Lingering Harbinger of Bad News

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     The amount of time it took Ross to tell Macduff that his entire family had been murdered was far too long.  In Act IV Scene III, Ross enters the scene just after Malcolm has declared he will come back to Scotland.  Macduff asks Ross how his family is, and while the audience knows that they are not doing well, Ross states just the opposite.  It is not until after Ross hears that Malcolm, Siward, and 10,000 troops will be coming to Scotland that he reveals the news to Macduff.  After delaying it even further by pleading for Macduff not to hate him after he has stated what he must, Ross finally spits out what has occurred.  Following his dancing around the topic for far too long, Ross only took the chance to tell Macduff about his family after good news was spread.  Nevertheless, Ross knew the entire time that Macduff's family was not well, but he waited an eternity to reveal it.
     This can be reflected outside of the play when an individual needs to ask their parents for permission or break bad news to them.  Most often, an individual will wait until they know that their parents are in a positive state of mind because that will cause them to be more likely to say yes to what they are asking for or be less angry about the bad news they bring to them.  Similarly, Ross waits until he knows Macduff is in a positive state of mind, due to Malcolm's soon return, because that will cause him to possibly be less angry about his family being murdered.

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