Macbeth · Chapter
Scene IV: The Naming of the Prince of Cumberland explained
At the royal palace in Forres, King Duncan learns of the Thane of Cawdor's execution and reflects on the difficulty of judging character from appearance.
What happens
At the royal palace in Forres, King Duncan learns of the Thane of Cawdor's execution and reflects on the difficulty of judging character from appearance. He warmly welcomes Macbeth and Banquo, praising their valor. Duncan then announces that his son Malcolm will be Prince of Cumberland, the heir to the throne. This declaration stirs Macbeth's hidden ambition, and in an aside he acknowledges that Malcolm now stands as an obstacle he must overcome. Macbeth departs to prepare for the king's visit to Inverness.
Themes in this chapter
Ambition and Power
Macbeth's aside reveals his growing ambition and willingness to consider dark deeds to seize the throne, sparked by Malcolm's designation as heir.
Appearance vs. Reality
Duncan's reflection on the executed Cawdor—'There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face'—foreshadows the deceptive appearances of Macbeth, who outwardly shows loyalty while harboring treacherous desires.
Characters to notice
- King Duncan
Duncan reflects on the executed Thane of Cawdor, noting the difficulty of reading a man's mind from his face. He warmly greets Macbeth and Banquo, and names Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland.
- Malcolm
Malcolm reports the death of the Thane of Cawdor and is named Prince of Cumberland by his father, making him the official heir to the throne.
- Macbeth
Macbeth is praised by Duncan and receives the title of Thane of Cawdor. In an aside, he reveals his dark ambition and desire to overcome Malcolm, who now stands in his path to the throne.
- Banquo
Banquo is warmly welcomed by Duncan and acknowledged for his equal merit alongside Macbeth.
- Ross
Ross enters with Macbeth and Banquo, having accompanied them to the palace.
- Angus
Angus enters with Macbeth and Banquo, part of the group returning from the battlefield.
Key passages
“There’s no art To find the mind’s construction in the face: He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust.”
It's impossible to read someone's true thoughts from their outward appearance; I trusted him completely.
Duncan laments his misplaced trust in the Thane of Cawdor, unknowingly foreshadowing his own fate with Macbeth.
“The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies.”
Malcolm being named heir is an obstacle I must either overcome or be destroyed by.
Macbeth's aside reveals his immediate recognition of Malcolm as a barrier to his ambition.
“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires: The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be, Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.”
Let darkness conceal my evil intentions; let my eyes ignore what my hands do, even though they dread witnessing the act.
Macbeth calls on darkness to hide his murderous ambition from the world and from himself.