Macbeth
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare

Macbeth Act V, Scene xi Summary

  • Malcolm, Siward, Ross, the thanes and soldiers all assess what's been going down during the battle at the castle. It looks like Siward's son (Young Siward) and Macduff are missing.
  • Ross delivers the news that Young Siward was slain by Macbeth. That's OK, says Young Siward's dad, at least he died "like a man." Old Siward goes on to say that if he had a lot of sons, he'd wish all of them could die in battle.
  • Things get even better when Macduff shows up with Macbeth's severed head and says hey guys, look what I’ve got!
  • Everyone turns to Malcolm and yells "Hail, King of Scotland." (Hmm. Isn't that how the witches greeted Macbeth back at the beginning of the play?)
  • Malcolm hushes everyone and delivers the play's final speech, which goes something like this: All the Scottish thanes will be made earls, as in the English system, making them the first earls in Scottish history. Plus, everyone who had to flee the country because of Macbeth's tyranny can come back home now. But, all those who helped "the dead butcher and his fiend-like queen" are going to be in serious trouble. And, by the way, it turns out that Lady Macbeth killed herself. Don't worry, though, because King Malcolm's going to fix everything in due time. For now, it's time to party – everyone's invited to the coronation ceremony at Scone.

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