Country near Birnam Wood.

Drum and colors. Enter MALCOLM, SIWARD, MACDUFF, SIWARD'S SON, MENTEITH, CAITHNESS, ANGUS, LENNOX, ROSS, and SOLDIERS, marching.

Malcolm. Kinsmen, I hope the time is coming when people will be safe in their own bedrooms.

Menteith. We don't doubt it.

Siward. What's the name of this forest behind us?

Menteith. Birnam Wood.

Malcolm. Tell every soldier to break off a branch and hold it in front of him. That way we can conceal how many of us there are, and Macbeth's spies will give him inaccurate reports.

Soldiers. We shall do it.

Siward. I have news that Macbeth and his wife have been spotted outside Dunsinane with packed horses. They seem to be leaving.

Malcolm. Why would he leave? He does not seem afraid of us, and his army is still getting ready for war.

Macduff. I will investigate, sir. I may have a chance to be rid of him for what he did to my family.

Exit MACDUFF.

Siward. Soon we'll find out what's really ours and what isn't. It's easy for us to get our hopes up just sitting around thinking about it, but the only way this is really going to be settled is by violence. So let's move our armies forward.

Exeunt, marching.