Figure of Speech
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Alliteration/Paradox
The witches in Scene 1 inform the audience that
A they will see Macbeth after the battle.
B trouble is coming to Scotland.
C Macbeth has acted bravely in battle.
D there will be a new king of Scotland.
A
Dramatic irony
The reader/audience is aware of pertinent information or circumstances of which the actual characters are not.
Macbeth
Brave, vicious, ambitious, violent, hesitant
Bear welcome in your eye,/Your hand, your tongue. Look like the innocent flower,/But be the serpent under it.
Allusion, Simile
In Scene 2, Duncan orders Ross to
A warn others of the thane of Cawdor’s treachery.
B inform others of the thane of Cawdor’s death.
C tell Macbeth he is the new thane of Cawdor.
D command Macbeth to kill the thane of Cawdor.
C
Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a literary device in the form of a speech or monologue spoken by a single character in a theatrical play or drama.
Lady Macbeth
Cold-blooded, lack of compassion, ruthless
--the innocent sleep, / Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care, /The death of each day's life, sore labor's bath,/ Balm of hurt minds, great nature's second course, /Chief nourisher in life's feast.
Parallelism, personification, metaphor
Macbeth shows his ambition and curiosity about becoming king in Scene 3 when he
A questions the witches about the prophecies.
B listens to Banquo describe the witches.
C invites Duncan to come to his home.
D defeats many people in battle.
A
Foreshadowing is a literary device that writers utilize as a means to indicate or hint to readers something that is to follow or appear later in a story. Foreshadowing, when done properly, is an excellent device in terms of creating suspense and dramatic tension for readers.
Duncan
Meek, wise, credulous
Methought I heard a voice cry "Sleep no more!" What does sleep stand for?
A symbol of innocence or peace of mind.
In Scene 7, lines 10–12, Macbeth says “To plague th’ inventor. This even-handed justice / Commends
th’ ingredience of our poisoned chalice / To our own lips. He’s here in double trust.” These lines
reveal Macbeth’s
A unwillingness to kill anyone.
B belief that the witches are like poison.
C discomfort with his actions in the battle.
D fear of being punished for killing Duncan.
D
Banquo
wise, loyal, cautious
Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.
Hyperbole, rhetorical question
In Scene 6, line 24, Duncan’s reference to Lady Macbeth as a “noble hostess” is an example of
dramatic irony because the audience knows that
A she wants him to leave.
B she plans to murder him.
C he arranged to see her hastily.
D he criticized her to other characters.
B