Who wrote Macbeth?
Shakespeare
Act I - What mood did Act I evoke in you?
Doom
Act I - What statements do the witches and Macbeth make about "foul & fair" What meaning does each remark make?
Macbeth says "so foul & fair a day I have not seen" - forshadowing
Witches say "foul & fair" - trolling whatever is good is bad whatever is bad is good
Act I - Describe Banquo's and Macbeth's reactions to the witches. Compare and contrast their reactions to the witches
Macbeth immediately falls for the witches' manipulation. It is clear he puts his own ambition above all else. Banquo is cautious and untrusting.
Act I - In his soliloquy at the beginning of Scene vii, what arguments against killing Duncan does Macbeth express? Which of these arguments seem to influence him the most? Explain
Macbeth was a loyal servant to Duncan and saw Duncan as a great king. Duncan was also an esteemed guest at the house of Macbeth at the time. Killing Duncan went against all of these logical reasons Macbeth had thought of.
Act I - What is Lady Macbeth's opinion of her husband's character? How does she use her knowledge of his character to convince him to kill Duncan?
This makes him wanna be a cool and be a man and that manipulates him into killing these people
Act II - Describe Macbeth's and Lady Macbeth's reactions to the murder just after it is committed. Compare and contrast their reaction to the deed.
Macbeth says he heard many sounds, mostly voices. He heard someone in his sleep cry out, "God bless us!" and another cry out, "Amen!". When Macbeth himself wanted to say, "Amen" in return, the words stuck in his throat. The significance is that he has jus
Act II - What kind of gate does the porter imagine he is tending? In what way is the porter's playful fantasy a comment on Macbeth's situation?
The gate of hell - ironic because Macbeth has just turned the castle into a place of hell with murderous sins
Act II - What two strange occurrences are reported in this act? Why would Shakespeare include reports of such occurrences at this point in the play? In what way do these strange occurrences relate to the Elizabethan notion of an orderly & interconnected u
Falcon killed by an owl, Horse's eating each other, & Sun hidden at day time
Represents how universe is out of order & everyone sees this bad omen, not just people closest to him
King dies & earth is connected to the king and all things on earth die after
Act II - What question does Ross ask that indicates he doubts that the grooms committed the murder? Explain. Is Ross satisfied by the answer? Explain
They fled, so it must have been them
Yes because it Malcolm was next heir to the throne so therefore it makes sense if he were to have killed his father
Act III - What complaint did Macbeth make about murdered men in the banquet scene? Is there anything humorous or even ridiculous in this complaint? Why or why not? Does Shakespeare use humor for comic relief in this scene, as he does earlier scene with th
Macbeth was unhinged by the ghost, which no one else at the banquet could see. He complained that previously murdered men stayed murdered. Their lives ended when their brains were made to stop working [Line 79]. But with Banquo's murder, Macbeth complaine
Act III - What does Macbeth think as he anticipates the murder of Banquo? Compare & contrast Macbeth's thought about Banquo's murder with his thoughts before the murder of Duncan
That he will be forever in power
With Duncan, he didn't want to kill him because he was such a good man
With Banquo, he just wanted him dead and did it more out of spite - evilness
Act III - Has the relationship bt Macbeth and Lady changed? Explain
She went to being assertive and dominate one in the relationship, to saying no and being more concerned when he wanted to kill more people & didn't GAF
Act III - What does this act suggest about the effects of evil on evildoers? Explain?
Sin creates more sin when committed
Act IV - What are the predictions made by the second & third apparition? Why does Macbeth readily accept these predictions?
He accepts them because...
apparition #2 came in the form of a blood child which told him not to fear the power of man, because no child born of a woman would defeat him. He agrees with this, because he believes that he can't be defeated by anyone and thi
Act IV - What happens to Macduff's family? What does the fate of Macduff's family suggest about Macbeth's state of mind?
Macbeth was driven by greed and his wife to become ruler. Once he had it in his grasp, he was willing to do anything to retain the power. Once one murder has been commited, is it really hard to envision the same person murdering once more? ten times more?
Act IV - How does Malcolm test Macduff? What does this test reveal about both Malcolm and MacDuff? Explain
stdzeepee
Malcolm declares to Macduff that he is wicked because he has excessive lust and greed and in fact has no redeeming qualities to offset these faults. He is testing Macduff's loyalty to Scotland because he does not know Macduff well and is unsure
Act IV - How does Macduff respond when asked to take the news about his family "like a man"? How would you characterize Macduff, based on his reaction to the murder of his wife and son? Compare & contrast Macduff's understanding of manhood with definition
Macduff is finally convinced not only to engage in the rebel army but also to take personal revenge upon Macbeth.
He is both shocked and asks repeatedly if his entire family has been killed or if, by some miracle, one or more may have escaped (All my pret
Act V - What does the doctor see in the sleepwalking scene, what does he speculate about the causes for what he sees? How have Macbeth & Lady Macbeth reversed roles by the end of the play?
The doctor sees her requiring a lighted candle 24/7
The stress of the murder makes Macbeth see the dagger. He follows the dagger to Duncan's chamber. The vision tells us he's wacko.
After the murder, there is a role reversal. Now that Macbeth is king he n
Act V - What does Macbeth say when he hears of Lady Macbeth's death? What does his reaction to her death reveal about their relationships & his state of mind?
Macbeth's reaction to the death of his wife is very different from what we, as an audience expect from a man who shared a very intimate and close understanding with his better half. Macbeth, early in the play, derived trememdous insipration from, and was
Act V - What does Macbeth say about the witches when he learns that Birnam Wood is apparently moving and that Macduff "was from his mother's womb/ Untimely ripped"? What growing realization do these statements about the witches seem to reflect? What is Ma
Macbeth prepares to defiantly fight his enemies armed with the prophecy that he will only be defeated when the nearby Birnam Wood moves on his castle. Macbeth now learns of the ten thousand strong army against him. Seyton confirms this bad news and Macbet
Act V - What occurs in Act V, scene viii, lines 35-75? Would the play be complete if it ended with Macbeth's death but omitted these lines? Why or why not?
Malcolm and Siward learn of the deaths of Young Siward and Macbeth. Malcolm is hailed as king. Malcolm thanks everyone. (b) Possible response: The story ends with Macbeth's death, but for a play in particular, one expects a final comment on what has happe
Duncan
The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncan is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan's line,
Malcolm
The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland's return to order following Macbeth's reign of terror. Malcolm becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth with Macduff's aid (and the support of England). Prior to this, he appears weak and u
Macbeth
Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but
Macduff
A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth's kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade's mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth'
Banquo
The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches' prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. Like Macbeth, Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action. In a sense, Banquo's character stands as a
Fleance
Banquo's son, who survives Macbeth's attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance's whereabouts are unknown. Presumably, he may come to rule Scotland, fulfilling the witches' prophecy that Banquo's sons will sit on the Scottish throne.
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth's wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position. Early in the play she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady
Lady Macduff
Macduff's wife. The scene in her castle provides our only glimpse of a domestic realm other than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She and her home serve as contrasts to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world of Inverness.
Witches
Three "black and midnight hags" who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. Their predictions prompt him to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality. The play leave