Commentary On Macbeth

Macbeth Oral Commentary

My assigned passage was Act 4, Scene 3, lines (1 ─ 27). In this passage, MacDuff arrives at the court of Edward the Confessor, King of England to bring the rightful heir back. MacDuff approaches Malcolm with an idea of convincing him into defending their homeland as the state of Scotland under Macbeth’s leadership is dreadful. Unsettled, Malcolm questions whether MacDuff’s appearance of loyalty is genuine, as Malcolm is in danger after the King 's death. Malcolm uses reverse psychology by degrading his status through saying he is inexperienced and could be betrayed effortlessly to see if MacDuff gives in. But, MacDuff keeps his stance on his loyalty and Malcolm considers how a virtuous man such as Macbeth can become nefarious. The passage I have chosen emphasizes how one 's intentions can be deceiving based on their appearance.

We are often misled by an illusion that appears to have pure intentions but in reality, do not. While Malcolm speaks to MacDuff he says, “Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell:” (25) In William Shakespeare’s poetic language, this biblical allusion refers to the one and only Lucifer. In most religions, Lucifer was known as God’s purest angel, the ‘brightest’ angel. However, Lucifer’s flaw was over ambition, which leads him to fall from heaven making him a ‘fallen angel,’ much similar to Macbeth. A ‘fallen angel’ represents a rejection from society, that was lead by their own free