throughout the play shakespeare gives the audience the extra knowledge of what the characters are thinking. this is known as spoken thoughts. this allows the characters to give the audience an insight to their plans that come in on futher in the play, they foreshadow plans and actions that happen later on in the play. an example of this is macbeth finds out that macduff has fled to england. at the end of the quote he says ‘ to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done. this means that macbeth this thinking that he what he thinks he must do. at this point he thinks that macduff is a traitor to macbeth because he didn’t go to his party and has now left the country. macbeth is worried that his secret about killing the king and banquo will get out and macbeth thinks that killing all of macduff’s family his secret will be safe.

scene 4 act 1

macbeth arrives and demands that the witches answer his questions. the witches master takes the form of apparitions . an armed head warns macbeth about macduff but a bloody child reassures him that he can not be harmed by any man to whom a woman has given birth. macbeth vows to kill macduff, to keep his secret safe. at macbeth’s insistence to know whether banquo’s descendants will ever be kings, the witches show a procession of eight kings with banquo. this shows that the kings before macbeth. the witches disappear and lenox arrives to report that macduff has fled to england. macbeth decides to attack macduff’s castle and kill his family.

act 4 scene 2

lady macduff
son
murderer
rosse
messenger

lady macduff tells rosse that her husband has left to england. she calls him a traitor. lady macduff tells hr son that his father has left and that he is a traitor and is dead (he’s not really)he is only dead to lady macduff because he left is family. her son doesn’t think his dad is a traitor, and that he’s not dead. a messenger arrives to tell lady macduff that there is a murderer coming. the murderer comes in and stabs macduff’s son, and then pursue his fleeding mother.