We concluded our study of Act IV by examining Act IV's role in the dramatic structure of the play. I first reviewed the Freytag dramatic structure and the role of hamartia and peripeteia within that structure. I then defined Aristotle's definition of catharsis and from there we discussed how Act IV's postponement of the inevitable climax of the play where MacDuff confronts Macbeth serves the play's structure. We further studied the motif of the fluidity of gender roles in the closing scene wherein Macduff -after learning that Macbeth has slaughtered his family- comments and redefines what is a "manly" reaction in response to Malcolm's taunts that McDuff should bear his grief like a "man." During our second session, Nina completed a written short essay assesment of the first acts of the play