Question

After the climactic moment of a plot comes the falling action. From your reading of act IV, pinpoint and briefly describe the falling action in Macbeth.

Answer 1

Macbeth’s second meeting with the three witches signals the falling action of the play. The witches tell Macbeth that he should be wary of Macduff, but “none of woman born” will harm him. They also tell him that he has nothing to fear until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. When he asks about Banquo’s children, the witches show him a vision of eight kings of the Stuart line. He also sees Banquo behind the procession. Macbeth is scared and feels insecure. He decides to take action to secure his future. The falling action starts at this point in the plot and ends when Macbeth has a face-off with Macduff.

Earlier in the play, the unnatural killings of Duncan and Banquo disrupt the moral order. Macbeth began as a person with moral scruples. Lady Macbeth admonishes him for hesitating to pursue his goal, saying the he was "too full of the milk of human kindness." But along the way he sheds moral considerations. By the end of act IV, Macbeth’s tyranny has reached a head, and his desire for securing his position on the throne of England overpowers all good sense. He orders the killing of Macduff and his family. While Macduff avoids death, the hired assassins kill his wife and children.