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Macbeth
Study Guide Questions
Act I, Scenes 1-7
Scene 1
1. Where does the play take place?
2. What is the purpose of the first scene of the play? Why does Shakespeare choose to
open the play with the witches?
3. Interpret the last two lines of the scene. What do you think this means for the rest of
the play?
Scene 2
4. What does the Captain tell King Duncan about Macbeth’s deeds on the battlefield?
5. What does the old Thane of Cawdor do to lose his title? Who becomes the new Thane
of Cawdor as a result?
Scene 3
6. Interpret Macbeth’s first lines in the play. What is the significance of these words?
7. What two things do the witches predict for Macbeth?
8. What three things do the witches predict for Banquo?
9. What warning does Banquo give to Macbeth? How does this characterize Banquo?
10. How does Macbeth first react to the idea of murdering the king?
11. Explain Macbeth's aside in lines 130-142.
Scene 4
12. What are two examples that demonstrate Duncan’s poor judge of character?
13. What announcement does King Duncan make about his son Malcolm?
14. What does this announcement mean for Macbeth’s hopes of chance?
15. How does Macbeth respond in lines 48-53?
Scene 5
16. What does Lady Macbeth fear? What does Lady Macbeth mean when she says that
Macbeth is “too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way”?
17. What prayer or request does Lady Macbeth make to the deadly spirits?
Scene 6
18. What is dramatic irony? What are the examples of dramatic irony in this scene?
Scene 7
19. What are the arguments that Macbeth offers against killing the king?
20. What does Lady Macbeth say about Macbeth to get him to change his mind again?
21. What does Lady Macbeth say she would do if she had sworn it?
22. What is Lady Macbeth’s plan to kill the king?
23. How do you feel about Macbeth at this point in the play? Why?
24. Provide a detailed character description for both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth from
the characterization in Act I of the play. Use specific examples from the play to
support your description.
Macbeth:
Lady Macbeth:
25. Please write any questions you have thus far about the play.