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Macbeth Journal Entry # 1
Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in
at the end of the unit.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
Hover through the fog and filthy air” (Act I Scene i)
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“So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (Act I Scene iii)
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Write these quotes at the top of your entry and identify the two
speakers.
Respond to the two quotes above. Use the questions below as
guides, but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8.
Remember, as always, journals are informal, so content is much
more important than grammar.
 This quote is a paradox—a statement that appears to be
contradictory, but actually expresses a truth. How can
something be both “foul and fair” at the same time?
 Both quotes are referring to the weather—how do the words
and the weather help set the mood for the first act? What does
the mood foreshadow about the plot and the theme?
 Do you believe that the speaker of the first quote or the second
quote is in control of the fate of Macbeth?
 What is Shakespeare trying to say by juxtaposing the two
speakers through similar lines?
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Macbeth Journal Entry # 2
Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in
at the end of the unit.
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“When you durst do it, then you were a man; and to be more than
what you were, you would be so much more the man […] But
screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail.” (Act I
scene vii)
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Write this quotes at the top of your entry and identify the speaker.
Respond to the quote above. Use the questions below as guides,
but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8. Remember,
as always, journals are informal, so content is much more important
than grammar.
 What is the speaker trying to say about “being a man”?
 To you, what does it mean to “be a man”?
 How can the term “be a man” be viewed differently based on
cultural background? (ie. How is “manliness” defined in India vs.
Mexico or the US vs. Afghanistan etc.)
 Does culture shape a certain “man-like” persona? Explain. What
happens if a man deviates from the cultural norm? Explain.
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Macbeth Journal Entry # 3
Keep up with your Journals for Macbeth—you will turn all of them in
at the end of the unit.
“There’s husbandry in heaven. Their candles are all out.” (Act II
scene i)
“I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.” (Act II scene ii)
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Write these quotes at the top of your entry and identify the two
speakers.
Respond to the two quotes above. Use the questions below as
guides, but if other things come to your mind, feel free to DV8.
Remember, as always, journals are informal, so content is much
more important than grammar.
 What plot event do both of these quotes allude to? Explain.
 Recall that the doctor from The Canterbury Tales believed in
astronomy as a type of medicine. In what way is the same
concept (the natural world needing to be balanced and
secure) seen in Macbeth thus far?
 What life-altering natural (and tragic) events have “disrupted”
the balance in today’s society? Give a specific example of how
nature affects society. (Think about LARGE natural disasters and
the impact they have on people and places).
How is balance restored to both nature and society?
Macbeth Journal Entry # 4
“The only thing that one really knows about human
nature is that it changes” (Oscar Wilde)
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the quote at the top of your entry (note that
it is NOT from Macbeth)
 How is Macbeth a dynamic character in the
play so far?
 Do you believe that human nature is ever
changing or does it stay the same only wearing
different masks? Explain.
 Overall do you believe Macbeth’s nature is evil
or good (has it become evil, or was it always evil
and just needed encouraging)? Explain.
Macbeth Journal Entry # 5
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By the pricking of my thumb/ something
wicked this way comes.”
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 This
statement is both a premonition
and an ironic statement. Explain how it
is both. What are some other
premonitions that people have?
 How does cavorting with evil turn
someone into an evil creature? Explain
using examples
 Are the witches real or a manifestation
of Macbeth’s deepest desires? Explain
your response.