Macbeth Act III Questions:
Scene i:
1. How does Banquo feel about Macbeth at this point in the play? Write down
the lines that show this.
2. What three questions does Macbeth ask Banquo?
*Why does he ask these questions?
3. How does Shakespeare maintain our sympathy for Macbeth even as he
prepares to meet with the murderers he has hired to kill Banquo?
4. How does Macbeth convince the murderers to kill Banquo?
Scene ii:
1. What is Lady Macbeth’s state of mind at the beginning of this scene?
2. Explain the significance of the quote: “O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear
wife!”
3. Describe how the relationship between Macbeth and his wife has changed.
What textual evidence supports this?
Scene iii:
1. List three possibilities for who the third murderer is (scholars still debate
this).
2. The strongest evidence suggests that _______________________________ is the
murderer.
Scene iv:
1. Scene iv is known as the _____________________ scene.
2. Who says the following? To whom is it said? What does it mean?
“Thou cans’t not say I did it. Never shake/Thy gory locks at me.”
3. What news about Macduff is revealed in this scene?
Scene v:
1. Does this scene seem to fit with the rest of the play? Explain your reasoning.
Scene vi:
1. The other thanes have become suspicious of Duncan’s murder and Macbeth
becoming king. What lines show this and who says them?
2. Both men in Scene vi call Macbeth a ________________________.
a. What does this word mean?
b. Does it apply to Macbeth?
3. Where is Macduff, and why is he there?