If he were dead, you'ld weep for him: if you would not, it were a good sign that I should quickly have a new father.
Act IV, Scene 2
Context
Still conversing with his mother about his supposedly dead father, the son suggests that if she does not weep for Macduff, it would indicate she is ready to remarry and he would get a new father.
Analysis
The son's conditional logic ("if you would not [weep]... I should quickly have a new father") applies a child's transactional reasoning to grief and loyalty. His assumption that remarriage would follow quickly exposes the playful banter masking real anxiety—he is testing whether his mother's earlier joke about buying husbands at market means she has already emotionally abandoned his father.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that the extended witty exchange between Lady Macduff and her son serves a dramatic function beyond charm—their wordplay reveals how both are using humor to avoid confronting their genuine terror and abandonment.