Macbeth Act 5 Summary

Witness the tragic climax of Macbeth in Act 5. Summary includes Lady Macbeth's descent into madness, the moving Birnam Wood, the final battle, and Macbeth's downfall as the witches' prophecies are chillingly fulfilled.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 1

This scene is a pivotal moment of psychological revelation in Macbeth, showing the catastrophic effects of guilt.

Summary

The scene opens with a Doctor of Physic and a Gentlewoman who serves Lady Macbeth. The Gentlewoman has summoned the doctor because she is troubled by what she has seen: Lady Macbeth sleepwalking. The doctor has watched for two nights without result. The Gentlewoman explains that since Macbeth went to war (to face the invading English army), Lady Macbeth has been rising, writing a letter, sealing it, and returning to bed—all while fast asleep.

As they speak, Lady Macbeth enters, carrying a candle (taper). The Gentlewoman notes she always has light nearby, by her own command. They observe as Lady Macbeth begins her compulsive ritual of trying to wash her hands. She speaks, and the doctor decides to record her words.

Her speech is a fragmented, agonized reliving of the crimes:

1.     On Duncan's murder: "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" She struggles with the indelible bloodstain. She recalls the moment of the murder ("One. Two. Why then, 'tis time to do 't") and Macbeth's fear ("Hell is murky... a soldier, and afeard?"). She is haunted by the sheer volume of blood ("who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?").

2.     On the murder of Lady Macduff: "The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?" This shows her knowledge of Macbeth's later, independent atrocities.

3.     On her perpetual guilt: "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?" and "Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."

4.     On calming Macbeth: She shifts to moments of trying to manage her husband's guilt after the deeds: "Wash your hands... Look not so pale... Banquo's buried; he cannot come out on 's grave." She also returns to the night of Duncan's murder: "To bed, to bed. There's knocking at the gate... What's done cannot be undone."

After she exits, the doctor is horrified. He states that her ailment is spiritual, not medical ("More needs she the divine than the physician"). He advises the Gentlewoman to watch Lady Macbeth closely and remove any means of self-harm, before leaving, his mind utterly bewildered.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 2

Summary

Act 5, Scene 2 shifts the focus from the internal, private torment of Lady Macbeth to the external, public rebellion against Macbeth. On the Scottish countryside, a contingent of Scottish lords—Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and Lennox—and their soldiers march to join the approaching English army led by Malcolm, his uncle Siward, and Macduff.

The lords discuss the situation:

·        Menteith confirms the English army is near, driven by powerful motives for revenge.

·        Angus states their rendezvous point will be Birnam Wood.

·        Lennox notes that Donalbain is not with Malcolm, but that Malcolm's forces include many young, untested soldiers ("unrough youths").

·        They then discuss Macbeth's state. He is fortifying his castle at Dunsinane. Reports of his behavior vary: some call it madness, others "valiant fury." Angus delivers the key political analysis: Macbeth has lost control ("He cannot buckle his distempered cause / Within the belt of rule"). His subjects obey out of fear, not love, and his hold on the crown is illegitimate and ill-fitting.

·        Menteith suggests Macbeth's frenzied state is a natural recoil of a guilty conscience.

·        The lords resolve to march and give their true obedience to Malcolm, whom they see as the "med'cine of the sickly weal" (the cure for the sick commonwealth). Their mission is to purge Scotland of Macbeth's tyranny, even if it costs their lives.

The scene ends as they march toward Birnam Wood.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 3

Summary

Macbeth, in Dunsinane, defiantly dismisses reports of the advancing army, clinging to the witches' prophecies: he fears nothing until Birnam Wood moves and since all men are "born of woman," he believes himself invincible. He brashly curses the thanes who have deserted him for the English.

A terrified servant enters with news of the enemy. Macbeth viciously berates him for his fearful appearance before learning it's the English force. After dismissing the servant, Macbeth calls for his armor-bearer, Seyton. In a moment of stark introspection, he admits to being "sick at heart," feeling his life has fallen into the withered "yellow leaf," devoid of the honors of old age and filled only with curses and hollow flattery from his subjects.

When Seyton confirms the reports, Macbeth resolves to fight fiercely. He demands his armor despite Seyton's suggestion it's premature and orders a harsh crackdown on any talk of fear. He then turns to the Doctor attending Lady Macbeth. Upon hearing that her illness is psychological ("thick-coming fancies"), Macbeth demands an impossible cure: a medical remedy for a diseased mind, to erase "rooted sorrow." The doctor states the patient must heal herself, prompting Macbeth to dismiss medicine entirely.

As he is armed, Macbeth's thoughts spiral between military and spiritual sickness. He tells the doctor that if he could diagnose and cure Scotland's disease, he'd be widely praised. He then asks what drug could "scour" the English away. After reaffirming his false confidence in the prophecy, he exits. The doctor delivers a final aside, wishing to be far from Dunsinane, signaling the palpable danger and corruption of the place.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 4

Summary

The scene shifts to the outskirts of Birnam Wood, where Malcolm, the rightful heir, has united his English army with the Scottish rebel forces led by Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and Lennox. They are accompanied by Siward (English general) and Macduff.

Malcolm expresses hope that the time when people can sleep safely in their bedrooms ("chambers will be safe") is near. Menteith agrees. When Siward asks the name of the forest ahead, he is told it is Birnam Wood.

Malcolm immediately issues a tactical command: each soldier is to cut down a bough (branch) and carry it in front of him. This will conceal their true numbers from Macbeth's scouts.

Siward comments that their intelligence confirms the overconfident Macbeth remains entrenched in Dunsinane castle, expecting a siege. Malcolm confirms this is Macbeth's "main hope," but explains that Macbeth's army is composed only of conscripts ("constrained things") who serve without heart, having deserted in droves where possible.

Macduff cautions against over-speculation, urging them to focus on diligent soldiering ("industrious soldiership"). Siward echoes this, stating that only the outcome of battle ("certain issue strokes must arbitrate") will decide matters. They then march toward Dunsinane.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 5

Summary

In Dunsinane Castle, a defiant Macbeth orders banners hung on the outer walls, confident the fortress can withstand any siege until the attacking army is weakened by "famine and the ague." He laments that if Malcolm's forces weren't supplemented by his own deserters, he would meet them in open battle.

A cry of women is heard offstage. Seyton investigates. Macbeth reflects that he has become so numb to horror that nothing can startle him anymore. Seyton returns to announce, "The Queen, my lord, is dead." Macbeth responds with detached, nihilistic resignation ("She should have died hereafter"), then launches into the famous "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" soliloquy, depicting life as a meaningless, repetitive march toward death, a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.

Immediately, a Messenger enters, terrified to report that as he watched, Birnam Wood appeared to move toward Dunsinane. Macbeth first calls him a liar, then threatens him, but upon the Messenger's insistence, accepts the report. This realization destroys his final pillar of false security. He understands the witches have deceived him with a technical truth ("equivocation"). He commands his men to arm, resigning himself to his fate. Expressing weariness with life itself, he decides to go out and fight, declaring, "At least we'll die with harness on our back."

Macbeth Act 5 scene 6

Summary

The scene is brief and action-oriented. Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, and their army, still carrying the branches from Birnam Wood, arrive within sight of Dunsinane Castle.

Malcolm gives the command: "Your leafy screens throw down." This act reveals the army's true size and, more importantly, fulfills the witches' prophecy—Birnam Wood has now figuratively "come" to Dunsinane.

He then issues battle orders with calm authority:

1. Siward and his son will lead the "first battle" (vanguard).
2. Malcolm and Macduff will handle the rest of the plan ("what else remains to do") according to their strategy.

Siward responds with a rousing couplet, vowing to fight fiercely. Macduff orders the trumpets to sound, calling them "clamorous harbingers of blood and death." The scene concludes with the army advancing as battle alarums (offstage sounds of combat) begin.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 7

Summary

On the battlefield before Dunsinane, Macbeth enters, comparing himself to a bear tied to a stake for baiting—unable to flee, forced to fight. He briefly questions who, if anyone not "born of woman," he should fear.

Young Siward, the son of the English commander, encounters him. When Macbeth gives his name, Young Siward defiantly calls him the devil and attacks to prove his hatred is not fear. They fight, and Macbeth kills him. With cold contempt, Macbeth dismisses the victory: "Thou wast born of woman." He exits, still clinging to the prophecy.

Macduff enters, seeking Macbeth amidst the noise of battle. He is driven by a personal need for vengeance, fearing that if someone else kills Macbeth, the ghosts of his murdered family will haunt him. He refuses to waste his sword on common soldiers ("wretched kerns"), vowing to use it only on Macbeth.

Elsewhere on the field, Malcolm and Siward (the father) meet. Siward reports that Dunsinane Castle has surrendered easily ("gently rendered"). The battle is going well: Macbeth's own forces are fighting half-heartedly or even against each other, the loyal thanes are fighting bravely for Malcolm, and victory is near. Malcolm notes that some enemies intentionally miss them ("strike beside us"), indicating widespread desertion from Macbeth's cause.

Macbeth Act 5 scene 8

Summary

The scene begins with Macbeth alone on the battlefield, refusing to commit suicide like a defeated Roman ("play the Roman fool"). He resolves to keep fighting as long as he sees living opponents.

Macduff enters, demanding Macbeth face him. Macbeth reveals he has deliberately avoided Macduff, feeling overburdened with the blood of Macduff's family. Macduff, silent with rage, attacks. Macbeth, still clinging to the prophecy, boasts he leads a "charmed life" safe from anyone "of woman born." In response, Macduff delivers the fatal revelation: he was "from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped" (a Caesarean section).

This truth shatters Macbeth's final illusion. He curses the witches for their deceptive "double sense" that kept the literal promise but destroyed his hope. Defeated in spirit, he refuses to fight. Macduff then offers him a choice: yield and be displayed as a captured monster for public scorn. To avoid this ultimate humiliation, Macbeth chooses to fight on, declaring a final, desperate defiance.

They fight and exit. After an alarum, they re-enter fighting, and Macduff kills Macbeth and exits with his body.

The scene shifts to Malcolm, Siward, Ross, and others after the battle. They note the missing. Ross informs Siward that his son, Young Siward, died a soldier's noble death, his wounds on the front. Siward accepts this with stoic pride.

Macduff enters carrying Macbeth's severed head, hails Malcolm as King, and declares "The time is free." All the thanes echo the acclamation.

In his first speech as king, Malcolm addresses the restoration:

• He thanks his supporters and rewards them by elevating his thanes to the rank of earls, a new honor in Scotland.
• He outlines his future plans: to recall exiles, punish the "cruel ministers" of Macbeth's tyranny, and investigate the deaths of Macbeth and his "fiend-like queen" (Lady Macbeth, suspected suicide).
• He vows to rule justly ("by the grace of grace") and invites all to his coronation at Scone.