Act V Review

Act V is the final act of Macbeth, the shortest of shakespeares work. In Act V we see Macduff, Lennox, and others meet up in Birnam Woods. They plot to overthrow Macbeth by force. Lady macbeth loses all her sanity, she begins to sleeep walk in which she talks and shows much regret. She talks of banquo and of killing the king while the doctor and a gentlewoman listens: "To bed, to bed! There's knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand! What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!".

However, Macbeth is running the show for the first time in the story. He has an arrogance about him that is given to him by the witches. He believes he is invincible, and waits for any threat. He sates this to the doctor: "Bring it after me. I will not be afraid of death and bane (destruction). Till Birnam Forest come to Dunsinane. The soldiers then plan to attack Macbeth's kingdom by holding branches to disguise their numbers upon their advance of the castle. As the main battle initiates we learn that Lady macbeth dies, later we find out she commits suicide. The first soldier into the castle is young siward, who enters as a warrior. He asks for Macbeth's name, then pronounces: "The divil himself could not pronouce a title More hateful to mine ear." (MB)" NO, nor more fearful." (YS) " Thou liest, abhorred tyrant; with my sword I'll prove the lie thou speak'st". Macbeth kills young siward easily, macduff enters thereafter.

Macbeth believes he can be killed by no man that was born by woman, and he is probably correct. However, Macduff was not born by woman, instead he was removed from the womb by a doctor, therefore he gets through the loophole set by the witches. This makes macbeth vulnerable, and also it takes away some of his confident swagger. Macduff kills the king and re-enters holding his head. " Hail, king! for so thou art behold, where stands Th' usurper's cursed head. The time is free. I see thee compassed with thy kingdom's pearl, That speak my salutation in their minds, Whose voices i desire aloud with mine: Hail, King of Scotland!"


At this point the story ends. I believe macbetth's downfall was when he stop acted upon what the witches told him. He simply believed that he could not be touched simply because the witches said it. However he did not believe that he would become king withought acting. I believe by changing what he did he sealed his fate of dying. It is possible that the witches knew that macbeth would act to become king after being told that he would be king. They could have foreseen everything, even macbeth dying upon meeting him. Which means they could interpret how macbeth would intepret and respond to what they would tell him. I believe that the wtiches, not macduff, where the ultimate killer of macbeth. This could translate to witch craft or magic in general leads to death. Dark forces which look to help, indeed will be the downfall of you. Foul is Fair, and Fair is Foul.