Macbeth Time Quotes Page 4

When Macduff says "the time is free" he means, in one sense, that Macbeth's reign has come to an end and the people of Scotland now live in freedom from tyranny. There's also an underlying suggestion here that time had somehow come to a halt when Macbeth murdered Duncan and became king. Now that the rightful heir, Malcolm, will be crowned monarch, linear time (which was disrupted by Macbeth), is back on track, just as lineal succession (also disrupted by Macbeth) is reestablished.