proposes, but as soon as the rest have gone, Malcolm and Donalbain make their plans to escape the place where their father was butchered. Malcolm doesn't point the finger at anyone in particular, but he feels that someone is faking grief for King Duncan. As he says, "To show an unfelt sorrow is an office / Which the false man does easy" (2.3.136-137). He's going to England. Donalbain agrees that "There's daggers in men's smiles" (2.3.140), and he's going to Ireland. That way, they'll have a little additional safety, because no one will be able to kill them both at once. In a moment they're gone into the night, without saying goodbye to anyone, not even each other. Summary of Act 2, Scene 4: Ross and an Old Man discuss what an unnatural night it has been. . . . Ross and Macduff doubtfully discuss the news that Malcolm and Donalbain are responsible for their father's murder. . . . Ross heads for Scone, to see Macbeth crowned King of Scotland, but Macduff is going to stay home. Enter Ross and an Old Man.Old Man: "I have seen / Hours dreadful and things strange; but this sore night / Hath trifled former knowings" (2.4.2-4). Enter Macduff.Ross: "Is't known who did this more than bloody deed? (2.4.22). Enter Ross and an Old Man: This short scene is like the rumblings of distant thunder. It reminds you of the great storm that has just passed, and suggests that another may be on the way. The discovery of King Duncan's corpse happened shortly after 3 a.m. Now it is daytime, but still strangely dark. The place is somewhere near Macbeth's castle, and Ross is talking to an Old Man. Ross is a minor character who seems to function as an observer of Macbeth. He was the one who appeared in the second scene of the play to tell the final part of the story of Macbeth's defeat of the rebel forces led by the first Thane of Cawdor. It was Ross (accompanied by Angus) who first greeted Macbeth with the title of Thane of Cawdor. And Ross probably saw Macbeth k...
