Hello and welcome to "Read it and (Don't) Weep," the podcast that will help you breeze through your high school literature classes. Are you tired of struggling to understand the themes and characters in classic works of literature? Well, I’ve got you covered! I am your host, Jackey Taggart, and I taught high school English for almost 20 years. Join me each episode as I dive into the world of high school literature and break down the essential elements of each work. From Shakespeare to Steinbeck, I'll cover it all. My goal is to give you valuable insights and analysis on some of the most popular high school literary texts, as well as tips and tricks for acing your tests and essays. Let’s start reading!

Act 5, Scene 6

As we come to the end of the play, we can see how the witches’ prophecies will bring Macbeth’s downfall.  But what about Macduff and who is the person not born of woman who will finally defeat Macbeth? If you have not yet read up to this point, it would be a good idea to get caught up with your reading and listen to my other episodes before continuing.

As the scene opens, we jump back outside the field next to Dunsinane. Malcolm, Macduff, Siward, and their soldiers arrive still carrying the branches from Birnam Wood.

Malcolm confirms they are close enough now and gives the order to drop the branches and reveal themselves. He tells the soldiers to throw down their leafy cover and “show like those you are.”

This is the moment the prophecy fully comes into focus. What looked impossible, a forest moving toward the castle, turns out to be a clever military strategy. But for Macbeth, the effect is the same. The witches’ words are coming true, just like before.

Malcolm quickly organizes the attack. He assigns the first charge to Siward and his son, trusting them to lead the opening assault. Malcolm and Macduff will follow with the rest of the army.

Siward accepts the plan and says that if they find the enemy tonight, they’ll fight, and if they don’t fight well, then they deserve the consequences. It’s a soldier’s way of saying the outcome will be decided by courage on the battlefield.

Macduff then calls for the trumpets to sound, describing them as the “clamorous harbingers of blood and death.”

With that, the battle begins.

This scene is short, but it’s important. The prophecy about Birnam Wood has now been fulfilled, and the final battle is about to begin.

Before moving on to the final scene, take some time to record your thoughts in your reading journal, how does the army’s use of the branches show the difference between prophecy and reality in the play?

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Act 5, Scene 7

In our last scene, we move to the battlefield outside the castle as the fighting reaches its peak.

Macbeth enters and realizes he’s trapped. He says, “They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, / But, bear-like, I must fight the course.” This moment actually reflects back to  Act 1, Scene 2, when Macbeth was praised for fighting bravely for Scotland. Back then, he was the hero defending his country. Now he’s still fighting to the end, but this time he’s the tyrant everyone else is trying to stop. In other words, there’s no escape now. He must stand and fight. Even now, he’s still clinging to the witches’ prophecy. He believes he’s safe from anyone “born of woman,” so he keeps fighting with that false confidence.

Young Siward enters and challenges him. Macbeth kills him quickly and again reassures himself that no one born of a woman can defeat him.

Meanwhile, Macduff is moving through the battlefield searching for Macbeth specifically. He ignores other soldiers because he wants Macbeth. He says if anyone else kills Macbeth, the ghosts of his wife and children will haunt him. This isn’t just war for Macduff, it’s personal. He wants to avenge his family. 

Malcolm and Siward report that the castle is already beginning to fall. Many of Macbeth’s own soldiers are switching sides or refusing to fight. Can you blame them? They have no loyalty to Macbeth. Everything is collapsing from within.

Then comes the moment we have been building towards. Macbeth re-enters and refuses to take his own life. He says he won’t “play the Roman fool” and die on his own sword while enemies still live. Then Macduff appears and calls him out, “Turn, hell-hound, turn.”

Macbeth tries to avoid the fight, saying he already has too much of Macduff’s blood on his conscience. But Macduff won’t have it. He says, “My voice is in my sword.” They fight.

During the duel, Macbeth boasts again about his “charmèd life,” insisting no one born of woman can harm him. And this is where the final truth comes out.

Macduff reveals he was “from his mother’s womb / Untimely ripped.” In other words, he was born by what we would call a Caesarean section — not technically “born” in the usual way. So the witches used their words wisely to deceive Macbeth into a false sense of security.  

At that moment, Macbeth is like, well that sucks. He knows he is defeated, and he finally understands the full meaning of the prophecy.  Macduff, a man not technically born of woman, will defeat him. 

He briefly considers giving up, but when Macduff taunts him with the idea of surrender and public shame, Macbeth refuses. He decides to fight to the end rather than kneel before Malcolm. They exit fighting.

Soon after, the battle ends. Malcolm and Siward enter, and Ross reports that Young Siward died bravely in battle. Siward accepts his son’s death with pride. 

Then Macduff returns carrying Macbeth’s head. He hails Malcolm as king, declaring the tyrant is dead and Scotland is free. The thanes and soldiers echo the cry: “Hail, King of Scotland.”

Malcolm’s final speech focuses on restoring order. He rewards loyalty, invites exiles home, and promises to repair the damage caused by Macbeth’s rule. He also confirms that Lady Macbeth is believed to have taken her own life.

The play ends with Malcolm preparing to be crowned at Scone, and the sound of trumpets signals that order has finally been restored.

And that is the end of the play. Before leaving, take some time to record one last thought in your reading journal, do you think Macbeth dies as a villain, a tragic hero, or both? Explain using this final scene.

Thank you for listening.  I’ll see you for our next reading!

Closing

Thanks for listening to this episode of Read it and (Don’t) Weep. Be sure to subscribe to the show so you will be notified when new episodes are released. If you liked today’s show, please leave a review so others can discover my show.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, drop me an email at readitanddontweep@gmail.com, or reach out to me on social media. I would love to hear from you. The links are in the show notes.  

Thank you for listening.  I am Jackey Taggart and remember to Read It and Don’t Weep.