Scene 1

• setting: the king‘s palace in Dunsinane
• a doctor and a gentlewoman discuss Lady Macbeth‘s condition as she is sleepwalking
• the lady enters in a trance with a candle in her hand and mourns over the murders of Lady Macduff and Banquo
• she also seems to see blood on her hands and states that nothing is capable of washing it off
• after she has left the room, the doctor and the gentlewoman wonder about her descent into madness

Scene 2

• setting: the country near Dunsinane
• the lords Menteth, Cathness, Angus and Lenox decide to join Malcom and the English forces staying at Birnam Wood, close to Macbeth‘s stronghold

Scene 3

• setting: a room in the castle Dunsinane
• Macbeth ignores the reports of invasion because he trusts in the prophecies of the witches
• a servant enters and informs Macbeth about the approach of a huge, unrecognizable form
• Macbeth seems to be discouraged and angrily orders the servant to put on his armor
• a doctor apporaches and Macbeth learns from him about his wife‘s sleeplessness
• Macbeth demands that his wife be cured from those delusions

Scene 4

• setting: country near Dunsinane, a wood in view
• the English and Scottish armies meet at Birnam Wood
• Malcolm orders the soldiers to cut away branches from the trees and carry it in front of them in order to hide the actual size of the army from Macbeth‘s sight

Scene 5

• setting: inside the castle of Dunsinane
• Macbeth demands that banners be hung and brags that his castle will repel the enemy
• he is interrupted by a woman‘s cry
• Seyton (Macbeth‘s chief servant) informs Macbeth that his wife is dead, the reader does not know why though
• Macbeth is left to contemplate a lonely future of endless tomorrows signifying nothing
• a messenger reports that Birnam Wood appears to have moved towards Dunsinane
• Macbeth recalls the prophecies of Act IV and declares that he is tired of the sun and that at least he will die fighting

Scene 6

• setting: a plain before the castle Dunsinane
• the battle begins and Malcolm orders the soldiers to draw their swords

Scene 7

• Macbeth is challenged by the courageous son of Siward who loses his life
• Macduff looks for the man who slayed his family
• Macbeth‘s forces have surrendered Dunsinane castle

Scene 8

• on another part of the battlefield, Macbeth and Macduff finally face each other
• they start fighting, and when Macbeth insists that he is invincible because of the witches’ prophecy, Macduff tells Macbeth that he was ripped out of the womb of his mother
• Macbeth fears for his life but at the same time, he claims that he will not surrender
• Macduff beheads Macbeth

Scene 9

• setting: inside the castle of Dunsinane
• Malcolm and Siward take a walk in the castle together
• Rosse tells Siward that his son has died a noble death facing his enemy instead of running away from it
• Macduff enters with Macbeth‘s head in his hand proclaims Malcolm King of Scotland
• Malcolm adopts the English system of peerage and appoints all of the thanes to earls
• Malcolm curses Macbeth and his queen

Function Scenes 1-9

• in Act V, only short scenes prevail - each of them furthering the action toward its violent climax on the battlefield
• Macbeth and his wife‘s descend into madness reaches its climax in this act as well
  
  • Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk and she seems to believe that her hands are stained with blood which is ironic if one thinks about the fact that she claimed earlier that Macbeth could just use a little water to wash off the blood (and guilt) from his hands after murdering King Duncan
  • Macbeth is also unable to sleep
  • he in fact murdered sleep as a voice cried out in Act II, Scene 2
• Lady Macbeth dies
  
  • her death is only implicitly stated and is just reported
  • Macbeth reacts very indifferently to the news of his wife‘s death
  • this indifference can be interpreted as some kind of despair over the fact that his life is gravely in danger
  • Macbeth‘s soliloquy is a famous expression of despair and point to Macbeth‘s feelings of hopelessness as well as to the meaninglessness of his crimes
• Macbeth‘s death as powerful relief
  
  • Malcolm‘s victory and his regaining the crown saves Scotland from the chaos Macbeth has caused