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SCENE IV
Country near Birnam wood.

Drum and colours. Enter MALCOLM, SIWARD and YOUNG SIWARD, MACDUFF, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and Soldiers, marching

MALCOLM
Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand
That chambers will be safe.¹

MENTEITH
We doubt it nothing.²

SIWARD
What wood is this before us?

MENTEITH
The wood of Birnam.

MALCOLM
Let every soldier hew him down a bough
And bear't before him: thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host and make discovery
Err in report of us.³

Soldiers
It shall be done.

SIWARD
We learn no other but the confident tyrant
Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure
Our setting down before 't.⁴

MALCOLM
'Tis his main hope:
For where there is advantage to be given,
Both more and less have given him the revolt,
And none serve with him but constrained things
Whose hearts are absent too.⁵

MACDUFF
Let our just censures
Attend the true event, and put we on
Industrious soldiership.⁶

SIWARD
The time approaches
That will with due decision make us know
What we shall say we have and what we owe.
Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate,
But certain issue strokes must arbitrate:
Towards which advance the war.⁷

Exeunt, marching

FOOTNOTES

¹ I hope the day is soon when citizens can sleep soundly in their bedrooms.
² I agree.
³ Macbeth's spies will have inaccurate reports of our numbers.
⁴ We have no news except Macbeth is confident and in the castle, waiting to let us beseige it.
⁵ No one wants to fight with Macbeth except those who are forced to, and their hearts aren't in it.
⁶ We shouldn't make any judgments until we achieve our goal. Let's go fight like hardworking soldiers.
⁷ Soon we'll find out what's ours and what isn't. Let's not get our hopes yet Soon we'll find out what's really ours and what isn't. Let's not get our hopes up like this and just settle it by violence - we must advance to war.

SUMMARY
In the country near Birnam Wood, Malcolm speaks with English lord Siward and his officers about Macbeth's plan to defend the fortified castle. They decide that each soldier should cut down a bough of the forest and carry it in front of him as they march to the castle, disguising the large army they have.

Photo Credits:
Dimijian Images