STUDY QUESTIONS

MACBETH

ACT I

Setting establishes the moodOpening with witchesEerie moodAtmosphere permeated with evilThough human initiative brings forth the evil,

the witches personify that evil and give it substance

Animals are “familiars”

1. What mood is established at the beginning of the play?

A favorable portrait is displayed regarding his exploits in defeating the rebellion

Main character introduced by Duncan: “What bloody man is that?” – shows a wounded soldier but also foreshadows what he becomes later and establishes the importance of blood

Duncan’s loyal subjectHas defeated a rebellion led by MacdonwaldDuncan declares the thane of Cawdor a traitor to be

executed and his title bestowed upon MacbethCreates dramatic irony: Cawdor’s treason, as well as his

title, are passed to his heirDuncan: “What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won.”

2. How does Scene 2 introduce the absent Macbeth?

Superstition played an important role in Renaissance thinking

Added excitementCreated suspense, irony, and horror

3. Were the witches intended to be real?

Macbeth“So foul and fair a day.”Macbeth echoes the witches line, which links

him to the powers of evilReflects his moral problem: when good and evil

are combined, it is hard to distinguish one from the other

Prophecy of good fortune may carry with it undertones of doom

BanquoNotes they look unearthly and seem

hallucinatoryEmphasizes the ambiguity of evilSeem wicked, even though their prophecies

seem true

4. How do Banquo and Macbeth react to the witches?

MacbethThinks the witches’ prophecy may come true

entirelyWitches’ thane of Cawdor prophecy is true,

perhaps the one about being king will come true as well

Shows concern and fearFear that he will not just allow fate to thrust it on

himFear that he must grasp it for himselfReasons that if destiny would have him king,

destiny can accomplish it without his own actionAt this point, he is content to wait and let fate

take its course

5. How do Macbeth and Banquo receive the news from Ross and Angus?

BanquoSees Macbeth liking the new title Wonders if there will be consequencesFears that the announcement of the title was

arranged to tempt Macbeth to rash actionEven though he is included in the prophecy, he

deliberately refuses to heed the witches’ promise of power

5. How do Macbeth and Banquo receive the news from Ross and Angus?

Speaks of what he owes Macbeth, which is more than he can repay

Duncan names his son Malcolm heir to the throne, which denies Macbeth complete fulfillment of the witches’ prophecy

Gives Macbeth a motive for murderSeals his fate by proposing to visit Inverness

as a guest

6. What images do Duncan’s words in Scene 4 conjure up?

Learns of the witches’ prophecy through her husband’s letter

Very ambitious and more action-orientedSpeaks of murder in a trifling mannerShe rejects her femininity Had to urge herself to the ruthlessness

necessary to carry out the murder of Duncan

7. How is Lady Macbeth characterized in Scene 5?

Genuine loveEven in the contemplation of murder,

Macbeth addresses her as the “dearest partner”

The act of murder is a gauge of their closeness

She wants what she thinks is due himHe is carrying out her apparent desires

8. What is the relationship betweenMacbeth and his wife?

In Act 1, she is the dominant personality and knows it

She loves him dearly, but she is able to make a clear evaluation of him

He wants the crownHe has ambitionBut wants it without effortHer attitude is that if he wants to be king,

then he must do anything to achieve itShe is willing to commit any act to help him

attain his apparent destiny

9. What is Lady Macbeth’s evaluation of her husband?

Creates dramatic ironyHis compliments on the castle and his regard

for Macbeth contrast the fact that the castle will be the scene of his death

10. What is the effect of Duncan’s wordsin Scene 6?

He is conflictedFaces what he intends to doAdmits he has no real motive but ambitionAdmits Duncan is an able monarch and has

treated him wellConsiders eternal damnation, but would

endure Hell if he could safely accomplish his crime in this life

11. What is the attitude of Macbeth’ssoliloquy in Scene 7?

Brings Macbeth back to the situation at handDetails the plan they have madePrepares her household to entertain DuncanPrepares her husband for murder

12. What is Lady Macbeth’s functionin Scene 7?

She again denies her femininity because it will make her weak

13. Why is the topic of Lady Macbeth’swomanliness raised again?

ACT II

The conversation functions as a calm before the storm

Fleance’s presence drives home the point that Banquo has an heir, which spells ruin for Macbeth

Banquo’s inability to sleep because of the witches’ prophecies

14. What is the significance of Banquo’s talk with Fleance in Scene 1?

1st of many apparitions that Macbeth has to deal with

Macbeth sees the scene which lies aheadInterestingly, he sees a dagger, not the throneSince the killing takes place offstage,

Shakespeare put this in to foreshadow the deed

15. What is the significance of thedagger in Scene 1?

Needs to take a drink, but remains in controlMentions that the sleeping Duncan reminds

her of her fatherShows a slight inability to cope with the guilt

and stress

16. Describe Lady Macbeth’s composure in Scene 2?

Returns literally dripping with bloodEven though the deed is done, the nightmare

is not overBabbles on about the killing, the words of the

grooms, and his inability to prayIntended to intensify the gruesomeness of

driving a knife into a living being

17. What is the effect of Macbeth’sentrance after the murder?

She soothes her husbandYet her sleep will be interrupted by nightmaresHer bloodstains will impossible to removeprove

19. What is the function of the porter in Scene 3?

Knocking shows the total isolation of Macbeth and Lady MacbethHave drawn a boundary between themselves and

the rest of humanityAlso provides a bit of comic relief

18. What is the irony of Lady Macbeth’s comfort?

He talks to the porter so that the dramatic spotlight includes him

After Macbeth names the servants (grooms) as the killers and that he (Macbeth) has taken the grooms’ lives, Macduff asks directly, “Wherefore did you so?”

**Why did you take their lives?

20. How is attention focused on Macduff?

Sign of human weakness or a tactical maneuver

22. Why are there unnatural omens during the night?

Renaissance philosophy: cosmos a pattern of interwoven planes; each element must function correctly; if disorder erupts at one level, chaos will occur throughout the universe

Political obedience was paramount in Elizabethan Age

If a subject kills a king, disruption would occur at all levels of the chain

21. Why does Lady Macbeth faint?

He suffers tremendous guiltAll went as plannedHe was not discovered during the actNo one has contradicted his explanation of

Duncan’s deathHe expects to get the throne

He wishes at this point that he could undo his actions

23. Why does Macbeth comment that he wishes himself dead?

Stunned and sense dangerMalcolm goes to England; Donalbain goes to

Ireland

25. What is the effect of the old man’s talk in Scene 4?

Affirm the belief in the chain of beingMacbeth’s act has disrupted the entire

cosmos

24. How do Duncan’s sons react?

Does not attend the banquetSets him apart from allegiance to MacbethDoes not overtly show any suspicion of

MacbethSpeaks with an undertone of uneasiness

What is the significance of Macduff’s comments?

ACT III

27. In Scene 1, how does Macbeth react to success?Realizes that to be king is meaningless unless

he can relax his fearsCan never be “safely thus” Has created a world of his own against which

every man is a threatDoes not enjoy his positionTension, anxiety, and fear pervadeHis reign depends on the need to carry out

another murder and yet another

Enflames them with lies about Banquo

29. In Scene 2, is Lady Macbeth enjoying her new position?

No, maybe even less than MacbethShe is saddened because her husband doesn’t

enjoy itIs eventually overwhelmed by guilt

28. How does Macbeth arouse the murderers?

In previous murder, she was instigator and planner, alibi, and accomplice

He has moved beyond herHe no longer needs her supportEvil has become so much a part of him that

his cunning surpasses even her

30. Why does Macbeth keep his attack on Banquo a secret from his wife?

Night is the power of darknessHe allied himself with it with Duncan’s murderEvil is symbolically associated with darkness

32. Who is the third assassin at Banquo’s murder?

Much debatedSome scholars suggest that it may have been Macbeth

himselfHis surprise about Fleance’s escape would be a show to

disguise his involvementThe text just suggests that Macbeth sent a third man

31. Why does Macbeth invoke the night?

Understands immediately what is happeningSuspicions of Macbeth satisfiedBecomes creator and protector of FleanceTells Fleance to run

33. How does Banquo react to the attack?

Is the turning point in the playAll of Macbeth’s murders are futileThe prophecy will come trueBanquo will beget a dynasty of kingsDestroys Macbeth’s own hope for the future

34. What is the importance of Fleance’s escape?

Since the prophecy, he has felt just one murder away from contentment

Has believed that if only he can silence one mouth, eliminate one threat, he will be at ease

He can never escape the guiltAfter killing Banquo and now that Fleance

has escaped, he now believes Macduff is that one threat to be eliminated

35. How does Macbeth delude himself in Scene 4?

His visualization of Banquo’s ghost reveals his sense of guilt

36. What is the importance of Banquo’s ghost?

Intercedes to hide his guiltAs she acted to prevent his exposure of

Duncan’s murder, she now acts to persuade the guests to ignore him

37. How does Lady Macbeth respond to Macbeth’s outburst?

The country has become a brutal police stateAssassins are hired by those in powerMacbeth keeps paid informers to spy on his

subjects

38. What is revealed about conditions in Scotland?

Foreshadows Macbeth’s confrontation with the witches

Some Shakespearean writers believe it was added by some later writer

The rhyme scheme and length of line differ from those used in other scenes

39. What is the purpose of Hecate’s interview with the witches?

Conversation provides exposition about conditions in Scotland

Appearance of the first mention of organized opposition to Macbeth’s rule

40. What is the purpose of Scene 6?

ACT IV

41. In Scene 1, why is the witches’ chant given in such detail?Provides “good theater” with its emphasis on

the grotesque and the spectacularConjures up an image of he inferno itself

Each apparition provides comfort for Macbeth, but Hecate instructed the witches to construct his doom

So the comfort is couched in riddlesThough Macbeth thinks he understands each

apparition, their real meaning isn’t given until later

42. Explain the paradox of the apparitions.

Scene 2 reveals political terror on a personal level

She has no one to protect herShe has nowhere to runHer death is unnecessary

44. What attitudes emerge from Lady Macduff’s characterization?

Probably someone who cannot bear Macbeth’s barbarism

His warning reflects the growing unrest in Scotland

Some scholars have suggested that the messenger is Lady Macbeth

45. Who is the messenger?

Foreshadowing and ironyMalcolm and Macduff do not realize they are

dealing with something that will become personal

They discuss the state of Scotland just before Macduff’s personal disaster

Irony is present in Malcolm’s thought that Macduff might be Macbeth’s spy

46. What dramatic elements emerge at the beginning of Scene 3?

Accuses himself of kingly vicesSays he would bring disorder to the landMacduff says he is not fit to rule as a

responseMalcolm realizes Macduff’s sincerity

47. How does Malcolm test Macduff?

Were intended to honor King James, patron and benefactor of Shakespeare’s theatrical company

48. Why do the men discuss the king of England?

He is unable to comprehend the scope of the tragedy and responds numbly

49. How does Macduff receive the news of his loss?

ACT V

50. What is Lady Macbeth’s mental state in Scene 1?Deeply depressedIs suffering extreme reaction to the horrors

which she has created and shared with her husband

War is imminentScottish thanes have revolted against

MacbethMalcolm stands ready to launch his forces

with the aid of the EnglishForeshadowing: Macbeth is fortifying

Dunsinane while Malcolm gets his army ready at Birnam Wood

51. What are conditions in Scotland?

Seems like a member of the living deadUnable to feel joy or painMaintains a purely physical braveryBut it is obvious he would welcome death

52. What is Macbeth’s mood in Scene 3?

Witches’ prophecies’ hidden meaning is now revealed

Malcolm’s army moves camouflaged with the trees of Birnam Wood to Macbeth’s castle at Dunsinane

A new and contradictory interpretation is suggested

Macbeth believed that the prophecies ensured his success

Now a different outcome is indicated

53. What is the importance of the camouflage in Scene 4?

Suggest two interpretationsHe has no time to mourn for her in a proper

wayHis words indicate acceptance

54. How does Macbeth receive the news of his wife’s death?

Places Macduff in the forefront for his role in the final scene

Malcolm stresses the significance of British support

55. What is the importance of Malcolm’s speech in Scene 6?

Is a synonym for butcherContrasts the earlier scenes when the name

was associated with admiring words

56. What is Young Siward’s reaction to the name “Macbeth”?

He refuses to take his own life as a means of preventing his enemies’ full triumph, just as Brutus did

Will face his enemies bravely

57. Why does Macbeth speak of playing “the Roman fool”?

Divulges the facts of his birthReveals the hidden riddle of the propheciesDelivered in a Caesarian section was “not of

woman born”

58. How does Macduff reveal Macbeth’s doom?

Order is restored to ScotlandRenewed operation of moral order: the

powers of evil have been overthrown and the forces good are triumphant

59. What is the significance of Malcolm’s ascension?