Malcolm Macbeth Act Scene Macduff Macbeth’s Setting Final

Setting Act 5, Scene (final scene)

The final scene of 

’s 

Macbeth
https://www.bl.uk/works/macbeth

 signals balance after excess,  after tyranny, and calm after conflict. The noble Macduff has defeated Macbeth in single man-to-man combat, as an act of vengeance for the slaughter of his family. Macduff then presents the young Malcolm with Macbeth’s ‘cursed head’ as a trophy of victory. This marks the exchange of power from Macbeth as false ‘usurper’ to Malcolm as the legitimate ‘King’ (5.9.20‒21). Malcolm rewards his loyal thanes by making them Scotland’s first earls; he calls his people home from exile, and invites them to see him crowned. The broken circle seems mended as Malcolm – the son of the murdered King Duncan – is restored to the Scottish throne.

However, our reaction depends on how we see Malcolm, and how we respond to Macbeth’s death. There is a sense of poetic justice as Macbeth is brutally punished, but we also feel the tragedy of his wasted potential, and we might even question whether Malcolm’s reign will last.