 3:
Banquo is murdered by Macbeth's employed murderers but his son Fleance escapes.
Scene 4:
Upon report that during the murder, Fleance escaped, Macbeth fears that the boy will persist as a problem "The worm that's fled Hath nature that in time will breed,” As the dinner arranged by Macbeth with several Lords continues, Macbeth envisions the ghost of Banquo, causing much alarm for him, Lady and the guests. The vision of a bloody and dead Banquo shows Macbeth's guilt for the murder of his friend. The fact that Macbeth fully believes Banquo is present shows his deeper descent into madness whereas in Act Two Macbeth was able to question his apparition of the dagger "Avaunt, and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!” Macbeth's lust for power have taken over him and all his previous morals, he shows little to none hesitation in acting upon the murders of yet more people "We are yet but young in deed."
Scene 5:
The Witches are visited by Hecat, the goddess of witchcraft. Though Hecat denounces the Witches for acting without her consent, she orders the witches to create visions for Macbeth that will make him doubt his security. The presence and intervention of Hecat, an entity more evil than even the Witches, foreshadows that greater sins are to come.
Scene 6:
The lord, Lennox speaks with another lord over the deterioration of Scotland It is revealed there is suspicion for Macbeth to be the murderer of Duncan and Banquo and that Macbeth is unloved by his peers, contrary to Duncan.