Act 5, Scene 1: A gentlewoman reports to the doctor that Lady
Macbeth has been sleepwalking and confessing to the crimes she and Macbeth have committed. Lady Macbeth's guilt and remorse are revealed as she relives the events of Duncan's murder. Act 5, Scene 2: Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and Lennox gather their troops to join Malcolm and Macduff in their campaign against Macbeth. They discuss the tyrannical rule of Macbeth and the importance of freeing Scotland from his grip. Act 5, Scene 3: Macbeth awaits the approaching army and receives news that Lady Macbeth has died. Despite his grief, Macbeth declares that life is meaningless and prepares to defend his throne. Act 5, Scene 4: Malcolm orders his soldiers to cut branches from Birnam Wood and carry them as camouflage, fulfilling one of the witches' prophecies. This action symbolically fulfills the apparitions' warning to Macbeth. Act 5, Scene 5: Macbeth learns of the approach of the enemy troops and expresses his defiance and confidence in his invincibility. He believes the prophecies guarantee his safety. Act 5, Scene 6: Malcolm and his forces converge on Dunsinane Castle, preparing for the final battle against Macbeth. Act 5, Scene 7: Macbeth fights against Malcolm's army but realizes that the prophecies are coming true when he encounters Macduff. Macduff reveals that he was "untimely ripped" from his mother's womb through a cesarean section, meaning he was not technically "born of a woman." This revelation shatters Macbeth's belief in his invincibility. Act 5, Scene 8: Macduff kills Macbeth, fulfilling the witches' prophecy. Malcolm is declared the new king of Scotland, and order is restored. Act 5, Scene 9: Malcolm rewards those who supported his cause and expresses his desire to bring peace and healing to Scotland.