Chapter: SCENE IV.

Country nearDunsinane: a Wood in view.

[Enter, with drum and colours, Malcolm, old Siward and his Son,
Macduff, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, Ross, and Soldiers,
marching.]

MALCOLM.
Cousins, I hope the days are near at hand
That chambers will be safe.

MENTEITH.
We doubt it nothing.

SIWARD.
What wood is this before us?

MENTEITH.
The wood of Birnam.

MALCOLM.
Let every soldier hew him down a bough,
And bear't before him; thereby shall we shadow
The numbers of our host, and make discovery
Err in report of us.

SOLDIERS.
It shall be done.

SIWARD.
We learn no other but the confident tyrant
Keeps still in Dunsinane, and will endure
Our setting down before't.

MALCOLM.
'Tis his main hope:
For where there is advantage to be given,
Both more and less have given him the revolt;
And none serve with him but constrained things,
Whose hearts are absent too.

MACDUFF.
Let our just censures
Attend the true event, and put we on
Industrious soldiership.

SIWARD.
The time approaches,
That will with due decision make us know
What we shall say we have, and what we owe.
Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate;
But certain issue strokes must arbitrate:
Towards which advance the war.

[Exeunt, marching.]

 More people meet, specifically Malcolm, Siward, Macduff, Menteith, Caithness, Angus, Lennox, and Ross. Does anyone have a mnemonic for that? They hatch a plan: the soldiers will cut down branches to hide themselves under during the march to Dunsinane. Hm. That sounds a lot like the woods of Birnam are about to be on the move. Many of Macbeth's men have deserted him, and it's clear that those still siding with Macbeth don't believe in the cause. Still, Macbeth is so set in his certainty of victory that he is willing to let them march right up to Dunsinane, thinking the castle is protected from harm by the witches' prophecy. At this point, it might be wise to review that prophecy.

