Unnatural Omens After Duncan’s Murder
Act 2, Scene 4 of Macbeth takes place outside Macbeth’s castle, where Ross and an Old Man discuss the disturbing events that have accompanied King Duncan’s murder. The Old Man, who has lived seventy years, declares that this night has surpassed every horror he has ever witnessed. Ross observes that darkness has swallowed the daytime sky, as though the heavens themselves are reacting to the crime committed below. Their exchange establishes a powerful connection between the political upheaval and the natural world’s response to it.
Nature in Revolt
The two men catalog a series of unnatural events that serve as omens of the chaos Duncan’s murder has unleashed. The Old Man reports that a mousing owl—a lowly predator that normally hunts on the ground—attacked and killed a falcon soaring at the height of its flight. Ross adds that Duncan’s own horses, once the finest of their breed, broke free from their stalls, turned wild, and—most horrifyingly—devoured each other. Shakespeare uses these violations of the natural order to mirror the violation of the political order: just as an owl should not kill a falcon and horses should not eat one another, a subject should not murder his king.
Macduff’s News and a Quiet Act of Defiance
When Macduff arrives, he reports the official account of Duncan’s death. The chamberlains whom Macbeth killed are blamed for the murder, while Malcolm and Donalbain—who have fled Scotland—are suspected of having hired them. Ross remarks on the perverse irony of sons destroying their own father, and concludes that the crown will now fall to Macbeth. Macduff confirms that Macbeth has already traveled to Scone to be crowned, and that Duncan’s body has been taken to Colmekill (Iona), the traditional burial place of Scottish kings.
The scene ends with a telling exchange. When Ross asks Macduff if he plans to attend the coronation at Scone, Macduff refuses, saying he will go home to Fife instead. His parting words—“Lest our old robes sit easier than our new”—hint at his suspicion that the new regime will prove worse than the old one. The Old Man closes the scene with a blessing that quietly underscores the moral uncertainty hanging over Scotland. This brief but densely symbolic scene marks the transition from Duncan’s reign to Macbeth’s, and plants the first seeds of the opposition that will eventually bring Macbeth down.