Evaluating Speaker Credibility Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating Speaker Credibility - Assignment Example Her observations in her job as a policewoman greatly influence her beliefs such that it makes her trustworthy in speaking about the issue. 2. Citing evidences from the US Supreme Court cases helps enhance her persuasiveness. On the other hand, the evidences may not be effective in defending her opinions especially in delivering her speech. If she does not seem confident in delivering all the facts that she was able to gather, her advocacy may be stronger and more trustworthy. Death penalty for juveniles is a critical issue. Her confidence in delivering the facts demonstrates her own beliefs. If she looks hesitant, then, it only shows how unsure she is of her own findings and beliefs. 3. Darlene’s experiences in the juvenile crime unit contribute to her credibility to speak about the topic, as much as the evidences she obtained based from the US Supreme Court. Although she may appear hesitant in presenting these facts, the obvious reason that she had been through close encounters with the victims of such issue is already enough for her to become sincere in her convictions. Her responsibility, which is believed to arrest law offenders, also allows her to be an advocate of a law that recognizes human rights. 4. In order to convince people that one is credible to speak of an issue or even just his own opinion, he must be well-aware of these evidences and therefore must be confident in delivering them to the public. Darlene must study in detail the facts that she should present. She should also be able to connect the facts presented into different areas that also concern the issue in order to strengthen her convictions. This would give the audience the idea that she knows exactly what she is talking

Analysis of the Public and Private Sports Industry

Analysis of the Public and Private Sports Industry Public, private and voluntary sectors in the sports industry, advantages and disadvantages of the leisure centre being in the public sector, how the local leisure centre can meet the aim of getting more local clubs to use its facilities. Introduction â€Å"Since the opportunity to participate in sport or recreation requires facilities, the central task of organisations, and associated individuals, is to provide a service which focuses on people and which satisfies that need.†[1] The sports industry has changed beyond all recognition since the beginning of the 1990’s in each of the public, private and voluntary sectors. The impetus has come from top level government policy with the creation of the UK Sports Council and the formation of the chief sporting bodies such as Sport England offering both funding and structure to the previously ad hoc nature of leisure and recreation in modern Britain. Moreover, the lure of professional sport has also irrevocably changed in tandem with the structural changes in amateur sport with the result that there is, at the dawn of the twenty first century, more people are taking an active part in sport, which has further increased the pressure on local services such as leisure centres. There are though vast differences between the way that the public and private sector sports providers are run and funded as shall now become apparent. The Private Sector With regards to the sports industry, the private sector refers to those leisure services that are funded by private capital and open only to private membership. This can mean anything from specialist professional sports clubs to health and fitness clubs to local sports teams that have been established and sponsored by local and national businesses alike. The advantages of this kind of sporting industry are predominantly economic with the funding of private sports clubs historically far outstripping the economic resources available to equivalent public sector sports services. Certainly in the 1970’s and 1980’s, private sector sports industries were far more popular and productive than their public sector counterparts mirrored in the elevated sporting achievements of private school sporting institutions as opposed to the relative failings of the same public (comprehensive) school sports bodies. There are, however, inherent disadvantages to sports and leisure services that rely exclusively on the private sector for funding. First and foremost, there are no guarantees that the source of that funding will remain constant for any fixed length of time. Benefactors are subject to the ups and downs of the free market economy, which can result in sharp reductions as well as rises in the level of funding provided. In addition, any leisure service that is inexorably tied to the private sector also inevitably suffers from the lack of community spirit that can only be adequately garnered through association with the local public authorities. Thus, while the advantages to sports services in the private sector appear on the surface to be all encompassing, the reality is that the lack of stability that characterises all facets of the private sector economy hampers the sustained growth and popularity. The Public Sector â€Å"We know that sport can make a positive contribution to national morale, health and the economy. We believe that it can enhance community spirit, equality of opportunity, personal development and social integration.†[2] As the above quotation from the UK Sports Council in 1992 attests, the government has radically altered the way in which it views sport and the national leisure industry. The leisure industry is no longer seen as a vehicle through which to achieve solely sporting success; rather, sport within the corridors of power in Westminster is now seen as a way of combating such issues as obesity, social exclusion and perceived self‑competence. â€Å"Sports are vehicles of identity, providing people with a sense of difference and a way of classifying themselves and others.†[3] As a direct result, funding within the public sector has seen a sharp, unprecedented rise since the early 1990’s with the government acting as the focal point behind this increase in official spending. An investment of  £1.5 billion over the next five years by way of state sponsored assistance has been promised by Westminster to further increase the organisational structures and performance levels of adult and child athletes who train and practice within the public sector. This money, bolstered by funding generated from institutions such as the National Lottery, is delegated to local sports authorities within Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland or Sport Northern Ireland and injected into the local community. Furthermore, local government spends approximately  £1 billion per year on sport and leisure, which is more than 50% of the total resources available to sport. This financial injection is far beyond any investment proposed by private capital; in fact, because of this large economic discrepancy, the private sector has increasingly sought to form a partnership with the public sector in order to be associated with the vast increase in interest in sport as witnessed in recent years. Moreover, public sector sports services also get to reap the rewards of the government’s efforts at placing the country on the international sporting map. The 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and, more significantly, the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London will prove to be long term sources of investment for all those with an active interest in public sector sporting services. Not only has funding vastly increased (with the cost to the government estimated to be in excess of  £1 billion for the 2012 Games), the facilities that have been and are being constructed are open to the public after the completion of the official competition. In Manchester this has served to open up a city centre swimming pool, an athletics track and a football stadium for use within the public sector. The results for London are likely to be much more wholesale than in Manchester. Moreover, as the new facilities and funding increase, so the burgeoning association between national identity, l ocal and central government and sport is further cemented. This has helped to push people into participating in public as opposed to private sports services, representing a significant turnaround from previous decades. Like private sector sporting institutions, public sector services are similarly riddled with pros and cons. The most obvious advantage at the present time is the aforementioned increase in public authority funding and facilities open to the public sector, exacerbated by a media that constantly underlines the partnership taking place between local government and sport. This is, however, a double edged sword as the major disadvantage to public sector sports services concerns the very nature of government. Ultimately, just because it has suited New Labour to promote participation in recreation and sport is not to state that the Tories would necessarily feel the same. Thus, public sector sports are subject to the same ups and down and insecurities that beset the private sector. The Voluntary Sector Voluntary organisations rely heavily upon both the community and private enterprises for funding; they therefore straddle the boundaries that have traditionally separated the public and private sectors. Once more, though, it is the unprecedented rise in government funding that has been the voluntary sector’s greatest asset. The revamped Department for Culture, Media and Sport set up the Community Club Development Programme (CCDP) specifically to deal with the funding problems regarding the facilities and personnel required for the successful operation of volunteer sports clubs. The CCDP will provide  £100 million to National Sports Governing Bodies by March 2008 for the construction and continuation of community based sports clubs. Advantages to this kind of sporting authority centre upon the lack of reliance solely upon the public or the private sector, while conversely, at the same time, the lack of constant source of funding makes the voluntary sector the most vulnerable within the current social and political climate. Conclusion There are vast disparities between the public and private sectors with the local voluntary leisure centre enjoying the benefits of both worlds. For as long as the current climate favours the sports and recreation industry, the community leisure centre will continue to reap the rewards of a society renewing a relationship with exercise that had previously become stale. At present there is an excess of people interested in taking part in leisure and sport that is wholly to the benefit of local leisure centres that are able to charge admission fees that are significantly less than those on offer in the private sector. In addition, excessive government funding signals that the economic means at the public and voluntary sectors are currently vastly superior to those of the private sector. However, in the final analysis, one should not presume that the imbalance in favour of the public sector will remain as it is indefinitely. Should leisure and sport once again find themselves on the peri phery of popular culture, we would surely see a reversal of contemporary trends with the balance tipped heavily in the private sector’s favour as is the case with health and education services. Politics, like economics, is subject to sweeping changes in a very short space of time. References Biddle, S., Sallis, J. and Cavill, N. (Eds.) (1998), Young and Active? Young People and Health Enhancing Physical Activity: Evidence and Implications London: Health Education Authority Elvin, I.T. (1990), Sport and Physical Recreation London: Longman Horne, J., Tomlinson, A. and Whannel, G. (2000), Understanding Sport: An Introduction to the Sociological and Cultural Analysis of Sport London: E FN SPON Hylton, K. (Ed.) (2001) Sports Development: Policy, Process and Practice London: Routledge MacClancey, J. (1996) Sport, Identity and Ethnicity Oxford: Berg Sport in the Nineties – New Horizons: a Draft Consultation (1992) London: UK Sports Council Footnotes [1] Elvin, I.T. (1990), Sport and Physical Recreation London: Longman, p.6 [2] Sport in the Nineties – New Horizons: a Draft Consultation (1992) London: UK Sports Council, p.75 [3] MacClancey, J. (1996) Sport, Identity and Ethnicity, Oxford: Berg, p.2

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) - Will it Protect Inv

Public Company Accounting Oversight Board; Will it Protect Investors?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) was created by Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. This board was created to oversee the audit of public companies, subject to the securities laws, in order to protect the interests of investors (15 USC 7201, 2002). It was created in wake of the recent financial scandals of Enron, WorldCom, and Global Crossing to name a few. This â€Å"Act† established by Congress is to create an oversight board, so that such scandals will never occur again. Will this oversight board work and will its work restore public confidence and encourage individuals to invest in the stock market again?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The PCAOB is not a tax-payer funded agency. It is supported by over 8800 companies and mutual funds that benefit from independent audits (Epstein). The PCAOB principle duties are; 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Register public accounting firms that prepare audits. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Establish and/or adopt standards relating to the preparation of audit reports for issuers. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduct inspections of registered public accounting firms. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conduct investigations and disciplinary proceedings. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promote high professional standards and improve the quality of audit services offered by registered public accounting firms. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enforce compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley act (15 USC 7201, 2002). Before the establishment of Sarbanes-Oxley and the PCAOB, there was no oversight board. Public accounting firms would perform â€Å"peer reviews† to verify that audits were being performed with due diligence. However, these reviews were not high priority, thus uncovering errors/negligence made by the public accounting firms by peers were rarely discovered. It was only after the massive failures of Enron and WorldCom that this gross negligence by the public accounting firm performing the audit came to light. It was clear that an independent review board was necessary to ensure due diligence is being followed when a public accounting firm audits a corporation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The PCAOB will examine yearly those public accounting firms with more than 100 publicly-traded audit clients. All others will be examined every three years. Any violations of Sarbanes-Oxley or SEC and the PCAOB may fine or disqualify firms from public accounting audits (Epstein). The power to fine or disqualify a public accounting firm from ... ...g profession.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is still too early to tell if the PCAOB will be effective or not. Only time will tell if the actions of the PCAOB and the public accounting firms will restore investor confidence to invest in the stock market, again. Works Cited â€Å"Accountability in the Era of Global Markets.† The Fletcher School. Feb. 2004: Tufts University. 16 May 2004. Calabro, Lori. â€Å"New Attestation Standards for Internal Controls Put More Power in the Hands of Auditors.† CFO Magazine. May 2004: Economist.com. Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004 . Epstein, Jonathan. â€Å"Watchdog Says Accounting Firms Have Much to do to Restore Credibility.† Buffalo News. 19 April 2004: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004 . Griggs, Linda L. â€Å"Audits of Internal Control over Financial Reporting: What do they Mean?† Prentice Hall Law & Business Insights. 29 April 2004: Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004 . Michaels, Adrian. â€Å"Accountants Urged to take Moral Stand.† Financial Times. 19 Dec. 2004: Financial Time Limited. Lexis-Nexis. Baker University. 16 May 2004. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Pub. L. 107-204. 30 July 2002. Stat. 116.745

Confusion and Anxiety in Robert Frost’s Poems Essay

During his lifetime, Robert Frost wrote poems that relate the confusion, anxiety, and struggles of the human mind. In his poems, he depicts how people’s minds may be imbued by confusion and anxiety as they experience pain and explore life’s possibilities. Particularly, in â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night,† the poet illustrates how thee two themes can lead a person to attempt to escape reality and give up one’s life. The two poems share similar elements, one of which is the persona. Both poems form the image of a confused person, someone filled with much anxiety. In â€Å"The Road Not Taken,† the author makes an analogy between the persona’s situation in the woods and real life decisions one has to make in life. As the persona chooses between the two roads in front of him, he wants some assurance that the road or decision he will make is right. Seeing that both roads look the same, he is quite confused which one to take. Nonetheless, he takes the road which he describes to be untraveled. Likewise, the persona in â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† suffers from confusion; but unlike the other, his confusion is worse and more intense, somehow similar to a dilemma. The way the author presents this is also climactic. First, he mentions the journey that he has taken, â€Å"I have walked out in rain — and back in rain. I have outwalked the furthest city light. I have looked down the saddest city lane. (2-4) These journeys have made the persona weary and confused, which is why he claims to have been â€Å"acquainted with the night. † The night in the first stanza refers to the different images of the night that people are usually aware of. As he reveals in his journeys, there is the image of night based on its literal meaning, the image of night as the darkness or confusion, then there is also the image relating to sorrow and emptiness. As the two poems relate the journeys they take, the time element of the poems becomes significant. In the first poem, the persona describes a momentary confusion that could affect his lifetime. The decision he makes that time would reveal other realities he will face in the future. This shows the tendency of the persona to persevere and move on, despite obstructions along the road. In contrast, the persona in the second poem imparts a confused state that has long existed. As he reveals, he has been to many places, and has experienced a lot of sadness, thus he has been â€Å"acquainted with the night. † This ailing confusion makes him decide to stop, as he relates, â€Å"I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet. † This shows the desire of the persona to stop the confusion, or end the sorrow, which similarly suggests a desire for death. This is the very reason why the first line is repeated in the last stanza: to establish a different meaning of â€Å"night. † The luminary clock in line 12 is time itself, with all its abstractness. As it declares that â€Å"time was neither wrong nor right,† it tells the persona that it is not yet the right time for him to die, and in fact, it cannot declare whether it is the wrong time either for no one can actually predict death. Notably, as the persona confronts all these confusions, he implies the desire to discontinue, unlike the other persona who is more optimistic about his fate. As the personas in the poem think about their present struggles, they experience some anxieties. In the first poem, the persona expresses his anxiety regarding the road ahead of him, â€Å"I doubted if I should ever come back. † (15) In the real sense, he is anxious of the challenges he needs to face in life as he takes the untraveled road. In the second poem, the persona shows anxiety regarding sorrow and death. As he desires and waits for death to come, he apprehends and takes note of its coming in another person’s house â€Å"far away an interrupted cry came over houses from another street. † (8-9) It is not clear how the persona feels about his failure to die, but this thought adds up to his anxieties. The themes of confusion and anxiety are commonly illustrated in the two poems based on the mental processes that the personas undergo. As both personas undergo these experiences, there shows a tendency to digress or escape their present confusion. In the first poem, the persona wishes to elude the road he has taken but realizes there is no turning back while in the other, the persona tries to escape his sorrows by welcoming death. As both personas fail to give up their present realities, the author intentionally imparts a unified message to his readers; that is, no matter how confusing or challenging life is, taking up our journey is still the wisest option. Works Cited Frost, Robert. â€Å"Acquainted with the Night. † 1923. In New Hampshire. 12 May 2009 . Frost, Robert. â€Å"The Road Not Taken. † (n. d. ). Poets. org. 12 May 2009 .

Longman Communication 3000 Essay

The Longman Communication 3000 is a list of the 3000 most frequent words in both spoken and written English, based on statistical analysis of the 390 million words contained in the Longman Corpus Network – a group of corpuses or databases of authentic English language. The Longman Communication 3000 represents the core of the English language and shows students of English which words are the most important for them to learn and study in order to communicate effectively in both speech and writing. Analysis of the Longman Corpus Network shows that these 3000 most frequent words in spoken and written English account for 86% of the language. This means that by knowing this list of words, a learner of English is in a position to understand 86% or more of what he or she reads. Of course, â€Å"knowing† a word involves more than simply being able to recognise it and know a main meaning of it. Many of the most frequent words have a range of different meanings, a variety of different grammatical patterns, and numerous significant collocations. Nonetheless, a basic understanding of the Longman Communication 3000 is a very powerful tool and will help students develop good comprehension and communication skills in English. ‘This [frequency] information is gold dust for the language learner. LDOCE shows in graphic and immediate form which words are really worth learning and knowing how to use.’ Jeremy Harmer, ELT author These frequency markers added to the headwords in the dictionary give users access to a wealth of information that can help the selection of the appropriate word or phrase in a variety of situations. Not only are the words and meanings given descriptive labels, for example formal or informal, AmE (American English) or BrE (British English), humorous, old-fashioned, but now they have the added information about relative frequency in spoken and written language. Take for example the verb book (in the meaning of book a table at a restaurant). It is marked as S2 – one of the top 2000 words of spoken English. Note that is has no marker for written English because according to corpus analysis, it is not part of the top 3000 most frequent words in written English. However, the entry also indicates that a synonym for book is reserve which is in the top 3000 most frequent words in written English. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that in speaking (for instance when phoning a hotel or restaurant), book is the most appropriate verb to use when asking for a room or table to be kept for you. In writing, however, it would be more appropriate to use reserve. ‘There are two distinct modes of English: thoughtful, accurate and more formal, reflected mostly by written English; and spontaneous, real-time, less formal language, typified by spontaneous speech and some informal writing.’ Professor Geoffrey Leech, Emeritus Professor of English Language and Linguistics – University of Lancaster To ensure that users have access to the appropriate information, the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English marks all the words that are in the Longman Communication 3000 in red accompanied by special symbols: W1 , W2 , and W3 for words that are in the top 1000, 2000 and 3000 most frequent words in written English, and S1 , S2 and S3 for the top 1000, 2000 and 3000 most frequent words in spoken English. Nowadays, many learner’s dictionaries include information about the most frequent words in English, but Longman dictionaries are the only ones to highlight the differences between spoken and written frequency. Learning a language can be exciting, but also sometimes difficult and frustrating because there are so many things to learn and it is difficult to know what to focus on. The frequency markers that identify the Longman Communication 3000 help students see clearly which words are frequent in written and spoken English, and enable them to focus more attention on mastering the meanings, grammatical patterns and collocations of these words.

Fraternities Essays - North-American Interfraternity Conference

Fraternities Essays - North-American Interfraternity Conference Fraternities RESEARCH PAPER A fraternity, as defined by the The American Heritage Dictionary is "a chiefly social organization of male college students, usually designated by Greek letters."(pg. 523) This definition, however, is very limited and leaves plenty of space for short sighted people to believe the stereotype conveyed by the popular media, where fraternity members are depicted as drunks who accomplish nothing either scholastically or socially. Unfortunately, both this definition and media portrayals fail to mention the fact that membership in a fraternity is a life-long experience that helps its members develop social, organizational, and study skills during college, and that teaches true, everlasting friendship. As a matter of fact, fraternities have a long tradition of high academic achievement, and most of our nation's presidents were members of a Greek association. According to Irving Klepper, the first fraternity (Phi Beta Kappa) was founded for "social and literary purposes" at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia on December 5th 1776. After half a century of existence, it became and has since remained a scholarship honor society. Throughout the nineteenth century, many new fraternities were founded, but none of these were permanent. Then, in 1825, the Kappa Alpha Fraternity (now Kappa Alpha Society) was born at Union College. Two years later, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi had been founded at the same college, constituting the so-called Union Triad which was, in a large measure, the pattern for the American Fraternity system. By the end of the nineteenth century there were over thirty general fraternities in this country (pg. 18). Today's fraternities still have all the characteristics and precepts of the their past fraternities: "the charm and mystery of secrecy, a ritual, oaths of fidelity, a grip, a motto, a badge, a background of high idealism, a strong tie of friendship and comradeship, and urge for sharing its values through nationwide expansion." (Klepper pg. 18) In addition, today's fraternities help their members develop many skills which are used in and out of college. During membership in a fraternity, one must learn leadership skills, because the chapter has to be run in a business-like manner and because it embraces different offices (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Scribe, etc..) which are held by its members. These offices closely resemble the ones of real business. Additionally, since membership in a fraternity is seen as a great achievement by other Greek associations' members, every brother must be able to uphold that office at any time. Organization is a must for every member of a fraternity. Fund raising activities and community service always have a high priority in every chapter, and each member is required to organize and/or take part in many of these activities as a pledge, a brother and an alumnus. This helps individuals within the group to develop organization and planning. In addition, since the fraternity might be located in a house, each brother must learn household organization for his brothers well being. Fraternities are famous for their energetic social gatherings (parties) which require all of their members to be socially active and outspoken when the occasion calls for it. This helps fraternity members develop very strong social skills. Since the act of one member reflects over the acts of all the others, self-control and awareness of actions are mandatory. In addition, when the brothers live in fraternity houses, this adds to the development of social skills in the way that a member must be able to deal and live with different kinds of people in different situations. Since there are people of different scholastic levels in a fraternity, the member of the fraternity have access to a great deal of knowledge on many different school subjects. It is normal for fraternities to organize study groups regularly during the school year and especially before exams. In addition, members might also use the opinion and advice of other members about the faculty in their favor, and most fraternities keep test files and other such study aids available for the benefit of their members. Most fraternity members are also eligible to receive a number of different scholarships and awards based on academic excellence, leadership, and personal achievement which can contribute to both the resume and the self-esteem of the person receiving such an honor. Fraternities

Macbeth Summary

'Macbeth' Summary William Shakespeare’s Macbeth takes place in Scotland in the 11th century AD, and it tells the story of Macbeth, thane of Glamis, and of his ambition to become king. This Shakespearian tragedy is loosely based on historical sources, namely Holinshed’s Chronicles, and there is historical documentation on several characters, including Macbeth, Duncan, and Malcolm. It’s unclear whether the character of Banquo really existed. While the Chronicles depict him as an accomplice to Macbeth’s murderous actions, Shakespeare portrays him as an innocent character. Overall, Macbeth is not known for its historical accuracy, but for the portrayal of the effects of blind ambition in people. Act I Scottish generals Macbeth and Banquo have just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland, which were led by the traitorous Macdonwald. As Macbeth and Banquo wander onto a heath, they are greeted by the Three Witches, who offer them prophecies. Banquo challenges them first, so they address Macbeth: they hail him as Thane of Glamis,† his current title and then Thane of Cawdor, adding that he will also be king. Banquo then asks of his own fortunes, the witches respond enigmatically, saying that he will be less than Macbeth, yet happier, less successful, yet more. Most importantly, they tell him that he will father a line of kings, though he himself will not be one. The witches vanish soon after, and the two men wonder at these pronouncements. Then, however, another thane, Ross, arrives and informs Macbeth that he has been bestowed the title of Thane of Cawdor.  This means that the first prophecy is fulfilled, and Macbeth’s initial skepticism turns into ambition. King Duncan welcomes and praises Macbeth and Banquo, and declares that he will spend the night at Macbeths castle at  Inverness; he also names his son Malcolm as his heir. Macbeth sends a message ahead to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her about the witches prophecies. Lady Macbeth unwaveringly wishes for her husband to murder the king so he can usurp the throne, to the point that she answers his objections by casting doubts on his manhood. Eventually, she manages to convince him to kill the king that same night. The two get Duncans two chamberlains drunk so that the next morning they can easily blame the chamberlains for the murder.  Ã‚     Act II   Still plagued by doubts and by hallucinations, including a bloody dagger, Macbeth stabs King Duncan in his sleep. He is so upset that Lady Macbeth has to take charge, and frames Duncans sleeping servants for the murder by placing bloody daggers on them. The following morning, Lennox, a Scottish nobleman, and Macduff, the loyal Thane of Fife, arrive at Inverness, and Macduff is the one who discovers Duncans body. Macbeth murders the guards so they cannot profess their innocence, but claims he did so in a fit of anger over their misdeeds. Duncans sons Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, respectively, fearing they might be targets too, but their flight frames them as suspects. As a consequence, Macbeth assumes the throne as the new King of Scotland as a kinsman of the dead king. On this occasion, Banquo recalls the witches prophecy about how his own descendants would inherit the throne. This makes him suspicious of Macbeth.   Act III Meanwhile Macbeth, who remembers the prophecy concerning Banquo, remains uneasy, so he invites him to a royal banquet, where he discovers that Banquo and his young son, Fleance, will be riding out that night. Suspecting Banquo of being suspicious of him, Macbeth arranges to have him and Fleance murdered by hiring assassins, who succeed in killing Banquo, but not Fleance. This enrages Macbeth, as he fears that his power won’t be safe as long as a heir of Banquo lives.  At a banquet, Macbeth is visited by Banquos ghost who sits in Macbeths place. Macbeth’s reaction startles the guests, as the ghost is only visible to him: they see their king panicking at an empty chair. Lady Macbeth has to tell them that her husband is merely afflicted with a familiar and harmless malady. The ghost departs and returns once more, causing the same riotous anger and fear in Macbeth. This time, Lady Macbeth tells the lords to leave, and they do so.   Act IV   Macbeth pays visits to the witches again in order to learn the truth of their prophecies to him. In response to that, they conjure horrible apparitions: an armored head, which tells him to beware of Macduff;  a bloody child telling him that no one born of a woman will be able to harm him; next, a crowned child holding a tree stating that Macbeth will be safe until Great Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane Hill. Since all men are born from women and forests cannot move, Macbeth is initially relieved. Macbeth also asks whether Banquos sons will ever reign in Scotland. The witches conjure a procession of eight crowned kings, all similar in appearance to Banquo, the last one carrying a mirror reflecting even more kings: they are all Banquos descendants having acquired kingship in numerous countries. After the witches leave, Macbeth learns that Macduff has fled to England, and so Macbeth orders Macduffs castle be seized, and also sends murderers to slaughter Macduff and his family. Although Macduff is no longer there, Lady Macduff and his family are murdered  Ã‚   Act V   Lady Macbeth becomes overcome with guilt for the crimes she and her husband committed. She has taken to sleepwalking, and after entering the stage holding a candle, she laments the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Lady Macduff, while also trying to wash off imaginary bloodstains from her hands. In England, Macduff learns of the slaughtering of his own family, and, stricken with grief, vows revenge. Together with Prince Malcolm, Duncans son, who raised an army in England, he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeths forces against Dunsinane Castle. While encamped in Birnam Wood, the soldiers are ordered to cut down and carry tree limbs to camouflage their numbers. Part of the witches’ prophecy comes true.  Before Macbeths opponents arrive, he learns that Lady Macbeth has killed herself, causing him to sink into despair. He eventually faces Macduff, initially without fear, since he cannot be killed by any man born of woman. Macduff declares that he was from his mothers womb / Untimely rippd (V 8.15–16). The second prophecy is thus fulfilled, and Macbeth is eventually killed and beheaded by Macduff. The order is restored and Malcolm is crowned King of Scotland. As for the Witches’ prophecy concerning Banquo’s descendants, it is true in that James I of England, previously James VI of Scotland, descended from Banquo.