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Name _____________________________________________________
Date ___________________
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act V, by William Shakespeare
Build Vocabulary
Spelling Strategy The ending -ous makes adjectives out of some nouns, such as
clamorous from clamor, famous from fame, and treasonous from treason.
Using the Root -turb-
perturbed, adj., greatly disturbed in mind
turbine, n., a machine that changes the movement of a fluid into mechanical energy
turbojet, n., an airplane powered by turbines
turbid, adj., cloudy, muddy; mixed up or confused
1. _________________________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________________________________
Using the Word Bank
perturbation
pristine
clamorous
harbingers
B. DIRECTIONS: Match each word in the left column with its definition in the right column. Write
the letter of the definition on the line next to the word it defines.
____
1. perturbation
a. noisy
____
2. pristine
b. forerunners
____
3. clamorous
c. pure; untouched; unspoiled
____
4. harbingers
d. disorder
C. DIRECTIONS: Use words from the Word Bank to fill in the blanks in the sentences.
1. Macbeth’s honor, which was once ___________________________, is now soiled with the blood
of a murdered king.
2. The three witches are ___________________________ of Macbeth’s wretched fate.
3. The natural order of the heavens has experienced severe ___________________________.
4. The people have become ___________________________ ; they are insistent that the king
should be dethroned.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act V
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Unit 2: Celebrating Humanity
(1485–1625)
A. DIRECTIONS: Knowing that the word root turb- means “to disturb,” create a sentence using
each of the following italicized words.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act V, by William Shakespeare
Grammar and Style: Pronouns and Antecedents
Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns to avoid awkward repetition. See the following example:
Macbeth was a great soldier, but Macbeth’s ambition got the better of Macbeth. Macbeth’s
wife, Lady Macbeth, was just as ambitious as Macbeth. Together, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
devised a plot to kill King Duncan.
Notice the monotonous repetition of the names Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. By using pronouns to avoid such repetition, the paragraph can read as follows:
Macbeth was a great soldier, but his ambition got the better of him. His wife, Lady Macbeth,
was just as ambitious as he. Together, they devised a plot to kill King Duncan.
The second paragraph flows much better than the first because pronouns have been used in
place of proper nouns. The word or group of words to which each pronoun refers is its
antecedent. As you use pronouns in your own writing, make sure they agree with their antecedents in gender, number, and person.
A. Practice: Read the following sentences and write the correct pronoun in each blank.
1. Macbeth becomes king of Scotland after ___________________________ kills King Duncan.
2. Banquo, once Macbeth’s good friend, later becomes ___________________________ bitter enemy.
3. Lady Macduff and ___________________________ children are killed.
4. Macbeth might have gotten away with murder but ___________________________ conscience
kept playing tricks on ___________________________.
5. Lady Macbeth imagines blood on ___________________________ hands out of guilt.
6. Macduff and Malcolm lead an army against Macbeth, and Macduff later kills ________________.
B. Writing Application: Rewrite the following sentences using pronouns in place of the underlined names.
1. When Macduff hears of the death of Macduff’s children, Macduff determines to seek justice
against Macbeth.
2. The three witches give Macbeth information that makes Macbeth feel Macbeth can’t lose in
battle against Macbeth’s enemies.
3. Lady Macbeth spends several nights sleepwalking and washing Lady Macbeth’s hands over
and over again.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act V, by William Shakespeare
Reading Strategy: Inferring Beliefs of the Period
DIRECTIONS: You can get more from what you read by analyzing a play or story for its historical
perspectives. Use the graphic organizer below to find and keep track of places in the play that
reveal something about the time in which the author lived. Two of the boxes are filled in for
you. Fill in the rest with other examples from the text.
Quotation
Meaning
THIRD WITCH: “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be
king hereafter!”
Macbeth seems to take this prophesy
as the whole truth. People who lived in
Shakespeare’s time may have believed that
certain individuals could read the future.
© Prentice-Hall, Inc.
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act V
75
Unit 2: Celebrating Humanity
(1485–1625)
The plays of William Shakespeare include many works of dramatic genius with much to say
about the course of human events and history. In many ways these plays are universal; they
transcend ethnic and cultural boundaries with their tales of fallen heroes, star-crossed lovers,
and misguided nobles. But Shakespeare’s plays also tell a reader quite a bit about the time period in which Shakespeare himself lived. The playwright applied many of the philosophies, beliefs, and superstitions of his day to illuminate the historical periods about which he wrote. As
you look back over The Tragedy of Macbeth, ask yourself which ideas might be specific to the
time period when William Shakespeare lived and which ones might be said to cross boundaries
of time and place.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act V, by William Shakespeare
Literary Analysis: Shakespearean Tragedy
Throughout the ages—from ancient times to the present day—people have been fascinated
by dramatic tragedy. One of the reasons for this is that tragedy allows readers to see themselves and their own potential for self-destruction. Each tragedy rests upon the premise that
the tragic hero brings about his or her own downfall, often because of an inborn weakness in
character or personality, a tragic flaw. This flaw can be any one of a number of things: pride,
lust, greed, and so on. In a typical Elizabethan or Greek tragedy, the tragic hero begins the play
as a respected, usually high-born, member of society. His or her virtues are described at length
during the early scenes. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, for example, we first meet Macbeth as a
hero in battle, a loyal supporter of King Duncan, a good husband, and an excellent friend. With
all these wonderful qualities, what could Macbeth want that he does not already possess? What
could possibly go wrong? The answer is, of course, human nature. With all the things Macbeth
has, he wants most acutely that which he doesn’t have. His ambition becomes his master, his
tragic flaw.
DIRECTIONS: Think about Macbeth’s tragic flaw and answer the following questions.
1. If Macbeth had never met the three witches, do you think the events of the play would have
turned out the same way? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Is Macbeth aware of how ambitious he is? Find at least one quote from the text that supports your response.
3. Do you think Lady Macbeth is certain of her husband’s ambition before Macbeth kills King
Duncan? Find at least one quotation from the text that supports your response.
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