Macbeth Active Reading Notes: Act V

SCENE I:

• a doctor and "waiting-gentlewoman" (I suppose Lady Macbeth's lady-in-waiting) are watching Lady Macbeth, who apparently has been asleep since Macbeth went "into the field" (he has gone to suppress the revolt of the Scotch nobles)
• Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking, and even writing letters in her sleep

• the gentlewoman doesn't want to tell the doctor what she has heard Lady Macbeth say in her sleep, for she is afraid of getting in trouble 
• Lady Macbeth appears, still seemingly asleep (though her eyes are open)
• "she has light by her continually; 'tis her command." --Lady Macbeth is afraid of the dark now
• she keeps rubbing her hands; she thinks she sees a bloodstain that she cannot remove
• here, the famous lines come in: " Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why, then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, my lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?--Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him."
•  "The thane of Fife had a wife" though she had nothing to do with the murder of Lady Macduff, it weighs on the queen's conscience
• the doctor tells the lady to keep an eye on Lady Macbeth, and to make sure she doesn't hurt herself

SCENE II:

•  "He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause Within the belt of rule." Macbeth cannot control the discontented nobles
• Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, and soldiers begin their march
• I don't really know what to say about their conversation. Hm.

SCENE III:

•  "The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon!" What a lovely insult
• a servant comes to tell Macbeth that the English soldiers are approaching
• Macbeth is...well, he's not a happy camper at the moment. Rude.
• Macbeth calls for Seyton, and asks for his armor 
• is 'Seyton' really pronounced like 'Satan'? What an unfortunate name
• he wants the doctor to cure his wife of what "weighs upon [her] heart"
• the doctor says that the power to cure herself lies only Lady Macbeth; Macbeth doesn't like this, so he ridicules medicine
•  "I will not be afraid of death and bane, Till Birnam forest come to Dunsinane."

SCENE IV:

•  the soldiers arrive at Birnam forest
• Malcolm orders the soldiers to take branches from the trees to conceal their numbers

SCENE V:

• Macbeth is confident that he will be safe in his castle, and that he will be victorious 
• "What is that noise?"/ "It is the cry of women, my good lord"
• Lady Macbeth is dead
• a messenger tells Macbeth that as the soldiers approached, he thought he saw the forest move (for they were camouflaged )
• Macbeth threatens to hang the messenger if he is lying (he obviously doesn't believe him)

SCENE VI:

• uh, well, this is the shortest scene in here
• I'm not sure what to say about this except that they are preparing to attack

SCENE VII:

• Macbeth compares himself with baited bear (in reference to the popular sport of the time, bear-baiting)
• Young Siward asks Macbeth his name
• Macbeth fancies himself pretty scary; Siward just hates him
• they fight, and Macbeth kills Young Siward

SCENE VIII:

• Macbeth has avoided fighting with Macduff, for he knows that he is already guilty of killing his family
• Macduff provokes him; they fight
•  we should talk about Macbeth and Macduff's conversation; I feel I'm missing something important 
• Ross tells Siward that his son (Young Siward) is dead
• Macduff enters, holding Macbeth's head
• I suppose...this is the end. Aw.