Macbeth (the character)
List two examples from the play which prove that guilt was leading Macbeth to madness.
- hallucinations (dagger, voice that said sleep no more, Banquo's ghost)
- insomnia
- paranoia
- blind trust in supernatural powers (the witches)
What is the name of Macbeth’s home castle before he becomes the king?
Inverness
Macduff was the Thane of ______________________.
Fife
Quote one line from the play that relates to the topic of appearance vs. reality.
There are MANY!
Spell the name of Duncan’s youngest son.
Donalbain
What three titles did Macbeth hold during the play?
Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, King of Scotland
List three things Lady Macbeth talked about while sleepwalking.
- the murders of Duncan, Banquo, and Lady Macduff
- not being able to wash blood off her hands
- the details of Duncan's murder
- the things she said to convince Macbeth to murder Duncan
Who were the two traitors in the Scottish Civil War?
Macdonald and the ex-Thane of Cawdor
List two examples in which the motif of sleep is brought up in the play.
- "Macbeth shall sleep no more"
- Duncan "sleeping in peace" i.e. dead
- sleep being "death's counterfeit"
- many others
List any two ways that Lady Macduff is different from Lady Macbeth.
- maternal/not maternal
- helpless/not helpless
- "womanly defence" vs. "unsex me"
- relies on husband to protect her/attacks husband for not being "a man"
List and explain two ways in which Macbeth’s ambition to be king ended up causing him more grief than joy.
- lost his best friend (Banquo)
- lost his wife to suicide
- lost the trust of the people of Scotland
- was hated and considered a tyrant
- led to his death
- gave him insomnia
- made him paranoid
- no chance of going to Heaven
List the three prophecies the witches make in Act IV and explain how they come true.
- "Beware Macduff" -- Macduff ended up killing Macbeth
- Macbeth will not be killed by a man born from a woman -- Macduff was born by c-section, therefore cut out of his mother's womb by a doctor and not "born of woman"
- Macbeth will not be vanquished in battle until the Birnam Woods come to Dunsinan(e) -- Malcolm and the rebel army cut branches off the trees of Birnam Woods to disguise their numbers as they marched up the hill to Dunsinan(e)
How many generations of Banquo’s heirs did the witches show Macbeth?
Infinite -- eight, plus a mirror reflecting them showing the line could go on indefinitely
What is pathetic fallacy? Give one example from the play.
- when weather/nature mimics or foreshadows the mood of what is happening in the plot
- night of Duncan's death -- earthquakes, heavy wind, birds hooting, dark wolf creeping around, extreme darkness
- after Duncan's death/before Macbeth's coronation -- royal horses eating each other, owl attacking and killing a hawk, dark when it should be daytime
- "it will be rain tonight" -- Banquo is killed
Give any two examples of juxtaposition from the play.
- King Duncan vs. King Macbeth
- King Edward of England vs. King Macbeth
- Lady Macbeth vs. Lady Macduff
- powers of the witches vs. powers of King Edward
etc.
Explain how Lady Macbeth and Macbeth seem to reverse roles from the start of the play to the end. Give three examples.
- at the start of the play, she was convincing him to go along with murder plans; later in the play, he was making his own murder plans and keeping them from her
- can't wash blood off hands --> first Macbeth believed this and Lady M said that it could be washed away with water; later she was sleepwalking and believing she could never get the blood off her hands
- insulting and attacking his masculinity; later he was insulting people, name-calling, manipulating, etc.
- she was cruel, fearless, etc. and thought he was a coward; later, she was vulnerable and unintentionally revealing secrets, while Macbeth became a cruel tyrant
Name three eventful things that happen during Macbeth’s first royal dinner.
- Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost
- First Murderer comes and reports that Fleance has escaped
- Lady Macbeth pretends that her husband has had "fits" since he was a child
- the lords all see Macbeth acting crazy and talking to an empty chair
- Macduff does not show up
Name five noblemen who were kinsmen of Macbeth, not including Macduff and Banquo.
- Malcolm
- Donalbain
- Ross
- Angus
- Lennox
- Menteith
- Caithness
How does ambition prove to be a destructive force in the play? List three ways.
- leads both Macbeth and his wife to their deaths
- causes first Thane of Cawdor to be executed for treason
- turns Macbeth from a loyal and noble thane into a tyrannous and crazy murderer
- leads the murderers to kill Banquo to increase their rank/status
etc.
List three ways the witches caused harm to characters other than Macbeth.
- caused Macbeth to kill King Duncan -- Malcolm and Donalbain lost their father and had to be exiled
- caused Macbeth to kill everyone at Fife -- great loss for Macduff
- Lady Macbeth ended up going crazy and taking her own life
- many people in Scotland were killed or lost their family members due to Macbeth's tyranny
- Banquo lost his life and Fleance lost his father
List three monologues from Macbeth that relate to the motif of ambition. (Give the first line of the monologue.)
- "This supernatural soliciting..." (I, iii)
- "The Prince of Cumberland!..." (I, iv)
- "If it were done..." (I, vii)
- "Is this a dagger..." (II, i)
- "To be thus is nothing..." (III, i)
ETC.
List all the characters killed by Macbeth or his henchmen and briefly explain how they came true.
- Macdonald -- Macbeth killed him in war (sliced head to toe with his sword)
- King Duncan -- stabbed with guards' daggers
- two guards of Duncan -- killed them in "rage"
- Banquo -- sent murderers to kill him
- Lady Macduff, children, and everyone at Fife -- again, sent murderers
- lots of random people when he went on a killing spree
- Young Seyward -- killed in the war with the rebel army
List three things that Lady Macbeth asked the spirits for.
- "unsex me" -- take away stereotypically feminine qualities
- make the sky dark to hide her crimes
- make her blood thick so she won't feel remorse
- make her full of cruelty
List two ways in which the motif of fate vs. free will come up in the play and give two lines from the play which support your answer.
- witches' prophecies in Act I and how they came true
- witches' prophecies in Act IV and Macbeth's over-confidence due to interpretation
- royal chain of command and Malcolm regaining the throne
- etc. with many lines to support
Develop two theme statements relating to the motif of appearance vs. reality in the play.
Things are not always as they seem.
Do not judge a book by its cover.
Be careful who you trust, because you cannot judge a person by what they seem to be on the outside.
Etc.