Macbeth Group

Question:

nikifal
nikifal
Student
College - Junior

In act 4 scene 3 what does Malcolm tell Macduff to do with his grief?

Rate question:
 

Posted by nikifal on Friday October 26, 2007 at 3:20 AM and tagged with characters, macbeth, macduff, malcolm.

Answers:


  1. renelane Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    Malcolm tells Macduff to turn his grief into anger. This is just after Ross comes into the scene, and informs Macduff that Macbeth has just murdered his wife and son.

    Rate answer:
     

    Posted by renelane on Friday October 26, 2007 at 3:26 AM


  2. sullymonster Teacher
    Community / Jr. College

    Building on the last reply, this idea of "take it like a man" is repeated throughout the play.  Lady Macbeth first goads Macbeth into killing Duncan by suggesting that he is less than a man.  Lady Macduff, in her conversation with her son, also insults her husband's manliness.  Macduff, the "hero" at the end, is the only character to routinely exhibit elements of compassion.  Thematically, Shakespeare appears to be criticizing behavior that is overly "macho".  As he was writing this shortly after King James ascent to power in England, he might have been giving credit to the better leadership provided by a woman, in the form of Queen Elizabeth.

    Rate answer:
     

    Posted by sullymonster on Saturday October 27, 2007 at 8:05 AM

Dictionary Tip:

Lookup any word on eNotes with our dictionary. Highlight the word and press SHIFT + D for a definition, or SHIFT + T for a synonym.