Act V: Scene 6
Summary
Malcolm and
his troops have reached Dunsinane under the "leafy screens" of the
branches, thus fulfilling the prophecy of the apparitions: Birnam wood has come
to Dunsinane.
Analysis
The strong
sense of movement and of impending threat is generated throughout Act V by the
swift alternation of scenes. This, the briefest of all the scenes, at a mere
ten lines in length, enables the audience to follow the advancing forces of
Malcolm and England virtually to the walls of Dunsinane castle.
Two lines are
worth commenting on: First, Malcolm announces that Siward, his "worthy
uncle" shall lead the first battle, while Macduff and he complete the
encounter "According to our order." The phrasing of this, with the
implication that Siward is to be revered for his age and experience,
establishes very strongly the idea of propriety and orderliness in Malcolm's
army, in contrast with the comparative lawlessness and lovelessness of
Macbeth's regime.
The second
point occurs in the stirring final couplet, in which the trumpets sounding the
advance are referred to as "harbingers of blood and death"; a
harbinger is a sign of what is to come, a precursor of Destiny or Fate.
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