Key Points for Consideration
ELA 3201 Macbeth Questions
Be sure that you always:
 Understand WHAT the question is asking
 Answer all components of that question
 Use direct quotes whenever possible
 Use full senteces, appropriate punctuation, proper
grammar (i.e. when creating appropriate thematic
statements) and strong word choice to explain your ideas
The last two lines of scene I are paradoxical. What do they
mean? How do you think these lines will influence the rest
of the play?
 The only paradoxical quote is “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
 Spoken by the witches, it infers that in this play that the
natural order of things will be disrupted and that what
appears to be “right” (literally, morally, etc…) may in fact
be corrupt.
 The last line’s reference to the “fog and filthy air” reminds
us that the witches do possess supernatural powers (of
seeming evil) and can manipulate the weather simply by
their presence. It remains to be seen if they can
manipulate other character’s in this play with as much
ease
 The fact it is spoken by these witches, who are the
personification (or you could argue symbolic) of the
ugliness and evil of the play and the fact that they state
they will meet with Macbeth following the battle’s
conclusion implies that they will play a factor in some
way, in the play’s outcome
 If “fair is foul and foul is fair” then it is reasonable to
conclude that this will be a play of deception, illusions,
destiny/fate and moral questioning as to what is right
and wrong in both the physical (weather, battles) and
moral (beliefs, decisions, consequences) world
How are theme and atmosphere developed in the first
scene? Explain.
When discussing atmosphere, it is critical that you:
 Find an appropriate and descriptive word to captivate the
overall feeling of the scene/moment (good, bad, happy,
sad, bad, angry, nice, etc…are VERY vague and not
appropriate)
 Beyond this, you have to use other literary elements to
convey how this atmosphere exists. The general ‘go-to’
elements to help with this are conflict, setting, and the
diction/word choice used in the section – but you are also
not limited to these
In this scene, you could consider the following descriptive
words, based on your interpretation of the opening scene:
- Gloomy
- Sinister
- Dark
- Uneasy
- Tense
- Eerie
- Morbid
There are many others as well. Again, it’s key that you
connect appropriate quotes or ideas to whichever you
pick. The quotes are NOT interchangeable with the terms.
To help “prove” this atmosphere exists, you must now actually
prove it through the use of OTHER literary devices employed
by Shakespeare.
Conflict:
 The raging battle in the distance
 The ‘appearance’ of the witches and corruptive influence
on nature (external)
Setting:
 Thunder and Lightning
 Rain
 The fog and filthy air (all caused by the witches’
appearance)
 A disruption of the natural order
Foreshadowing:
 That they will meet later with Macbeth and that “fair will
be foul”, implying a sinister/meddlesome influence OR
that Macbeth is already in collusion with the weird sisters
Diction:
 That the battle will be both ”lost and won” (paradox – but
how?)
 That they will meet later in a barren “heath”
 Discussion of the “hurlyburly” (war)
 The calling out of a paddock (toad) and Graymalkin (cat)
which are both “familiars” of demons and witches
 The “fair is foul and foul is fair” antithesis (and theme)
which helps to create that dark and uncertain atmosphere
through paradoxes, unfulfilled (yet) promises of evil, and
double meanings
 The suggestion therefore that Macbeth’s world is one
where the moral order has been reversed and where it is
difficult to tell the difference between “right and wrong”
 That the witches speak in incantations and rhythmic
grotesque chanting rather than blank verse
 This then ties into THEME
With theme, remember that as Level III students you must
successfully transition/alter/modify a theme into a thematic
statement before having a full discussion. For example:
“Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair” is a major theme in this play.
However, it is not a thematic statement. On its own, without
further analysis it is simply an antithesis.
It is a quote spoken by the witches which permeates
throughout the play, but nothing more.
A theme you can develop from this might be:
- The theme of deception OR
- That good is bad and bad is good
- Appearance vs. Reality
But these are still not thematic STATEMENTS
A statement might be:
- Appearances can be deceptive
- Things are often not what they seem
- Nothing is as it seems
- Most people see what they wish to see, not what is really
there
- When you are practicing to deceive, things often do not turn
out how you expected.
- But whatever you DO choose, you have to put it into your own
words and context or it ends up being grammatically awkward
in your writing. A poor way to write this might be:
“One way in which ‘Nothing is as it seems’ occurs in this play
Macbeth by William Shakespeare is when….”
As opposed to….
The re-occurrence of deception and it’s impact on the natural
world can be found when the witches discuss….