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Macbeth Act 4 Scene 3: ISC Class 12 workbook answers
Get notes, workbook solutions, summary, questions and answers, and pdf of the drama/play Macbeth (Act 4 Scene 3) by William Shakespeare, which is part of ISC Class 12 English. However, the notes should only be treated as references, and changes should be made according to the needs of the students.
If you notice any errors in the notes, please mention them in the comments
Summary
In this scene, Macduff meets Malcolm in England and tries to persuade him to return to Scotland and overthrow Macbeth. Malcolm is initially suspicious of Macduff, thinking he may be an agent sent by Macbeth to lure him into a trap. To test Macduff’s loyalty, Malcolm pretends to be a worse tyrant than Macbeth, claiming he would be full of lust, greed, and other vices if he became king.
Macduff is shocked but still urges Malcolm to return, saying Scotland has enough wealth to satisfy his desires. He argues that Malcolm’s goodness will outweigh any faults. However, Malcolm continues to exaggerate his wickedness, saying he lacks all the kingly virtues and would destroy peace and goodness if he ruled.
Macduff finally despairs for Scotland, lamenting that the rightful heir to the throne is cursed by his own admission of evil. He prepares to leave, his hopes shattered. At this point, Malcolm drops the pretense and reveals he was just testing Macduff. He says Macduff’s integrity has removed all his doubts. Malcolm then shares that the English king has already provided thousands of troops led by Siward to help him reclaim the Scottish throne.
As they talk, a doctor appears and describes how the English king miraculously cures sick people with his touch. Malcolm confirms he has witnessed this himself and adds that the king also has the gift of prophecy.
Just then, Ross arrives from Scotland with news of the terrible suffering under Macbeth’s rule. Macduff asks about his own family and grows uneasy at Ross’s hesitant replies. When Ross finally reveals that Macbeth has had Macduff’s wife and children brutally murdered, Macduff is consumed by grief and guilt for leaving them unprotected.
Malcolm urges Macduff to turn his sorrow to anger and seek revenge against Macbeth. Macduff resolves to confront the tyrant in person, even if it costs him his own life. Malcolm says this is a manly response and declares that Macbeth is ripe for defeat. He invites Macduff to join him in returning to Scotland with their English allies to liberate their suffering homeland from the evil king’s reign.
Workbook answers
Multiple Choice Questions/Fill in the blanks
1. At the first instance, Malcolm considers Macduff to be
a. a traitor b. a flatterer c. a time-server d. a well-wisher
Answer: a. a traitor
2. Fill in the blanks in the extract:
Angels are bright still, though the…………….. fell.
Though all things……would wear the ..… Yet………must still look so.
Answer: Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell. Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace, Yet grace must still look so.
3. Malcolm feels that Scotland suffers under the burden of tyranny because……..
Answer: of Macbeth’s rule.
4. Malcolm confesses that if he were to be King, he would cut off the nobles for their……and this other’s house.
Answer: lands, desire his jewels
Context questions
1. Macduff: Let us rather
Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men
Bestride our downfall birthdom. Each new morn,
New idols howl, new orphans cry; new sorrows
Strike heaven on the face, that it resounds
As if it felt with Scotland, and yell’d out
Like syllable of dolour.
a. Who is the speaker? Who is he speaking to?
Answer: The speaker is Macduff. He is speaking to Malcolm.
b. What is the speaker’s main concern?
Answer: The speaker’s main concern is the suffering of the people in Scotland under Macbeth’s tyrannical rule.
c. What is the person’s attitude who is spoken to? Why has the person adopted such an attitude?
Answer: Malcolm is initially suspicious of Macduff, thinking he may be Macbeth’s agent sent to lure him to his destruction. Malcolm adopts this attitude to test Macduff’s sincerity.
d. What does the person accuse the speaker of? How does he justify the reason for doing so?
Answer: Malcolm accuses Macduff of possibly being treacherous like Macbeth. He justifies this by saying that a good person may falter when given power and responsibility.
e. Explain the lines: Each new morn….. ..like syllable of dolour.
Answer: Each new morning brings fresh cries of grief from new widows and orphans. The cries of sorrow strike the heavens until it resounds as if the heavens themselves felt Scotland’s pain and yelled out with the same anguished tone.
2. Malcolm: But Macbeth is,
A good and virtuous nature may recoil
In an imperial charge. But I shall crave your pardon;
That which you are my thoughts cannot transpose;
Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell;
Though all things foul would wear the brows of grace,
Yet grace must still look so.
a.What are Malcolm’s apprehensions regarding the credibility of Macduff?
Answer: Malcolm is apprehensive that Macduff may be working for Macbeth to lure Malcolm into a trap.
b. What does Malcolm say about virtue? Which example from the Bible does he give?
Answer: Malcolm says that even a virtuous person may falter when given imperial power. He gives the example of Lucifer, the brightest angel, who fell from grace.
c. What pertinent question does Malcolm ask Macduff regarding the latter deserting his family?
Answer: Malcolm asks Macduff why he left his wife and children unprotected in Scotland when he came to England.
d. How does Macduff react to Malcolm’s question?
Answer: Macduff is taken aback by Malcolm’s question and begins to lose hope that Malcolm will help save Scotland.
e. Why does he bid farewell to Malcolm?
Answer: Macduff bids farewell to Malcolm out of despair and a sense of betrayal. After Malcolm portrays himself as being full of vices and unfit to rule Scotland—claiming to be more harmful than Macbeth—Macduff is disheartened.
3. Malcolm: With this, there grows
In my most ill- composed affection such
A staunchless avarice, that, were I King,
I should cut off the nobles for their lands;
Desire his jewels, and this other’s house
And my more- having would be as a sauce
To make me hungry more; that I should forge
Quarrrels unjust against the good and loyal,
Destroying them for wealth.
a. What personal drawbacks of himself does Malcolm apprise Macduff of?
Answer: Malcolm reveals his excessive greed and insatiable desire for more, admitting that if he were king, he would unjustly take the lands of nobles, covet their wealth, and engage in further greed-driven actions that would harm the good and loyal for personal gain.
b. Why is Malcolm degrading himself in front of Macduff?
Answer: Malcolm degrades himself in front of Macduff to test Macduff’s loyalty and intentions. By presenting himself as worse than Macbeth, he aims to discern whether Macduff is genuinely opposed to tyranny or if he seeks to use Malcolm for his own ends.
c. How does Macduff’ show his desperation towards Malcolm? What does he say to Malcolm regarding the satisfaction of the latter’s greed?
Answer: Macduff shows his desperation by challenging Malcolm’s self-degradation, arguing that Scotland can offer enough to satisfy Malcolm’s stated greed without harming the good and loyal, thereby attempting to mitigate Malcolm’s concerns about his own suitability as king.
d. How does Malcolm go on to further degrade himself?
Answer: Malcolm further degrades himself by claiming he lacks the king-becoming graces such as justice, verity, temp’rance, and others. He admits to an abundance in the division of each several crime, suggesting he would bring greater harm to Scotland than Macbeth.
e. How does Macduff show his frustration towards Malcolm in the succeeding lines of the extract?
Answer: Macduff expresses his frustration and despair for Scotland’s future under Malcolm’s described leadership by questioning Malcolm’s fitness to govern and lamenting the state of a nation that might be led by someone who perceives himself as so deeply flawed and tyrannical.
4. Malcolm: Macduff, this noble passion,
Child of integrity, hath from my soul
Wip’ d the black scruples reconcil’d my thoughts
To thy good truth and honour. Devillish Macbeth
By many of these trains hath sought to win me
Into his power, and modest wisdom plucks me
From over credulous haste: but God above
Deal between thee and me!
a. What aroused the ‘black scruples’ in Malcolm’s mind against Macduff?
Answer: Malcolm’s ‘black scruples’ or doubts about Macduff were aroused by his suspicion of Macduff’s intentions, fearing that Macduff, who once supported Macbeth, might be a spy or traitor sent by Macbeth to lure Malcolm into a trap.
b. What made Malcolm remove the ‘black scruples’ regarding Macduff?
Answer: Malcolm’s doubts were removed by Macduff’s display of genuine passion and integrity, particularly Macduff’s reaction to the prospect of Malcolm being a worse ruler than Macbeth.
c. What does Malcolm tell Macduff in the succeeding lines of the extract about himself? How does he justify his credibility?
Answer: Malcolm reveals that his previous claims of vice and unworthiness were a test of Macduff’s loyalty, not true reflections of his character. He assures Macduff of his virtue, stating he has not been involved in the vices he claimed, thus restoring his credibility.
d. What good news does Malcolm give to Macduff? What does Macduff tell Malcolm that shows that he is wary of Malcolm now?
Answer: Malcolm shares that the English king has already dispatched an army of ten thousand soldiers led by Siward to invade Scotland. Macduff is wary, saying it’s hard to reconcile such welcome and unwelcome news at once.
e. Who enters the scene? What light does the person throw about the King of England?
Answer: A doctor enters the scene. He highlights King Edward’s miraculous healing abilities, describing how the King cures the “evil,” a disease thought incurable, through his divine gift.
5. Macduff: See, who comes here.
Malcolm: My countrymen; but yet I know him not.
a. Who comes here’? What news has the person brought about the terrible condition prevailing in Scotland at that time?
Answer: Ross enters, bringing news of the terrible conditions in Scotland under Macbeth’s rule. He says Scotland is like a grave where people are dying before their time.
b. What does Macduff ask the person that makes the person answer with a note of hesitation?
Answer: Macduff asks how his wife and children are doing.
c. What does the person tell Macduff which arouses the latter’s fears?
Answer: He, without providing a definite answer to Macduff’s queries, said that his wife and son were well at peace when he had left them, which aroused Macduff’s fears.
d. How does Macduff react to the sad news?
Answer: When Ross reveals that Macduff’s entire family has been brutally murdered, Macduff is overwhelmed with grief and anguish. He blames himself for leaving them unprotected.
e. How does Malcolm stir in Macduff the determination to take revenge on Macbeth?
Answer: Malcolm urges Macduff to turn his grief to anger and seek revenge on Macbeth. He says this is the only medicine to cure Macduff’s pain. Macduff resolves to confront the “fiend of Scotland” directly and kill Macbeth or die trying.
Extra/additional MCQs
1. Where does Macduff find Malcolm to urge him to attack Macbeth?
A. In Scotland B. At the English court C. In France D. At Macbeth’s castle
Answer: B. At the English court
2. Who provides Malcolm with ten thousand troops for the invasion of Scotland?
A. Macduff B. Ross C. Edward, king of England D. Siward
Answer: C. Edward, king of England
3. Who arrives with the news of the slaughter of Macduff’s household?
A. Malcolm B. A messenger C. Ross D. Siward
Answer: C. Ross
4. What does Malcolm suspect about Macduff initially?
A. That he is loyal to Macbeth B. That he is a spy C. That he is Macbeth’s agent D. That he is a traitor
Answer: C. That he is Macbeth’s agent
5. What virtue does Malcolm falsely claim to lack?
A. Mercy B. Justice C. Loyalty D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
6. What is Malcolm’s reaction to the news of Macduff’s family’s murder?
A. Indifference B. Grief C. Joy D. Anger
Answer: B. Grief
7. What does Macduff seek to do after learning of his family’s fate?
A. Flee further B. Seek peace C. Avenge himself on Macbeth D. Join Macbeth
Answer: C. Avenge himself on Macbeth
8. Who is the commander of the ten thousand troops given to Malcolm?
A. Macduff B. Ross C. Edward D. Siward
Answer: D. Siward
9. What disease does the King of England cure?
A. The plague B. The evil C. Leprosy D. Smallpox
Answer: B. The evil
10. What does Malcolm plan to do upon returning to Scotland?
A. Reclaim the throne B. Join forces with Macbeth C. Leave immediately D. Surrender to Macbeth
Answer: A. Reclaim the throne
11. How does Malcolm describe his own vices compared to Macbeth’s?
A. Less severe B. Nonexistent C. More severe D. Similar
Answer: C. More severe
12. How does Ross describe the state of Scotland under Macbeth’s rule?
A. Prosperous B. Peaceful C. Tyrannical D. Unchanged
Answer: C. Tyrannical
13. What role does Edward play in Malcolm’s plans against Macbeth?
A. Advisor B. Spy C. Financial supporter D. Military supporter
Answer: D. Military supporter
14. What unique ability is attributed to the King of England?
A. Immortality B. Healing C. Invisibility D. Super strength
Answer: B. Healing
15. How does Malcolm test Macduff’s loyalty?
A. By accusing him of treachery B. By claiming to have greater vices than Macbeth C. By offering him wealth D. By threatening his family
Answer: B. By claiming to have greater vices than Macbeth
16. What condition does Scotland find itself in according to Ross?
A. Flourishing B. At war C. In tyranny D. In peace
Answer: C. In tyranny
17. Who does Malcolm consider his true countrymen upon his return?
A. The English B. The Scottish refugees C. Those loyal to Macbeth D. The Scottish soldiers
Answer: B. The Scottish refugees
18. What emotional response does Macduff have to the murder of his family?
A. Resignation B. Relief C. Fury and sorrow D. Indifference
Answer: C. Fury and sorrow
Extra/additional questions and answers
1. Why does Macduff flee Scotland to seek Malcolm at the English court?
Answer: Macduff flees from Scotland partly from fear of the tyranny of Macbeth and partly to expedite reactionary forces against him.
2. How does Malcolm initially respond to Macduff’s news about Scotland’s dire situation under Macbeth’s rule?
Answer: Malcolm is suspicious and it is with this suspicion that he receives the news from Macduff. He suspects Macduff of being a spy deported to England to entice Malcolm.
3. What suspicion does Malcolm have towards Macduff upon their meeting in England?
Answer: Malcolm suspects Macduff because he had once been a supporter of Macbeth. He suspects Macduff of being a spy deported to England to entice Malcolm.
4. How does Malcolm test Macduff’s loyalty and sincerity?
Answer: In order to test Macduff’s sincerity and loyalty, Malcolm speaks against his own self, and degrades himself to the lowest and tries to read Macduff’s mind. He openly criticizes himself to be one who is worse than Macbeth as he is full of vices of criminal temperament and may be not fit to rule Scotland.
5. What are Malcolm’s stated reasons for considering himself unfit to rule Scotland?
Answer: Malcolm tells Macduff that he lacks the kingly qualities as he is liable to incite the subjects against one another. He says he has vices like boundless lust, stanchless avarice (greed), and would destroy nobles for wealth if he became king.
6. How does Macduff react to Malcolm’s self-deprecation and claims of vice?
Answer: Macduff is unmoved by what Malcolm says as he cannot believe that Malcolm could be a worst tyrant than Macbeth and tells him that so long as his vices are not exposed the country will be well satisfied accepting him as their King.
7. Describe the significance of Ross’s arrival at the English court. What news does he bring?
Answer: Ross makes his appearance at the English court. He repeats, emphasizes and confirms the story of the evil fate of Scotland under the tyranny of Macbeth. He ultimately delivers the news of the ghastly murder of Macduff’s wife and innocent son.
8. How does the news delivered by Ross impact Macduff, particularly regarding his family?
Answer: The news of the murder of Macduff’s wife and children sends Macduff into rage and fury and he is filled with sorrow.
9. What role does Edward the Confessor play in Malcolm’s plan to invade Scotland?
Answer: Malcolm reveals that the King of England, Edward the Confessor, has provided an army of ten thousand soldiers under the able English veteran Old Siward to aid in the invasion of Scotland.
10. How does Malcolm plan to utilize the English forces provided by Edward the Confessor?
Answer: It is decided that Malcolm, Macduff and Old Siward along with an army of soldiers, will invade Scotland immediately to restore peace, prosperity and happiness to afflicted Scotland.
11. In what ways does Malcolm attempt to verify Macduff’s intentions and loyalty?
Answer: Malcolm pretends to have evil and greedy intentions himself in order to test whether Macduff will still support him as king. When Macduff remains loyal despite Malcolm’s claims of vice, Malcolm is convinced of Macduff’s sincerity.
12. What changes Macduff’s grief into a desire for revenge against Macbeth?
Answer: Upon learning of the murder of his wife and children from Ross, Macduff is initially grief-stricken. But following Malcolm’s advice to “let grief convert to anger” and become the “whetstone of your sword”, Macduff resolves to avenge his family by rebelling against Macbeth.
13. What are the “king-becoming graces” that Malcolm claims he lacks?
Answer: The “king-becoming graces” Malcolm claims to lack are justice, verity (truth), temperance, stableness, bounty, perseverance, mercy, lowliness, devotion, patience, courage, fortitude.
14. How does the scene depict the concept of “the king’s evil” and its significance?
Answer: The scene mentions that the King of England possesses healing powers to cure the “king’s evil”, which Malcolm explains to Macduff is a serious disease which defies all the cures of the doctors. It is said that the king bequeaths this gift of healing to his successors, depicting the divine powers and significance accorded to royalty.
15. What are the main reasons Malcolm gives for initially refusing to lead a rebellion against Macbeth?
Answer: Malcolm’s main stated reasons for initially refusing to rebel are: 1) Suspicion that Macduff is an agent of Macbeth trying to lure him to destruction, and 2) Claiming he himself lacks the virtues to be a good king and would make a tyrant worse than Macbeth.
16. How does Macduff prove his loyalty to Malcolm and Scotland in their conversation?
Answer: Macduff proves his loyalty by remaining steadfast in his support for Malcolm as the rightful king despite Malcolm’s claims about his own vices and unfitness to rule. Macduff’s outrage at Malcolm’s self-deprecation convinces Malcolm of Macduff’s sincere patriotism.
17. Explain the term “fee-grief” as used in the conversation between Macduff and Ross.
Answer: When Ross mentions “fee-grief”, he is referring to an estate in fee which is the largest estate in land known to English law. So a “fee-grief” implies a grief or sorrow so immense that it is like an estate of the greatest magnitude.
18. What is Malcolm’s reaction upon hearing about the fate of Macduff’s family, and how does he counsel Macduff?
Answer: Upon hearing the news of Macduff’s family being murdered, Malcolm is merciful and counsels Macduff – “Be comforted. Let’s make us medicines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief.” He advises Macduff to convert his grief into a desire for vengeance against Macbeth.
