Name:
English IV
Macbeth Notes Packet #2
Acts IV-V
Completed Packet Due: February 5th/8th
MACBETH: Sow the Seeds, Reap the Fruit
“. . . a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.”
Instructions:
Read the introductory material in this packet and keep it as a resource to be used throughout the unit.
Complete the comprehension questions as we proceed through each act. Once we’ve concluded our
reading, answer the final questions. These PostReading questions are useful in preparation for the paper we
will write.
Elements of the Tragedy and Tragic Hero
1. Man of high birth whose fate affects the destiny of his country, city, or family
2. Hero is both extraordinary and full of promise.
3. Hero has a basic flaw or weakness which, with the help of outside forces, leads to catastrophe,
contrasting sharply with his former happiness and glory
4. Hero has a conscience
5. Hero is not passive; his actions will involve him in choices
6. Hero dies and suffers a downfall due to a tragic flaw, supernatural events, and/or fate or luck
7. Dual conflict: external conflict between persons and groups and the hero’s internal conflict
8. Good always triumphs and order is restored
9. Supernatural events and a sense of coincidence or luck; these lead to a Gothic tone and a sense of
fate.
10. Hero is often introduced before the audience sees him
Devices
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Soliloquy – a convention in which a character speaks his thoughts aloud (talking to himself)
Aside – a short passage spoken under the breath or directly to the audience (it was supposed
that the other characters did not hear it)
Comic relief – offered alleviate some of the tension created in a drama
Motif – a recurring image or concept; tends to add a sense of building upon something that the
playwright wishes to emphasize, especially the theme(s)
4.1 Ill-fitting clothing
4.2 Disorder
4.3 Darkness
4.4 Disease
4.5 Manliness
4.6 Blood imagery
4.7 Nature imagery, especially birds
4.8 Sleep
Theme – a central idea or insight of a work of literature
Dramatic irony – the words or acts of a character in a play may carry a meaning unperceived
by himself but understood by the audience
Paradox – a figure of speech that is an apparent contradiction which is actually true (“One
short sleep past, and we wake up eternally, / And Death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt
die.” – Donne)
Oxymoron – a figure of speech that combines contradictory ideas (bitter sweet)
Symbol – Something that stands for both itself and something else
Metaphor – a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to
suggest that they are similar; an idea that is used as a symbol for something else
MACBETH: Act IV (p400)
1. When Macbeth confronts the witches in the first scene, what are the final two ingredients they place in
their cauldron and what is the significance of those ingredients?
2. Identify and explain the apparitions that the witches show to Macbeth:
First apparition:
Line # ______
Paraphrase or explain this line:
Second apparition:
Line # ______
Paraphrase or explain this line:
Third apparition:
Line # ______
Paraphrase or explain this line:
Final vision shown to Macbeth upon his demand:
Line # ______
Paraphrase or explain this line:
3. What is Macbeth’s reaction to these apparitions and why are they troublesome?
4. In his final lines of scene i, Macbeth shows his new-found ruthlessness in his decision of what to do
about Macduff. What evidence from the text supports the conclusion that Macbeth has changed a great
deal since we first met him?
Line # ______
Supports that interpretation because
5. What does he intend to do about Macduff?
6. In Scene ii, Lady Macduff is upset with her husband. Why?
7. Why is the interchange between Lady Macduff and her son important enough to add to the scene?
What is its effect?
8. What falsehoods does Malcolm tell to Macduff in Scene iii? Why does he lie to Macduff?
9. What is Macduff’s reaction?
10. Why would Macduff leave his family in harm’s way? How do we know Macduff doesn’t expect their
fates?
11. How do all of the events in this act prepare us for what is coming next?
12. Which statement(s) made by the apparitions are paradoxical? Copy one and explain it:
Line # ______
Paraphrase or explain this line:
MACBETH: Act V (p418)
13. At the beginning of Scene I, the Doctor describes Lady Macbeth’s behavior as “slumbery agitation.” In
this context, what does that phrase mean?
14. Provide 2 specific lines of text to support the interpretation that Lady Macbeth’s slumber agitation is a
product of her guilt.
Act V scene i, lines ____ - _______
Explain the significance of that line:
Act V scene i, lines ____ - _______
Explain the significance of that line:
15. In Act V, scene ii, what line best supports the idea that the men see Macbeth as UNABLE to control
himself?
Act V scene i, lines ____ - _______
What specific word choices make this the best support?:
16. In V, iii, 1-10, Macbeth repeats aspects of the witches’ prophecies. What action does he command in
those lines supporting the interpretation that he feels extremely confident?
17. Based on lines 24-30, what does Macbeth regret losing?
18. In Scene iii, what does the doctor report to Macbeth? How does Macbeth react?
19. Why can’t the physician cure Lady Macbeth?
20. In Scene iv we see one prophecy coming to fruition. Which prophecy does Malcolm cause to come true
and how?
21. When Macbeth receives news of Lady Macbeth, he compares life to two things through the use of
metaphors. Identify and explain the 2 metaphors.
Life is like ___________________________________
Explanation:
Life is also a __________________________________
Explain what else this reveals about Macbeth’s attitude toward life:
22. Provide evidence from V, vii that Macbeth is still confident even as his enemies storm the castle.
Act V scene vii, lines ____ - _______
Explain the significance of that line:
23. What is equivocation? How have the witches equivocated with Macbeth?
24. At the end of the play, several aspects of disorder are resolved. For each incident listed, explain how the
proper state of things has been restored
Incident
Ross’s report to Siward about Young Siward’s
death (hint: contrast with earlier discussion
of manliness in Act I)
Macduff kills Macbeth
Malcolm is hailed as King of Scotland
What does this resolve?
MACBETH: Post-reading (50 pts): Thoughtful completion of these questions will prepare you for the
paper, so be thorough in your responses.
PART 1 (30 pts). Select three quotes that connect to your Study Focus. For each one of them, you will fill
elaborate and comment.
Study Focus: ______________________________________________
1. Detail (Quote) #1 location: Act ___ Scene ____ Lines________
Detail (Quote) #1:
Elaboration #1 - explain the quote by giving factual information about how the author developed it:
o Context of the quote – what’s going on when the dialogue is spoken:
o Paraphrase the quote in your own words to make its meaning clearer:
o Literary device employed (if applicable):
Commentary #1 – give insight about, or why the author included it:
o Why is the quote meaningful?
o How does it connect/add to your Focus Study?
2. Detail (Quote) #2 location: Act ___ Scene ____ Lines________
Detail (Quote) #2:
Elaboration #2 - explain the quote by giving factual information about how the author developed it:
o Context of the quote – what’s going on when the dialogue is spoken:
o Paraphrase the quote in your own words to make its meaning clearer:
o Literary device employed (if applicable):
Commentary #2 – give insight about, or why the author included it:
o Why is the quote meaningful?
o How does it connect/add to your Focus Study?
3. Detail (Quote) #3 location: Act ___ Scene ____ Lines________
Detail (Quote) #3:
Elaboration #3 - explain the quote by giving factual information about how the author developed it:
o Context of the quote – what’s going on when the dialogue is spoken:
o Paraphrase the quote in your own words to make its meaning clearer:
o Literary device employed (if applicable):
Commentary #3 – give insight about, or why the author included it:
o Why is the quote meaningful?
o How does it connect/add to your Focus Study?
PART 2 (10 pts). Name a theme in the play that connects to your Focus Study.
Step 1. Thematic Concept in a word or two: ______________________________
Step 2. Create a sentence that explains the Thematic Concept with which you came up in Step 1:
Find two quotes that help to develop it. Cite them.
1.
2.
PART 3 (5 pts). How does Shakespeare keep his audience from losing all sympathy for and interest in
Macbeth? List 2 qualities or facts about Macbeth that make him likeable or sympathetic.
Quality 1:
Quality 2:
How long did you sympathize with Macbeth? Did it end? If so, at what point?
PART 4 (5 pts). Where do you place the blame for Macbeth’s demise?