Plot Points
At the beginning of the play, Scotland is fighting a war against rebels and this invading country.
What is Norway?
He is Macbeth’s loyal friend and fellow general who hears the witches’ prophecies but remains skeptical of their motives.
Who is Banquo?
The witches' famous chant, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair," is a prime example of this literary device where contradictory concepts are paired together.
What is a paradox?
"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!"
Who are the Witches? (Meaning: They are prophesying that Macbeth will be king, which plants the seed of ambition in his mind).
King Duncan rewards Macbeth with this specific title after the previous holder is executed for treason.
What is the Thane of Cawdor?
She receives a letter detailing the prophecies and immediately fears her husband is "too full o' the milk of human kindness" to seize the crown.
Who is Lady Macbeth?
Lady Macbeth tells her husband to "Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't." This quote contains these two literary devices.
What are simile and metaphor? (Also accept juxtaposition/imagery).
"Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty."
Who is Lady Macbeth? (Meaning: She is asking dark spirits to strip away her feminine weakness and compassion so she can be ruthless enough to commit murder).
This is King Duncan’s major announcement regarding his son, Malcolm, which creates a massive roadblock for Macbeth.
What is naming him the Prince of Cumberland (heir to the throne)?
At the start of the play, before we even see him, Macbeth is characterized by the bleeding Captain as this type of man.
What is a brave, ruthless, and valiant warrior/hero?
King Duncan arrives at Inverness and says the castle has a "pleasant seat" and smells sweet. Because the audience knows a murder plot is waiting for him inside, this is a textbook example of this device.
What is dramatic irony?
"Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires."
Who is Macbeth? (Meaning: He is acknowledging his treasonous, dark ambition to murder Duncan and take the throne, and he wants to hide these evil thoughts from the world/God).
This is the specific, three-step plan Lady Macbeth devises to murder King Duncan and get away with it.
What is: 1) Get the guards drunk, 2) Murder Duncan in his sleep, and 3) Smear the guards with blood/frame them with the daggers?
When Macbeth tells his wife they will "proceed no further in this business," she uses this specific psychological tactic to manipulate him into changing his mind.
What is attacking his masculinity/calling him a coward?
In Scene 7, Macbeth speaks his thoughts aloud alone on stage ("If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly"). This dramatic device is known as this.
What is a soliloquy?
“False face must hide what the false heart doth know."
Who is Macbeth? (Meaning: He has finally decided to go through with the murder and realizes he must put on a deceptive, friendly act to hide his evil intentions).