Characters
This character is the King of Scotland at the start of the play.
Who is King Duncan?
"Double, double, toil and trouble" is spoken by these characters.
Who are the witches (or Weird Sisters)?
Macbeth receives his first prophecy from these characters.
Who are the witches (or Weird Sisters)?
The witches' prophecy introduces this theme, where appearances are deceptive.
What is appearance vs. reality?
This symbol, seen by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, represents guilt and murder.
What is blood?
He becomes king after Macbeth is overthrown.
Who is Malcolm?
This character says, "Is this a dagger which I see before me?"
Who is Macbeth?
Macbeth kills this character in order to seize the throne.
Who is king Duncan?
Macbeth's desire to become king at any cost represents this common theme in tragedies.
What is ambition?
This vision appears to Macbeth before he murders Duncan.
What is a dagger?
This nobleman leads the rebellion against Macbeth and ultimately kills him.
Who is Macduff?
"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under'it" is advice given by this character.
Who is Lady Macbeth?
Lady Macbeth begins to unravel after witnessing this event.
What is the murder of King Duncan?
The frequent references to darkness and nighttime emphasize this theme.
What is evil (or corruption)?
The knocking heard after Duncan's murder symbolizes this.
What is conscience (or the inevitability of justice)?
This character serves as a foil to Macbeth by showing a path of loyalty rather than ambition.
Who is Banquo?
"Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player" is part of this character's famous soliloquy about life and death.
Who is Macbeth?
Macbeth hires murderers to kill these two characters, though one escapes.
Who are Banquo ad Fleance?
The inability of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to sleep peacefully represents this theme.
What is guilt?
The language of this is ambiguous enough to create an opportunity for confusion though Macbeth takes it for face value.
What is the prophecy?
This character provides comic relief by pretending to be the gatekeeper of hell.
Who is the Porter?
"All my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop" refers to the murder of this character's family.
Who is Macduff?
This event signals Macbeth's downfall, as Birnam Wood appears to move toward Dunsinane.
What is Malcolm's army disguising themselves with branches?
This leads to an ineffective government structure where Macbeth oversteps in his duties.
What is corruption?
Lady Macbeth's obsessive handwashing represents this.
What is her attempt to cleanse herself of guilt?