English LiteratureISC Class 12 · Macbeth (Acts III, IV & V)

Macbeth Act IV: Apparitions, Lady Macduff and Malcolm's Test (ISC Class 12)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Act IV the witches' apparitions make Macbeth overconfident and he orders the killing of Macduff's family. Lady Macduff calls her husband a traitor before she is attacked. In England Malcolm tests Macduff by pretending to be vicious, reveals his true goodness when Macduff despairs, and Macduff vows revenge on hearing of his family's death.

Understand Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV)

The apparitions (IV.i). The witches brew their charm ('Double, double toil and trouble'). Three apparitions appear: an armed head ('Beware Macduff'); a bloody child ('none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth'); a crowned child holding a tree, who says Macbeth will not be vanquished until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Reassured, he asks about Banquo's issue and is shown a procession of eight kings, with Banquo's ghost smiling. When Lennox tells him Macduff has fled to England, he resolves to seize Fife and kill Macduff's wife and children. These answers are examples of equivocation: they sound like guarantees but have a hidden sense.

Lady Macduff (IV.ii). Told by Ross that her husband has fled, she says he 'wants the natural touch' and calls him a traitor. Ross calls Macduff 'noble, wise, judicious'. She talks sadly with her son. A messenger warns her to flee, but murderers enter, kill the son and pursue her.

The test (IV.iii). In England Malcolm pretends to be lustful, greedy and without any kingly virtue, to find out whether Macduff is honest. When Macduff despairs ('Bleed, bleed, poor country!'), Malcolm reveals the test and his true goodness, and says Siward is ready with ten thousand men. The holy King Edward's healing touch is described. Ross brings news that Macduff's wife and children have been slaughtered. Macduff grieves ('He has no children'; 'at one fell swoop'), says 'I must also feel it as a man', and vows revenge.

Three kinds of king. Macbeth is the tyrant; Edward is the saintly king who heals by touch; Malcolm lists the 'king-becoming graces' (justice, verity, temperance, stableness, bounty, perseverance, mercy) by pretending to lack them. Students often write about Macbeth's crimes instead of Malcolm's qualities when asked whether Malcolm has the kingly qualities Macbeth lacks.

Motives of Macduff. Lady Macduff and Malcolm both question his leaving; his reason is the cause of Scotland, and the test shows he is honest. Macduff's motives are a common source of confusion.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

He is noble, wise, judicious, and best knows The fits o' th' season.
Ross: Defending Macduff to his wife (IV.ii).
Ross presents Macduff as a wise patriot, not a traitor.
But I must also feel it as a man
Macduff: When Malcolm urges him to 'Dispute it like a man' (IV.iii).
True manliness includes grief.

Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV): key facts

The three apparitions: Armed head beware Macduff
Bloody child none of woman born
Crowned child with tree Birnam Wood to Dunsinane; Each sounds safe but hides a sense: equivocation.
Malcolm's king-becoming graces: justice
verity
temperance
stableness
bounty
perseverance
mercy; He lists them while pretending to lack them.
Macbeth versus Malcolm: Macbeth: insecure, ruthless, kills women and children | Malcolm: cautious, tests before trusting, aware of true kingship; Use as pairs in a comparison.

Armed head	beware Macduff
Bloody child	none of woman born
Crowned child with tree	Birnam Wood to Dunsinane

How to answer Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV) questions

Use this for questions on kingship and character in Act IV.

1State your position on the question in the first line.
2Give four points, each with an event from IV.i-iii.
3Add one short quotation.
4Compare with Macbeth where the question asks.
5Conclude with Malcolm's restoration of order.

Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV) in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Testing before trusting

Suppose a new student volunteer says he wants to help a school cleanliness drive, and the head girl first asks him a few misleading questions to check whether he really cares or only wants a badge.

How does this compare with Malcolm's test of Macduff in IV.iii, and is the method fair?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Malcolm pretends to be vicious to see Macduff's reaction.
The head girl also hides her real view to check honesty.
Both trust only after the person responds with real feeling.

Answer: Both use a test to protect an important cause. Malcolm's test is justified in a land where Macbeth sends agents against his enemies, and Macduff's despair ('Bleed, bleed, poor country!') proves his honesty.

Memory hook: Test first, trust later.

Tricks to remember Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV)

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

A-B-C
Armed head, Bloody child, Crowned child.
Use it when: The apparitions in order.
Test, Reveal, News
Malcolm tests, reveals, then Ross brings the news.
Use it when: The order of IV.iii.

Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV): solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Ross on Macduff · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

In IV.ii Ross describes Macduff as:
(a) cruel and greedy (b) noble, wise and judicious (c) cowardly (d) disloyal to Scotland

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Ross defends Macduff to his wife in IV.ii (1 mark).
His words: 'noble, wise, judicious'.

Answer: (b) noble, wise and judicious.

Example 2: Why Malcolm slanders himself · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonBoard level

Finish the sentence with the cause: Malcolm tells Macduff that he is lustful, greedy and without virtue because ____

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

He is not yet sure that Macduff is honest (reading of the scene).
The pretence is a test, ended when Macduff despairs for Scotland (0.5).

Answer: he wants to test whether Macduff is honest before he trusts him.

Example 3: Two views of Macduff (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Lady Macduff and Ross hold opposite views of Macduff's flight to England. State both views and say which one the later scenes support. (100-150 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Her view: he wants the natural touch, a traitor (1.5).
Ross's view: noble, wise, judicious (1.5).
Later scenes: his grief and honesty in IV.iii support Ross (2).

Answer: Lady Macduff thinks her husband has abandoned his family. She says he 'wants the natural touch', meaning he lacks natural affection, and calls him a traitor. Her anger comes from fear and from not knowing his reason. Ross sees the matter differently: he calls Macduff 'noble, wise, judicious' and says he knows best the fits of the season, meaning that he understands the dangerous time. The later scenes support Ross. In England Macduff despairs for Scotland ('Bleed, bleed, poor country!'), passes Malcolm's test and, on hearing of his family's death, grieves as a man and vows revenge on Macbeth. His flight was an act of duty to his country, not a lack of love, although it left his family exposed.

Example 4: Kingly qualities (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Name two qualities that would make Malcolm a better ruler than Macbeth and support each with an event from Act IV. (100-150 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Position (1).
Reason 1: cautious, tests Macduff (2).
Reason 2: names the king-becoming graces and shows mercy and justice (2).

Answer: Yes, Malcolm has qualities Macbeth lacks. First, he is cautious and shrewd. In IV.iii he tests Macduff by pretending to be lustful, greedy and without any virtue, and he reveals his true goodness only when Macduff despairs for Scotland ('Bleed, bleed, poor country!'). Macbeth, in contrast, trusts the witches and acts without thought. Second, Malcolm knows what true kingship is. He lists the king-becoming graces of justice, verity, temperance, stableness, bounty, perseverance and mercy by pretending to lack them, and he prepares a force of ten thousand men under Siward. Macbeth is insecure and cruel, ordering the killing of women and children, while Malcolm is just and moves with care to free Scotland.

Example 5: A test of manliness · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

When Malcolm urges him to 'Dispute it like a man', Macduff answers 'I must also feel it as a man'. Why is this answer important to the play's idea of manhood? (100-150 words)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Context: news of his family (1).
Macduff's view: grief is manly (2).
Contrast with earlier ideas of manhood and with Macbeth (2).

Answer: Macduff has just heard that his wife and children have been slaughtered. Malcolm tells him to meet the news like a man, meaning to turn grief into action. Macduff replies that he must also feel it as a man, which makes feeling part of manliness. This matters because the play often links manhood with cruelty and daring, as when Macbeth turns to murder to prove his courage. Macduff offers another view: a real man feels for others and then acts. His words 'He has no children' and 'at one fell swoop' show how deeply he is hurt. After he feels the loss, he vows revenge, so his grief turns into action against the tyrant.

Where students lose marks in Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV)

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Writing about Macbeth's crimes in a question on Malcolm
Students often confuse the two kings and write about Macbeth's crimes instead of Malcolm's qualities.
Wrong working
Malcolm is a murderer who killed Duncan.
Right working
Malcolm is Duncan's son; he tests Macduff and names the king-becoming graces.
Do this: Write Malcolm's name at the start of every paragraph.
Usually costs: 2 to 4 marks
Mistake: Saying all three apparitions are about Macduff
Only the first warns of Macduff.
Wrong working
The three apparitions all warn about Macduff.
Right working
Armed head: beware Macduff; bloody child: none of woman born; crowned child: Birnam Wood.
Do this: Learn A-B-C.
Usually costs: 1 mark
Mistake: Calling Macduff a traitor without Ross's defence
Lady Macduff calls him one; Ross calls him noble, wise, judicious.
Wrong working
Macduff was a traitor to his family.
Right working
Lady Macduff calls him a traitor; Ross defends him; the test shows his honesty.
Do this: Attribute opinions to speakers.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

Exam tips

Take a position in the first sentence of a 10-mark or 5-mark argument.
Attribute opinions: Lady Macduff says traitor; Ross says noble.
Use 'equivocation' for the apparitions and quote one phrase.
In a Malcolm question write his name and a quality in each point.
Do not narrate: choose events that prove your point.

Practice questions on Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV)

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Which apparition promises Macbeth that no man born of woman can harm him?
(a) the armed head (b) the bloody child (c) the crowned child with a tree (d) Banquo's ghost
Hint
The second apparition.
Answer
(b) the bloody child.
Q2 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Why does Macbeth feel safe after the apparitions? Why does this feeling help bring about his fall? (100-150 words)
Hint
Equivocation and Hecate's plan.
Answer
Macbeth feels safe because the apparitions seem to promise that no one born of woman can harm him and that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Both conditions sound impossible. His safety is therefore a false feeling, exactly as Hecate planned when she said security is mortals' chiefest enemy. The overconfidence leads him to act rashly: on hearing that Macduff has fled to England he decides to seize Fife and kill Macduff's wife and children. This cruelty turns Macduff into an avenger. Later, when Birnam Wood appears to move, Macbeth speaks of the 'equivocation of the fiend', which means he has been deceived by words that were true only in a hidden sense.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Show how the scene in Fife (IV.ii) increases our sympathy for the Macduffs and our condemnation of Macbeth. (100-150 words)
Hint
Innocence, the son, the murderers.
Answer
The scene in Fife shows an innocent family in its ordinary life. Lady Macduff is hurt and sharp with Ross but loving, and she banters sadly with her young son. A messenger warns her to flee, so the audience feels danger approaching. Then murderers enter, kill the son and pursue her. Nothing in the family has harmed Macbeth, so the attack proves that his tyranny has gone beyond any political need and that he now kills women and children. This increases sympathy for the Macduffs and condemnation of Macbeth. It also gives Macduff a strong personal reason for revenge, so that Macbeth's cruelty creates his enemy.
Q4 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
A reader says Malcolm is dishonest because he lies to Macduff in IV.iii. Evaluate this view. (100-150 words)
Hint
Purpose of the lie; how it ends.
Answer
The view is understandable but not convincing. Malcolm does pretend to be lustful and greedy and to lack all the king-becoming graces. However, he does so only to test whether Macduff is honest or an agent of Macbeth. In a country ruled by a tyrant, this caution is sensible. When Macduff reacts with despair for Scotland ('Bleed, bleed, poor country!'), Malcolm at once reveals the test and his true goodness, and says that Siward is ready with ten thousand men. The pretence is short, serves a good cause and is ended openly. It therefore shows his shrewdness rather than dishonesty, although the method is certainly strange for a future king.
Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Describe the episode of King Edward's healing touch in IV.iii and say how it contributes to the idea of kingship. (100-150 words)
Hint
Saintly king against tyrant.
Answer
In IV.iii Malcolm describes to Macduff how the holy King Edward cures the sick by his touch. The description presents Edward as a saintly king whose goodness benefits his people. The play sets him beside Macbeth, a tyrant who spreads fear, and beside Malcolm, who lists the king-becoming graces. England is also the place where Scotland's hope is gathering, since Malcolm is there and England has lent support through Siward. The episode therefore adds to the contrast between a king who heals and a king who destroys, and it prepares the audience to accept Malcolm as a king who will restore order in Scotland. The healing touch is a sign of goodness that Macbeth cannot imitate.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who warns of Macduff in the first apparition?Show answer
The armed head: Beware Macduff.
2.Where does Malcolm test Macduff?Show answer
At the English court (IV.iii).
3.What does Lady Macduff say Macduff wants?Show answer
The natural touch.
4.What does Macduff say he must do as a man?Show answer
Feel it.
5.Who is the holy king with the healing touch?Show answer
King Edward of England.
6.How many men is Siward said to have ready?Show answer
Ten thousand.

Malcolm, Macduff and the Test in England (Macbeth, Act IV): frequently asked questions

Why does Macbeth kill Macduff's family?

On hearing that Macduff has fled to England he resolves to seize Fife and kill his wife and children.

What do students often find difficult in Act IV?

Malcolm's kingly qualities and Macduff's motives are common sources of confusion.

What are the king-becoming graces?

Justice, verity, temperance, stableness, bounty, perseverance and mercy, as Malcolm lists them.

Is the test of Macduff a lie?

It is a pretence meant to test honesty and is ended as soon as Macduff shows his love for Scotland.