“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.”
Witches 1.1
Which character says Macbeth is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness”?
Lady Macbeth
Who is given the title of Thane of Cawdor after the previous one is executed?
Macbeth
Who names Malcolm the “Prince of Cumberland”?
Duncan
Who first plants the idea of kingship in Macbeth’s mind?
The witches
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.”
Which character becomes more ruthless as the play progresses, while their partner weakens under guilt?
Macbeth
Who flees to England after Duncan’s murder?
Malcolm
What does Macbeth mean by “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”?
Being king means nothing without security in power.
What does Macbeth mean when he says, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, without my stir”?
He considers letting fate crown him without action.
“Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all … and I fear thou play’dst most foully for’t.”
Banquo
Who first suspects that Macbeth “play’dst most foully” for the crown?
Banquo
What happens to Banquo’s son Fleance during the ambush?
He escapes
How do Malcolm and Donalbain respond differently to Duncan’s murder?
Malcolm goes to England and Donalbain to Ireland
Which character best resists the witches’ temptations?
Banquo
“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?”
Macbeth 2.2
Which character refuses to attend Macbeth’s coronation, hinting at his future opposition?
Macduff
Whose wife and children are slaughtered on Macbeth’s orders?
Macduff
What prophecy do the witches give Banquo
His descendants will be kings, though he will not.
Why is Fleance’s escape important to the theme of fate?
It shows Macbeth cannot control the prophecy — fate still has power.
“Now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief.”
Angus 5.2
How is Malcolm presented as a contrast to Macbeth by the end of the play?
Malcolm represents order, legitimacy, and healing, in contrast to Macbeth’s tyranny and chaos.
How is Macbeth finally killed?
Macduff kills him in battle, revealing he was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.”
What apparition speaks of Birnham Wood?
“Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.”
How does the witches’ prophecy about “none of woman born” show the tension between fate and free will?
Macbeth interprets it as fate guaranteeing his safety, but the prophecy is a half-truth — Macduff’s unusual birth undermines Macbeth’s free choice.