Page 84 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama

Notes against the owl”. Her metaphor comes to life when she and her son are attacked by Macbeth’s men.
Macbeth, as earlier established, is identified with the owl; so Lady Macduff, trying to protect her
son, becomes the wren in a realization of her own figure of speech. It is with particular pathos that
the audience sees Macduff’s precocious son fall prey to the swords of Macbeth’s ruthless murderers.

5.5 Act 5

5.5.1 Scenes

Scene 1
At the Scottish royal home of Dunsinane, a gentlewoman has summoned a doctor to observe Lady
Macbeth’s sleepwalking. The doctor reports that he has watched her for two nights now and has yet
to see anything strange. The gentlewoman describes how she has seen Lady Macbeth rise, dress,
leave her room, write something on a piece of paper, read it, seal it, and return to bed—all without
waking up. The gentlewoman dares not repeat what Lady Macbeth says while thus sleepwalking.
The two are interrupted by a sleepwalking Lady Macbeth, who enters carrying a candle. The
gentlewoman reports that Lady Macbeth asks to have a light by her all night. The doctor and the
gentlewoman watch as Lady Macbeth rubs her hands as if washing them and says “Yet here’s a
spot. . . Out, damned spot; out I say”. As she continues to “wash” her hands, her words betray her
guilt to the two onlookers. Lady Macbeth seems to be reliving the events on the night of Duncan’s
death. She cannot get the stain or smell of blood off her hand: “What, will these hands ne’er be
clean. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”. As the sleepwalking Lady Macbeth
imagines she hears knocking at the gate and returns to her chamber, the doctor concludes that Lady
Macbeth needs a priest’s help and not a physician’s. He takes his leave, asserting that he and the
gentlewoman had better not reveal what they have seen or heard.

Scene 2
The thanes Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and Lennox march with a company of soldiers toward
Birnam Wood, where they will join Malcolm and the English army. They claim that they will “purge”
the country of Macbeth’s sickening influence.

Scene 3
At Dunsinane, Macbeth tires of hearing reports of nobles who have defected to join the English
forces. He feels consoled; however, by the witches’ prophesy that he has nothing to fear until Birnam
Wood comes to Dunsinane, or until he counters a man not born of woman. Since both of the events
seem impossible, Macbeth feels invincible.
A servant enters with the news that the enemy has rallied a thousand men but Macbeth sends him
away, scolding him for cowardice. After calling for his servant Seyton to help him put on his armor,
Macbeth demands the doctor’s prognosis about Lady Macbeth. The doctor replies that she is “not
so sick” but troubled with visions. In some way or other, she must cure herself of these visions—an
answer that displeases Macbeth. As attendants put on his armor, he declares that he would applaud
the doctor if he could analyze the country’s urine and therein derive a medicine for Lady Macbeth.
Abruptly, Macbeth leaves the room, professing once again that he will not fear “death and bane”
until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Aside, the doctor confesses that he would like to be as far
away from Dunsinane as possible.

Scene 4

Malcolm, Siward, Young Siward, Macduff, Mentieth, Caithness, and Angus march toward Birnam
Wood. As they approach the forest, Malcolm instructs the soldiers to cut off branches and hold

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