Macbeth Act 5

The scene opens with Lady Macbeth's assistant and a doctor discussing her strange behaviour. She enters the stage and talks to herself about a spot on her hand (or Spot the dog...) that she can't remove, symbolising her guilt. She raves in a lunatic fashion about Banquo's ghost and the Doctor appears to clock onto the fact that she has seen something unutterable and has gone loopy as a result. The scene changes to the Scottish forces that have been amassed against Macbeth, discussing his murders and the impending reinforcements from Malcolm in England. Macbeth is made aware of the oncoming forces, and the illness of his wife, but buffers it with pithy retorts, remarks about geese and a general disregard for the reality of the situation. Nonetheless, he dons his armour in preparation to fight. Malcolm's forces arrive at Birnam wood, and he instructs them each to carry a branch from it as a message to Macbeth. The forces attack. Macbeth battles Young Siward and kills him, then battles Macduff, boasting (from the witches' prophesy) that no man born of a woman can harm him. Macduff explains that he was born prematurely, which somehow cancels the spell? - and promptly kills Macbeth. There's some stuff after, but that's effectively the end.

Macbeth Act 4

The Act opens with the witches conjuring apparitions for Macbeth to see. These visions give him warnings, not to trust Macduff and not to worry until the forests turn against his rule. Considering this, he orders the deaths of Macduff's wife and son. The murderer arrives at Castle Macduff just as Lady Macduff is pondering the injustice of the play as a whole, where foul is fair and fair is foul. Her son is murdered, but she appears to escape, although this is not made clear to the audience. Aside, Macduff and Malcolm discuss how Scotland is being destroyed by Macbeth's rule, and resolve to usurp him when possible.