Malcolm
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The main idea
Malcolm learns caution in a court where appearances deceive. His return offers political repair after Macbeth’s rule.
Character development
Flees danger
Tests loyalty
Organises resistance
Restores the succession
Caution becomes judgement
“This murderous shaft” — Malcolm, 2.3
“What I am truly” — Malcolm, 4.3
The image of an arrow still in flight makes danger seem unfinished after Duncan’s death. In testing Macduff, Malcolm temporarily disguises himself before revealing his account of his true character.
A wounded country and repair
“It weeps, it bleeds” — Malcolm about Scotland, 4.3
“by the grace of Grace” — Malcolm, 5.9
Personification makes Scotland a suffering body. The final religious language proposes a different basis for rule from Macbeth’s fear and private ambition.
Develop the interpretation
His invented vices in 4.3 are part of a test; do not quote them as a straightforward confession of what he is really like.
Recall question
How does Malcolm’s testing of Macduff respond to the danger that killed Duncan?