Scene summary
In England, before the royal palace, Malcolm proposes to mourn Scotland, and Macduff prefers to take up arms, because the homeland suffers more each day. Malcolm, suspicious, reminds him that Macbeth was once thought honest, that Macduff may want to win favor with the tyrant by handing him over, and asks why he left his wife and children defenseless. Macduff takes offense and leaves. Then Malcolm pretends to be dominated by lust, avarice, and every vice, to the point of saying that Macbeth would look pure beside him. Macduff condemns him with indignation, calls him unfit to rule or to live, and prepares to leave. Malcolm then reveals that he lied, that he is the opposite of what he said, and that Siward is already preparing ten thousand soldiers for war. An English Doctor enters, speaking of the sick who await the king's cure, and Malcolm explains that this king heals with his touch the illness called "the King's Evil" and has the gift of prophecy. Ross arrives and describes a Scotland where no one smiles and deaths no longer move anyone. Pressed by Macduff, Ross finally tells that his castle was attacked and that his wife and children were killed. Macduff, stunned, says that it was for his faults, not theirs, that they were killed, and Malcolm asks that his grief turn into anger. Macduff asks to meet Macbeth face to face.
Analysis
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