Act V Study Guide Questions
1.
How has Lady Macbeth changed since she was first seen in the play? What habits has she
developed? Lady Macbeth is now fragile and troubled because of the guilt she feels. She is now
sleep-walking and trying to wash her hands of blood during these episodes.
2. In Scene 1, the famous “sleepwalking scene,” Lady Macbeth relives events that have taken place
earlier in the play. In her ravings, she skips from one event to another but she always returns to the
same one.
a.
Of the three events she broods over, which troubles her most deeply? Why? Lady
Macbeth keeps coming back to Duncan’s murder when she chastised her husband for
feeling so guilty. The reason for this is because she had a hand in his death and even saw
the old man after he was murdered.
b.
Why is Lady Macbeth obsessed with the idea of washing her hands? She can’t stop
feeling guilty for the metaphorical blood on her hands.
3. Why are Macbeth’s robes said to “hang loose about him”? Two reasons – Macbeth and his wife are
incredibly sick with stress, remorse, and paranoia. He hasn’t been sleeping and he probably hasn’t
been eating, either. The other reason is figurative; Macbeth is not worthy of the king’s robes and
can not fill them up.
4. Why is Macbeth so sure nothing bad will happen to him? He believes in the witches
wholeheartedly now, and unfortunately they have made his so overconfident that he’s “forgotten
the taste of fears.”
5. What clues do the soldiers’ activities give you that Macbeth may wrong? The soldiers speak of
Thanes who are rebelling against Macbeth and that those who stand next to him only do
something out of fear or a sense of duty. They also place branches from the trees of Birnam Wood
in front of them to disguise their numbers, which indicates that they can defeat Macbeth (based on
one of the apparition’s prophecies).
6. Why finally happens to Lady Macbeth? She dies, and we learn at the end of the act that it’s
believed that she kills herself.
7. Why is Macbeth so confident Young Siward won’t kill him? Even though he starts to realize that
the witches are intentionally deceiving him, he’s still clinging to the hope that one of the
prophecies (the one that says he can’t be killed by a man born of woman) is true.
8. Why surprise does Macduff spring on Macbeth? Macduff tells him that he was “untimely ripped”
from his mother’s womb and therefore was not “born.” He was born via C-section.
9. What does Macduff bring to Malcolm? Macduff brings Macbeth’s head to Malcolm.
10. Who will now be king of Scotland? Malcolm will now take his place as the rightful king.
Macbeth Quotes Act V
Quote
Who said it
Significance
“Out damned spot, out I say...!
All the perfumes of Arabia will
not sweeten this little hand.”
Lady Macbeth
She is sleepwalking and imagining blood on her hands
that won’t come off. This is ironic because she was the one
who told Macbeth that “a little water” would “clear”
them from Duncan’s death. This also reminds us of
Macbeth’s hyperbole that all of Neptune’s oceans could
not wash his hand clean after the murder.
“More needs she the divine than
the physician!”
Doctor
Lady Macbeth needs a priest for confession – he cannot
help her in her state of mind.
“I have almost forgot the taste of Macbeth
fears.”
This is not good. He has forgotten what it’s like to be
afraid, which is exactly what Hecate and the witches
wanted. A good leader should always be aware of the
threats around them.
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a
poor player that struts and frets
his hour upon the stage and
then is heard no more.”
Macbeth
Nihilism – Macbeth states that life is meaningless after
her learns of his wife’s death and he compares it to an
actor who simply plays a small part and then leaves
without making any real impact.
“Despair thy charm, for
Macduff was from his mother’s
womb untimely ripped.”
Macduff
Macduff bursts Macbeth’s bubble and tells him that he
indeed can die at his hands since he was actually taken
from his mother’s womb instead of going through a
traditional birth.
“Your son, my lord, has paid a
soldier’s debt, but like a man he
died.”
Ross
Ross explains to Siward that his son (Young Siward) has
died in battle but did so fighting. Siward is very
concerned that his son die like a man.