About the Author
William Shakespeare
One of the greatest mysteries of English drama is that so little is
know for sure about one of its most famous playwrights. Fact became
mingled with legend in the 100 years after Shakespeare’s death, and it
was not until then that any biographical information was recorded.
Shakespeare’s exact birth date is unknown, but he was baptized on
April 26, 1564, in Stratford-on-Avon, England. His father, John, was
prosperous wool, leather, and grain merchant as well as a town official.
His mother, Mary, was the daughter of a gentleman farmer. It is known
that young William attended school and studied Latin and literature. In
1582, he married Anne Hathaway, a woman eight years his senior.
They had three children: a daughter, Susana, and twins Hamnet and Judeth.
In 1586, Shakespeare left Stratford to become the stage manager of the Theater in
London, so named because it was the only theatre in town. He soon joined the acting
company of The Theatre, and with Richard Burbage and William Kemp he performed at court
in many plays.
Shakespeare’s earliest works were produced in 1591-92, including several of the histories
and Love’s Labour’s Lost, Two Gentlemen of Verona, and Comedy of Errors. In 1592, he
wrote Romeo and Juliet. It was followed in quick succession by The Merchant of Venice, A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Taming of the Shrew, and The
Merry Wives of Windsor.
Shakespeare made an important business move in 1599 when he joined Richard Burbage
and several other actors and built the Globe Theatre. He was a shareholder in the Globe and
a part-owner of a company of actors called Lord Chamberlain’s Company, later known as The
King’s Men.
Many of Shakespeare’s play were produced at the Globe, where he had both financial
security and a first-rate acting company to produce his plays. This was his greatest writing
period. In 1599-1600 he wrote Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night.
Between 1600 and 1611, he wrote the tragedies for which he is so well remembered: Julius
Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear, and Anthony and Cleopatra, among others.
During this time he also wrote 154 sonnets which were published in 1609. Late in 1608 or
1609, Shakespeare and his partners purchased the Blackfriars Theatre to use as a winter
location for play production.
In 1611, at the height of his fame and popularity, Shakespeare moved back to Stratford.
His son died at this time. He sold his interest in London, although he did continue to write and
travel to the city until his death in 1616.
Macbeth
Historical Context
Shakespeare’s primary source for Macbeth was
Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and
Ireland. Rather than following history as related by
Holinshed, Shakespeare combined two separate
incidents: Donwald’s murder of King Duff in 967 A.D. and
Macbeth’s murder of Duncan in 1040 A.D. The themes
of the power of guilt and evil came from Shakespeare’s
imagination, since there was no way to know from
historical facts how the real Macbeth felt after he wrested
the throne from Duncan.
In the first historical incident, King Duff executed
several nobleman whom he felt were conspiring against
him with the aid of witches. Donwald, a nobleman who
objected to the executions, plotted with his wife to kill Duff by making sure his
bodyguards drank too much and left Duff unprotected. Donwald paid four
servants to cut Duff’s throat.
In the second incident recorded by Holinshed, Macbeth and his friend
Banquo, on their return from a battle with the Norwegian king, encountered three
wild-looking women who predicted that Macbeth would be Thane of Cawdor and
King of Scotland, and that Banquo’s descendants would be kings. Apparently
the real Macbeth took the predictions quite seriously from the start, and began
plotting to attain the throne then occupied by the extremely kind and benevolent
King Duncan I. Macbeth, with the help of Banquo, soon killed Duncan in battle
and proclaimed himself king, causing Duncan’s two sons to flee in fear for their
own lives.
Donwald’s wife who plotted to kill Duff, not Macbeth’s wife; that Banquo was
involved in the real death of Duncan while Shakespeare’s version Banquo is
pure; that Macbeth reigned without tyranny for ten years. Shakespeare also
added the cauldron scene with the three witches and Hecate, probably to make
the play more exciting to his audiences, most of whom would have firmly
believed in the existence of witches.
Macbeth
Tragedy Through the Ages
Mode:
Classical Tragedy:
Aristotle 335 BC
Shakespearean Tragedy:
Shakespeare 1590
Modern Tragedy:
Miller 1930
Tragedy
by
definition
“An imitation not of man, but of
life, an action that has serious
implications.”
“The story of human actions
producing exceptional calamity and
suffering and ending in the death of a
hero.”
“Tragedy, then, is the
consequence of a man’s
total compulsion to
evaluate himself justly.”
The
tragic
plot
 heart & soul of the tragedy
 usually involves a considerable
number of people
 the plot is complete and must
possess magnitude
 it is primarily the story of one hero
and the events that lead to his death
 the best tragedies have
complex, unified plots
 contains the element of the
supernatural and conflict (traditional
 struggle ensues; man vs. man,
ones)
nature, society, & himself.
 plot is simplest of
structures
 complexity lies not on the
storyline but rather in the
characterization – herein
lies the eternal conflict
 traditional struggle ensues
The
tragic
hero
 characters in Greek tragedy
are of secondary importance
 the characteristics of a tragic
hero fall between the extremes
of virtue and wickedness
 the tragic hero experiences a
fall from good fortune to bad
fortune not through wickedness
but through a mistake or error
in judgment that has serious
consequences
 usually a person of high, noble
status
 unknowingly faces treacherous
opponent suffers from “hubris”
(excessive pride) & wears it on
his sleeve
 is a person of high social status
whose fate affects the welfare of
those around him
 the tragic hero possesses
exceptional qualities that raise him
above others
 the tragic hero is characterized by a
fatal tendency to become totally
driven by a single passion or interest
 singleness of purpose is a sign of
greatness but it also has tragic
results
 faces everything head-on despite
possible consequences
 characterized by an ancient sense of
nobility
 suffers from a subtler for of hubris
 relies on greatness of character to
illustrate spirit of pride.
 “commonest of men who
take on the structure of a
tragic hero depending on
his willingness to throw all
he has into the contest of
life”
 elements in society crush
the hero’s best efforts
 escape plays a key role in
their lives
 pride is usually confused
with unreality – pride in
dreams rather than
strength of character
End
result
of
tragedy
 society is restored to its formal
goodness – thanks to hero’s
sacrificial act
 audience is relieved
 catharsis
 hero dies
 society is restored to formal
goodness
 catharsis experienced
 audience relieved
 hero dies




“It is a pity it turned out this way.”
(no solution)
“It is a pity it turned out this way, when
it could have been so different.”
(some chance for a solution)
the individual is destroyed
society is no better
no relief in audience
no catharsis, only a sense
of waste
“It could have been so
different, if only…”
(solution based on hero’s
choices)
Macbeth
Elements of a Tragic Hero
Does Macbeth meet the requirements of a tragic hero?
A tragic hero must meet the following requirements:
1. Is he/she a might figure, someone who is better than us?
2. Does he/she suffer a reversal of fortune?
3. Does he have a tragic flaw? (hamartia)
4. Does he/she recognize the consequences of his actions?
5. Does his plight ennoble or enlarge us?
Does Macbeth meet the requirements of a tragic hero?
1. Is he a mighty
figure, someone
who is better than
us?
2. Does he suffer a
reversal of
fortune?
3. Does he have a
tragic flaw?
(hamartia)
4. Does he recognize
the consequences
of his actions?
5. Does his plight
ennoble and
enlarge us?
Macbeth
Plot Structure
Act I:
Act II:
Act III:
Act IV:
Act V:
Exposition, Exciting Force, Rising Action
Rising Action
Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action
Falling Action
Falling Action, Catastrophe
Elements Defined:
1. Exposition: The general atmosphere, time, place, main character, and opening
conditions of the play.
2. Exciting Force: Something happens that starts the action of the play moving, usually
in the first act.
3. Rising Action: This is a series of actions usually covering more than one act. During
the rising action, the hero of the play (the protagonist) s the active force, trying to
make things work out as he or she intended.
4. Climax: The protagonist reaches the peak of his or her power and a distinct change
occurs in him or her as well as in the direction of the action. Things begin to go
against the protagonist, who seems to be following a downward path.
5. Falling Action: This also covers several scenes and shows all the way the main
events are going against the main character. At this time, the antagonist begins to
rise in power. The conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist becomes the
essence of the play.
6. Moment of Final Suspense: Usually found in the fifth act of the play, the moment of
final suspense has a particular function in the organization of the plot. Close to the
end of the play, it is more significant to the protagonist than it is to the audience. It is
the moment when things begin to look as if they will go the way of the protagonist
again. He or she momentarily believes that tragedy will be averted.
7. Catastrophe: This is the complete downfall of the protagonist, either through death or
some other devastating circumstance. If the protagonist is a villain, then the
catastrophe will b seen by the audience as a good thing.
Macbeth
Plot Map
Plot Map
Exposition
Exciting
Force
Rising
Action
Climax
Falling
Action
Moment of
Final
Suspense
Catastrophe
Actions from the play:
Macbeth
Was There a Real Macbeth?
KENNETH II
971-995
MALCOLM 11
KENNETH IV
995-1005 (?)
Doada
SINEL
1005-1034
MACBETH
1040-1057
MALCOLM 11
(Daughter)
Grouch
(Lady Macbeth)
DUNCAN
1034-1040
BANQUO
MALCOLM III
1057-1093
DONALBAINE
1093-1098
FLEANCE
(? Generations)
EDGAR
1098-1107
ALEXANDER I
1107-1124
DAVID I
1124-1153
WALTER STUART
Margaret
ROBERT II
1371-1390
Mentioned in play
(8 Generations)
Women’s names in lower case letters
JAMES VI of Scotland
JAMES I of England
(Same Person)
Macbeth
What Does Imagery Lead To?
Images are the pictures called up by the author’s use of words. They are the poet’s or playwright’s
way of creating an atmosphere in which to tell his story. Note the four categories of images on the
chart below. Record references to them as you read the play. Your findings will be discussed at the
play’s conclusion.
Macbeth
To Kill or Not to Kill


The soliloquy is a dramatic device which allows the speaker to utter his or her deepest thoughts or
emotions.
Paraphrasing or changing the words of the original into one’s own words is one method of
examining the precise meaning of a speech.
Working with a partner, read each section of the “If it were done” soliloquy and paraphrase that
section. Then, in groups of four or six, discuss the four questions at the end of the soliloquy.
Shakespeare Wrote:
Macbeth is Saying:
If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well / If were
done quickly.
If th’assassination / Could trammel up the consequence,
and catch. / With his surcease, success: that but this
blow / Might be the be-all and the end-all here. / But
here, upon this bank and shoal of time. / We’ld jump the
life to come.
But in these cases / We still have judgement here, that
we but teach / Bloody instructions, which, being taught,
return / To plague th’inventor. This even-handed justice
/ Commends th’ingredience of our poison’d chalice / To
our own lips.
He’s here in double trust: / First, as I am his Kinsman
and his subject– / Strong both against the deed: then, as
his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the
door. / Not bear the knife myself.
Besides, this Duncan / Hath borne his faculities so
meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his
virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongu’d, against /
The deep damnation of his taking-off: / And pity, like a
naked new-born babe, / Striding the blast, or heaven;s
cheubin, hors’d / Uponthe sightless couries of the air, /
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye. / That tears
shall drown the wind.
I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only
/ Vaulting ambiting, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on
th’other side.
1. Does Macbeth seem to have more reasons for or against the killing of Duncan?
2. Does Macbeth seem fully aware of the consequences of the planned murder?
3. Look back to Scene 7. At the conclusion of this soliloquy, what decision does Macbeth make?
4. Why does he change his mind?
Macbeth
The Universe: An Elizabethan View
In the Elizabethan world view, God represents harmony and order and Chaos, or disorder, is
perpetually striving to come again. The concept of the Chain of Being signifies the proper
ordering which connects all things on earth from the inanimate to God.
GOD
omnipotent and eternal
God is the representative of harmony, order and goodness within the scheme. In each section of the
chain there are primaries (these ruling) and God is the primary over all.
Angels
pure spirit, near to God, immortal
Angels are linked to man by their understanding but, are freed from animal instincts.
Man
has reason,
morality, soul ambition
Man embodies all the earthly qualities but, because of his spirituality and reasoning powers, he
provides the link to the angels and God. Has Animal passion & Spiritual reason.
Animal Life
feels all five senses, has
movement and memory
Ordered in terms of capacities: 1st – Animals having 5 senses, 2nd – Creatures with touch, hearing,
but not memory, 3rd – creatures which have touch but not hearing
Vegetable Life
have life, growth and they decay
These are ordered in terms of virtue. Ex. An oak is nobler than the bramble.
The Elements
they exist without life
These are ordered in terms of virtues, eg. Water is nobler than earth,
ruby is nobler than topaz, and gold is nobler than brass.
In most Shakespearean plays, sin or evil destroys the natural order and harmony. However,
goodness constantly seeks to restore itself. Just retribution, or NEMESIS, must be made to fulfill this
restoration.
Macbeth
When was the Murder of Duncan Plotted?
Did the Macbeths plot Duncan’s murder before the meeting with the witches? In the following
essay, two differing points of view are explored regarding this issue.Author: A.C. Bradley
A good many readers probably think that, when Macbeth first met the Witches, he was perfectly innocent; but
a much larger number would say that he had already harboured a vaguely guilty ambition, though he had not
faced the idea of murder. And I think there can be no doubt that this is the obvious and natural interpretation of
the scene. Only it is almost necessary to go rather further, and to suppose that his guilty ambition, whatever its
precise form, was known to his wife and shared by her. Otherwise, surely, she would not on reading his letter,
so instantaneously assume that the King must be murdered in their castle; nor would Macbeth, as soon as he
meets her, be aware (as he evidently is) that this thought is in her mind.
But there is a famous passage in Macbeth which, closely considered, seems to require us to go further still,
and to suppose that, at some time before the action of the play begins, the husband and wife had explicitly
discussed the idea of murdering Duncan at some favourable opportunity, and had agreed to execute this idea.
Attetion seems to have been first drawn to this passage by Koester in vol. I. of the Johrbücher d. deutschen
Shakespeare-Gesellschaft, and on it is based the interpretation of the play in Werder’s very ableVorlesungen
über Macbet.
The passage occurs in Act I, sc. 7, where Lady Macbeth is urging her husband to the deed:
MACBETH Prithee, peace:
I dare do all that may become a man;
Who dares do more is none.
Lady Macbeth What beast was’t, then,
That made you break this enterprise to me?
When you durst do it, then you were a man;
And, to be more than what you were, you would
Be so much more than man. Nor time nor place
Did then adhere, and yet you would make both:
They have made themselves, and that their fitness now
Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know
How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me;
I would, while it was smiling in my face,
Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums,
And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you
Have done to this.
Here Lady Macbeth asserts (1) that Macbeth proposed the murder to her: (2) that he did so at a time when
there was no opportunity to attack Duncan, no adherence of time and place: (3) that he declared he would make
an opportunity, and swore to carry out the murder.
Now it is possible that Macbeth’s swearing might have occurred in an interview off the stage between
scenes 5 and 6 or scenes 6 and 7; and, if in that interview Lady Macbeth had with difficulty worked her husband
up to resolution, her irritation at his relapse, in sc. 7, would be very natural. But, as for Macbeth’s first proposal
of murder, it certainly does not occur in our play, nor could it possibly occur in any interview off the stage; for
when Macbeth and his wife first meet, time and place do adhere; they have made themselves. The conclusion
would seem to be, either that the proposal of the murder and probably the oath, occurred in a scene at the very
beginning of the play, which scene has been lost or cut out; or else that Macbeth proposed, and swore to
execute, the murder at some time prior to the action of the play. The first of these hypotheses is most
improbable, and we seem driven to adopt the second unless we consent to burden Shakespeare with a careless
mistake in a very critical passage.
And, apart from unwillingness to do this, we can find a good deal to say in favour of a plan formed at a past
time. It would explain Macbeth’s start of fear at the prophecy of the kingdom. It would explain why Lady
When was the Murder of Duncan Plotted?
cont.
Macbeth, on receiving his letter, immediately resolves on action; and why, on their meeting, each knows that
murder is on the mind of the other. And it is in harmony with her remarks on his probable shrinking from the act,
to which ex hypothesis, she has already thought it necessary to make him pledge himself an oath.
Yet I find it very difficult to believe in this interpretation. It is not merely that the interest of Macbeth’s struggle
with himself and with his wife would be seriously diminished if we felt he had been through all this before. I think
this would be so; but there are two more important objections. In the first place the violent agitation describe in
the words, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my
seated heart knock at my ribs.” Would surely not be natural, even in Macbeth, if the idea of the murder were
already quite familiar to him through conversation with his wife, and if he had already done more than yield to it.
It is not as if the Witches had told him that Duncan was coming to his house. In that case the perception that the
moment had come to execute a merely general design might well appall him. But all that he hears is that he will
one day be King – a statement which, supposing this general design, would not point to any immediate action.
And, in the second place, it is hard to believe that, if Shakespeare really had imagined the murder planned and
sworn to before the action of the play, he would have written the first six scenes in such a manner that practically
all readers imagine quite another state of affairs, and continue to imagine it even after they have read in scene 7
the passage which is troubling us. Is it likely, to put it otherwise, that his idea was one which nobody seems to
have divined till late in the nineteenth century? And for what possible reason could he refrain from making this
idea clear to his audience, as he might so easily have done in the third scene? It seems very much more likely
that he himself imagined the matter as nearly all his readers do.
But, in that case, what are we to say of this passage? I will answer first by explaining the way in which I
understand it before I was aware that it had caused so much difficulty. I suppose that an interview had taken
place after scene 5, a scene which shows Macbeth shrinking, and in which his last words were ‘we will speak
further.’ In this interview, I suppose, his wife so wrought upon him that he had at last yielded and pledged
himself by oath to do the murder. As for her statement that he had ‘broken the enterprise’ to her, I took it to refer
to his letter to her – a letter written when time and place did not adhere, for he did not yet know that Duncan was
coming to visit him. In the letter he does not, of course, openly ‘break the enterprise’ to her, and it is not likely
that he would do such a thing in a letter; but if they had ambitious conversations, in which each felt that some
half-formed guilty idea was floating in the mind of the other she might naturally take the words of the letter as
indicating much more than they said; and then in her passionate contempt at his hesitation, and her passionate
eagerness to overcome it, she might easily accuse him, doubtless with exaggeration, of having actually
proposed the murder. And Macbeth, knowing that when he wrote the letter he really had been thinking of
murder, and indifferent to anything except the question whether murder should be done, would easily let her
statement pass unchallenged.
This interpretation still seems to me not unnatural. The alternative (unless we adopt the idea of an
agreement prior to the action of the play) is to suppose that Lady Macbeth refers throughout the passage to
some interview subsequent to her husband’s return, and that, in making her do so, Shakespeare simply forgot
her speeches on welcoming Macbeth home, and also forgot that at any such interview time and place did
adhere. It is easy to understand such forgetfulness in a spectator and even in a reader; but it is less easy to
imagine it in a poet whose conception of the two characters throughout these scenes was evidently so burningly
vivid. 
Questions:
1. What are the two differing points of view explored in regards to the murder of Duncan?
2. What does Lady Macbeth assert on page 128? Why?
3. Was the murder plotted before or after witches’ predictions? Why do you think so?
Macbeth
Significance of the Ghost
3.3 Macbeth’s lines to Banquo’s ghost give important clues about the ghost’s appearance.
Macbeth: Never shake / Thy gory locks at me.
Macbeth: Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that / Which might appall the devil.
Macbeth: Avaunt and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! / Thy bones are marrowless, they blood is cold.
The Elizabethans were more willing than modern man to believe in supernatural phenomena. This partially
accounts for the appearance of ghosts in Shakespeare’s plays. They are dramatically effective because they
help to set the atmosphere of the play as well as catch the audience’s interest. In Macbeth, the appearance of
Banquo’s ghost is also effective because it is an extension of Macbeth’s troubled mind.
The dramatic use of ghosts comes from a long tradition. Because ghost scenes can easily turn into
comedy, their staging is crucial.
Ghosts in Elizabethan plays were represented in various ways. IN Macbeth, for example, some directors
had Banquo appear in bloodied rags, rising from the trap door on stage; others had him appear in a white
sheet or sprinkled with flour. In some modern versions of the play, the ghost does not appear. Critics disagree
whether even Shakespeare intended the ghost to be physically present on stage.
Questions:
1. How does Shakespeare prepare his audience fore the appearance of Banquo’s ghost? Why does it not
seem out of place?
2. Why is the ghost’s silence dramatically effective?
3. Give evidence from the scene to show that Shakespeare intended to have Banquo’s ghost physically
appear on the stage.
4. How would you stage this scene? Do you think it would be more effective to have the ghost appear on
the stage? What kind of costuming and make-up would you use? Why?
5. Do you think Macbeth’s apparition might be staged differently in the movies? Why?
Macbeth
Steeped in Blood
The Three Visions 4.1
The witches grant Macbeth three visions regarding his own future. Like him, the audience does not at
first fully grasp their significance. In time, however, their means of duping Macbeth become
increasingly clear. Complete #1, #2, & #3 on the chart below.
First Apparition
1. Describe the vision
2. What does the
vision say?
3. Describe Macbeth’s
reaction to the
vision.
4. How has Macbeth
been duped?
Second Apparition
Third Apparition
Macbeth
Out Damned Spot!
In her sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth alludes to past events. List the events to which she refers in each
of the following selections.
1. “Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One: two. Why ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord,
fie! a soldier, and afeared? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our pow’r to
accompt? Yet who would have thought the od man to have had so much blood in him?”
2. “The Thane of Fife ha a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean? No
more o’ that, my Lord, no more o’ that! You mar all with this starting.”
3. “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia wilnot sweeten this little hand.
Oh, oh, oh!”
4. “Wash your hands, put on your nightgown, look not so pale! I tell you they again, Banquo’s
buried. He cannot come out on’s grave.”
5. “To bed, to bed! There’s knocking at the gate. Come, come, come, come, give me your hand!
What’s done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed!
Macbeth
Preparing for War
5.2
Act 5.2 shows the beginning of civil war: Macbeth versus the Scottish rebels and Malcolm’s English
forces. They also notice Macbeth being trapped and reacting violently. He is in a precarious position
not only because of the threat from outside the castle, but also because of the disloyalty within.
1. What two forces are joining against Macbeth?
2. How much is Macbeth preparing for the encounter?
3. Why does Macbeth find himself in a precarious position within his own castle?
4. How would you describe Macbeth’s mental state?
5. Read the following quotation and determine if the description of Macbeth is accurate:
“Now does he feel his title / Hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe / Upon a dwarfed thief.”
6. Determine what reference has been made to one of the witches’ prophecies.
7. In 5.3, point out Macbeth’s effort in his first speech to reassure himself that the witches’
prophecies will protect him. Also point out Macbeth’s harsh reaction to his servant. What does
this scene tell us about Macbeth’s character?
8. Read the speech beginning “I have lived long enough.” Macbeth realizes what that the effects
of his deeds will be. How does this fit in with the unnaturalness mentioned elsewhere in the
play?
9. Read the following quotation and determine it significance: (speaker: Angus)
“Send out mo horses, skirr the country round; / Hang those that talk of fear. Give me mine
armor. / How does your patient, doctor?”
Macbeth
Themes
A theme is an observation of life which serves as the controlling idea in a literary work. A theme is
seldom presented word-for-word but is more often found as an abstract idea, surfacing through the
actions and dialogues of characters, the use of symbols and recurring images, or the manipulation of
other literary devices. Record example from Macbeth of the following themes:
Theme:
Madness
Honor & Loyalty
Fate & Destiny
Appearance vs.
Reality
Discussion:
Macbeth
Themes
Cont.
Theme:
Ambition
Male & Female
Roles
Kingship
Appearance &
Reality
Discussion:
Macbeth
Content Questions
Act I:
1. What mood is established at the beginning of the play?
2. How does Scene 2 introduce the absent Macbeth?
3. Where the witches intended to be real?
4. How do Banquo and Macbeth react to the witches?
5. How do Macbeth and Banquo receive the news form Ross and Angus?
6. What images do Duncan’s words in Scene 4 conjure up?
7. How is Lady Macbeth characterized in Scene 5?
8. What is the relationship between Macbeth and his wife?
9. What is Lady Macbeth’s evaluation of her husband?
10. What is the effect of Duncan’s words in Scene 6?
11. What is the attitude of Macbeth’s soliloquy in Scene 7?
12. What is Lady Macbeth’s function n Scene 7?
13. Why is the topic of Lady Macbeth’s womanliness raised again?
Act II:
14. What is the significance of Banquo’s talk with Fleance in Scene 1?
15. What is the significance of the dagger in Scene 1?
16. Describe Lady Macbeth’s composure in Scene 2.
17. What is the effect of Macbeth’s entrance after the murder?
18. What is the irony of Lady Macbeth’s comfort?
19. What is the function of the porter in Scene 3?
20. How is attention focused on Macduff?
21. Why does Lady Macbeth faint?
22. Why are there unnatural omens during the night?
23. Why does Macbeth comment that he wishes himself dead?
24. How do Duncan’s sons react when they learn of the murder?
25. What is the effect of the old man’s talk in scene 4?
26. What is the significance of Macduff’s comments?
Act III:
27. I Scene 1, how does Macbeth react to success?
28. How does Macbeth arouse the murderers?
29. In Scene 2, is Lady Macbeth enjoying her new position?
30. Why does Macbeth keep his attack on Banquo a secret from her?
Macbeth
Content Questions
31. Why does Macbeth invoke the night?
32. Who is the third assassin at Banquo’s murder?
33. How does Banquo react to the attack?
34. What is the importance of Fleance’s escape?
35. How does Macbeth delude himself in Scene 4?
36. What is the importance of Banquo’s ghost?
37. How does Lady Macbeth respond to Macbeth’s outburst?
38. What is revealed about conditions in Scotland?
39. What is the purpose of Hecate’s interview with the witches?
40. What is the purpose of Scene 6?
Act IV:
41. In Scene 1, why is the witches’ chant given in such detail?
42. Explain the paradox of the apparitions.
43. What is the importance of Macbeth’s commands about Macduff’s family?
44. What attitudes emerge from Lady Macduff’s characterization?
45. Who is the messenger?
46. What dramatic elements emerge at eh the beginning of Scene3?
47. How does Malcolm test Macduff?
48. Why do the men discuss the king of England?
49. How does Macduff receive the news of his loss?
Act V:
50. What is Lady Macbeth’s mental state in Scene1?
51. What are the conditions in Scotland?
52. What is Macbeth’s mood in Scene 3?
53. What is the importance of the camouflage in Scene 4?
54. How does Macbeth receive the news of his wife’s death?
55. What is the importance of Malcolm’s speech in Scene 6?
56. What is Young Siward’s reaction to the name “Macbeth”?
57. Why does Macbeth speak of playing “the Roman fool”?
58. How does Macduff reveal Macbeth’s doom?
59. What is the significance of Malcolm’s ascension?
Macbeth
Creative Writing
In this unit you will be responsible for submitting 1 creative writing
assignment as a means to reinforce the content of Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Here is a list of topics that you may choose from:
1. In your role as a CNN news correspondent, write a report on the murder of King
Duncan.
2. Write a poem that deals with the horrors of Lady Macbeth’s final mental state.
3. Write Macdonald’s – the former Thane of Cawdor’s - final speech before his
execution, in which he apologizes, to King Duncan for rebelling against him.
4. In the role of Lady Macbeth, write a suicide note that she leaves behind for Macbeth
to read.
5. Write a love poem from Macbeth to Lady Macbeth given the context of the play.
Due:
___________________________________________
Criteria:
Length: 1 –1.5 pages typed, & double-spaced
Font Size: 12 Arial
Complete with a cover page and corresponding picture
Evaluation as per rubric:
Knowledge & Understanding
Thinking and Inquiry
Communication
Application
5 marks
5 marks
5 marks
5 marks
Total: 20 marks