Act 1 Scene 4

Scene Summary

The play returns to Duncan who has just received the news of the previous Thane of Cawdor’s execution via his son Malcolm. They briefly discuss the nature of death before finally receiving Macbeth and Banquo, fresh from their encounter with the witches. Duncan gives great praise to Macbeth, stating they owe him much more than they can realistic give him. Macbeth responds loyally, claiming all he did was for Duncan and his loyalty to the crown. In a state of pride and happiness due to the great victory they all achieved, Duncan announces before his “sons, kinsmen and thanes” that his son, Malcolm, is to be named Prince of Cumberland and heir apparent to the throne.

He then tells Macbeth to invite everyone to Macbeth’s castle in Inverness to honour Macbeth for the great victories he has won. Speaking to himself, Macbeth becomes anxious of the king’s announcement, seeing Malcolm’s promotion to the Prince of Cumberland as a threat to his own supposed destiny.

Scene Analysis

The opposite of the previous scene, this part of the of the act is tonally lighter and holds much less importance to the overall story and themes of the play. This establishing scene mostly serves to bring Macbeth and Duncan together, and to begin to hint at Macbeth’s paranoia about his position. Like the previous scenes, there is also some subtle foreshadowing here, as Duncan and Malcolm’s conversation about the death and loyalty of the previous Thane of Cawdor ironically underscores Macbeth’s future betrayal of both of them. This conversation gives further weight to the idea that the position of Thane of Cawdor is a dark symbol of betrayal, death, and usurpation.