Macbeth Study Questions
Underline in your book the lines that can provide answers to these questions. Note line numbers on your
sheet for reference.
ACT I
Scene 1
1) Describe the mood that is being set in scene one (and by who). What does it infer?
Scene 2
2) What qualities and opinions of Macbeth (and Banquo) become apparent in the reports of the battle?
3) What has the Thane of Cawdor done and what is his fate?
4) What honor does Duncan bestow upon Macbeth?
Scene 3
5) What does the first witches’ story tell us about the witches’ powers and personalities?
6) What are the prophecies for Macbeth? How does he react to them?
7) What are the prophecies for Banquo? How does he react to them?
Scene 4
8) What is ironic about Duncan’s comment about the Thane of Cawdor in this scene?
9) What happens in this scene that poses an obstacle in Macbeth’s path to the crown? How does Macbeth
react to it?
Scene 5
10) What is Lady Macbeth’s reaction to Macbeth’s news of the prophecies? What is her assessment of her
husband’s character?
11) What does Lady ask of the spirits? Why does she do this?
12) Explain the irony in Lady Macbeth’s comments to Macbeth about Duncan’s visit?
Scene 6
13) Explain the dramatic irony in (A) Banquo’s description of Macbeth’s castle and (B) Duncan’s greeting
of Lady Macbeth.
Scene 7
14) What are the pros and cons Macbeth considers in his soliloquy? What does he decide?
15) How does Lady Macbeth change his mind?
16) What is the plan for killing Duncan?
ACT II
Scene 1
1) What time is it?
2) How do Banquo’s lines about the star’s recall and earlier statement of Macbeth’s?
3) What is the problem with Banquo? What do Macbeth and Banquo agree upon?
4) What does Macbeth encounter? What does his reaction to it tell us about his state of mind?
Scene 2
5) What startles Lady Macbeth as the murder takes place?
6) What strange things does Macbeth report about the murder? What is his state of mind in this scene?
7) What part of the plan does Macbeth botch up? What is Lady Macbeth’s reaction?
8) How do Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s attitudes about the murder differ at the end of the scene?
Scene 3
9) Who is the drunken porter pretending to be? How is his speech both a situational irony and a dramatic
irony?
10) What details of disorder in the chain of being do we get in this scene?
11) What does Macbeth do to the porter’s. How does he account for it? How does this show a change his
character from the previous scene?
12) What is the irony in Macbeth’s comment about Duncan’s death? (107-112)
13) What do Malcolm and Donalbain resolve to do? Why?
Scene 4
14) What unnatural occurrences does Ross discuss with the old man?
15) What news does Macduff bring?
ACT III
Scene 1
1) What does Banquo suspect?
2) What upsets Macbeth about his position as king? What are the clues to his state of mind?
3) What has Macbeth led the murderers to about Banquo? What lines of his echo Lady Macbeth’s
comments to him from Act I, scene 7?
Scene 2
4) What lines indicate a shift in Lady Macbeth’s attitude?
5) How do Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s roles seem different in this scene?
Scene 3
6) Who escapes the murders?
Scene 4
7) How does Macbeth react to the news from the murderer?
8) What does Banquo’s ghost and Macbeth’s reaction to it suggest about his state of mind?
9) How does Lady Macbeth try to account for Macbeth’s odd behavior?
10) What do we learn about Macduff?
11) What does Macbeth’s final speech suggest about his state of mind?
Scene 5
12) Why is Hecate upset? What does she plan to do?
Scene 6
13) What do Lennox and the lord imply about the current state of Scotland (and Macbeth)? What doe we
learn about Macduff?
ACT IV
Scene 1
1) How do we see a change in Macbeth’s attitude through the witches’ reference to him and in his own
language (44-65)?
2) What are the three four visions the witches show Macbeth? What news do they present? How does he
react to each?
1.
2.
3.
4.
3) What news does Lennox bring about Macduff? How does Macbeth’s reaction show a change in his
state of mind from earlier in the play?
Scene 2
4) How does Lady Macduff react to the news of Macduff’s departure?
5) What does Shakespeare satirize in the discussion of Lady Macduff and her son?
Scene 3
6) What reasons does Malcolm give Macduff for not wanting to return to be King of Scotland? Why does
he do this?
7) What qualities of bad kings does Shakespeare highlight in this scene? What qualities of bad kings
become apparent?
Act V
Scene 1
1) What has Lady Macbeth been doing in her sleep? How do her words and actions point back to the
murders?
2) How does she feel about the blood on her hands? Why is this ironic?
Scene 2
1) What do we learn about the invasion and Macbeth’s actions?
Scene 3
1) What news does Macbeth receive? How does he react to it?
2) What do we learn about Lady Macbeth? What is the dramatic irony in the scene between Macbeth
and the doctor?
Scene 4
1) Where do the two invading armies meet? What do they do there to help them surprise Macbeth?
Scene 5
1) Which of the witches’ prophecies comes to pass in this scene? How does Macbeth react?
2) What happens to Lady Macbeth? What is Macbeth’s state of mind by the end of the scene?
Scene 6-8
1) Who defeats Macbeth? How does this match with the witches’ prophecy?
2) What do we learn about the fate of Lady Macbeth?