Macbeth Questions and Critical Analysis Topics English IV Dual Credit/Mrs. Sharp Questions are Stratford Quiz Grade/Journals are HCC Daily Grade After reading each act, answer the following questions in complete sentences and with text evidence when needed. Your homework is to finish these questions and bring them to class before beginning the next act. Each class will start with a journal question that you respond to in a paragraph at the end of each act’s set of questions. To access Macbeth in the senior literature textbook, go to https://my.hrw.com and enter _____________as the username and ___________ as the password. The senior textbook is green. Act I 1.
In the very first scene of a play, a dramatist must tell the audience what kind of play they are about to see. What does the brief opening scene of Macbeth reveal about the rest of the play? How does the weather reflect the human passions revealed in the rest of the act? 2.
In Scene 1, where do the witches plan to meet again and why? 3.
What do the witches predict for Macbeth? 4.
How does the witches’ prophecy of Macbeth’s coming greatness act as a temptation for him? 5.
Explain the paradox, or the apparently contradictory nature, of the witches’ greeting to Banquo in Scene 3: “Lesser than Macbeth and greater.” How is this paradox true? 6.
How does Banquo’s reaction to the witches differ from Macbeth’s? 7.
What do you think Macbeth’s reaction suggests about his character? 8.
One of the most interesting parts of any serious play is what goes on in the characters’ minds. What conflict rages in Macbeth after he hears the witches’ prophecy? 9.
What resolution to this conflict rages in Macbeth after he hears the witches’ prophecy? 10.
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What resolution to this conflict does Macbeth express in his aside, in scene 4, lines 48­53? In the beginning of scene v, Lady Macbeth worries that Macbeth is “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindess.” Why is this a problem, according to her? Lady Macbeth invokes spirits in scene v. What “spirits” might Lady Macbeth be calling upon? What does her soliloquy reveal about her feelings on masculinity versus femininity? 13.
What does Lady Macbeth mean when she tells Macbeth, “ Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, / Your hand, your tongue; look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t”? (I.v.62­64) 14.
Lady Macbeth tells her husband to “leave all the rest to me” (I.v.71). Is her motivation selfishness or selflessness? Explain your answer. .Journal Question and Response: 1.
Act II In the opening scene, Banquo comments, “A heavy summons lies like lead upon me” (II.i.6). What do you think is the cause of Banquo’s unease? 2.
What lie does Macbeth tell Banquo when Banquo mentions his dream? 3.
In Scene i, Macbeth asks Banquo to meet him later for “some words.” What incentive does he offer Banquo? How does Banquo respond? 4.
Describe the vision that Macbeth has at the end of Scene i. What details foreshadow the action to come? 5.
Describe the vision that Macbeth has at the end of Scene i. What details foreshadow the action to come? 6.
In Scene ii, as Macbeth kills Duncan, what does Lady Macbeth hear? What does Macbeth hear? 7.
After Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth both chides and mollifies Macbeth by saying, “These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad” (II.ii.33­34). How much do you think she understands his state of mind? Do you think she would have been able to kill Duncan herself? 8.
In Scene iii, what is the porter pretending as he goes to open the gate? What is the function of this scene? 9.
Why has Macduff come? 10.
Lady Macbeth’s fainting spell, like everything else she has done so far, has a purpose. What message do you think she wants her fainting spell to convey? 11.
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What reason does Macbeth give for killing Duncan’s two guards? How does Shakespeare characterize Macduff in Scenes 3 and 4? Where do Duncan’s sons decide to go? Though Macbeth encounters no opposition until long after Duncan is murdered, Shakespeare foreshadows trouble. For there to be suspense, one character must start to suspect Macbeth. Who is this, and what hints does he give? Journal Question and Response: Act III 1.
In the short soliloquy that opens Scene 1, what does Banquo reveal about Macbeth? 2.
How does Macbeth arrange Banquo’s murder? Why does he arrange it? Why do you suppose Shakespeare did not have Macbeth kill Banquo with his own hands, as he killed Duncan and his two guards? Macbeth tells the murderers, “So he is mine... For sundry weighty reasons” (III.i.116­127). How do you compare Macbeth here (talking to the murderers) to Macbeth before the murder of Duncan? 3.
In scene ii, Macbeth describes his surroundings by saying, “Light thickens, and the crow / Makes wing to th’ rooky wood” (III.ii.50­51). How can these remarks also be seen as a metaphorical commentary on the events of the play? 4.
In Scene ii, Lady Macbeth quietly tells herself, “Nought’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without content; / ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy” (III.ii.4­7) 5.
In Scene iii, who escapes the murderers? Why is his escape significant? 6.
Why do you think Shakespeare has Duncan’s murder happen offstage, but this murder occurs onstage? 7.
Describe what happens in Scene 4 when Ross, Lennox, and the other lords invite Macbeth to share their table. How does Macbeth respond? What does Lady Macbeth do? 8.
Nobody except Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost. In some productions of the play, the ghost does not appear onstage; in others it does. If you were the director, which would you choose? What effect is created by having Banquo appear at the banquet, made up as a ghost? What is gained by having it appear as though no person motivates Macbeth’s terrifying behavior (no ghost appearing on stage)? 9.
Macduff does not appear at all in Act III. Where is he, and why? Journal Question and Response: Act IV 1.
In this act, Macbeth seeks out the witches, whereas they initiated the encounter in Act I How has his situation changed since he last talked with them? How has his moral character deteriorated? 2.
What has Macbeth come to ask the witches? How do they answer? 3.
Describe the three apparitions Macbeth sees when he visits the witches. What does each apparition tell him? 1. 2. 3. What does the appearance of the eight kings in a row represent? 4.
Do you think the apparitions and/or the witches are trying to deceive Macbeth, or is the problem how Macbeth interprets them? 5.
In scene 2, Lady Macduff tells her son that “Father’d he is, and yet he’s fatherless.” What do you think of Macduff’s flight England, especially after hearing the danger to his family? 6.
What does this reveal about Macduff’s character? 7.
Compare Lady Macduff to Lady Macbeth, particularly with (but not limited to the) reference to their support of their husbands. 8.
According to the conversation between malcolm and Macduff in Scene 3, what has happened to Scotland during Macbeth’s reign? 9.
What faults does Malcolm claim to have? How does Macduff respond? 10.
Why does Malcolm tell Macduff his faults? Journal Question and Response: Act V 1.
Why, according to the doctor, is Lady Macbeth walking her sleep? 2.
How is the sleep­walking scene related to the remarks that Macbeth makes about sleep in act II, Scene ii, just after he kills Duncan? 3.
In scene ii, what opinion of Macbeth do the scottish lords now hold? 4.
When does Lady Macbeth die? 5.
Macbeth’s response to finding out about her death is “She should have died hereafter...signifying nothing” (V:v.16­28). This is one of the most famous monologues of the play, and perhaps of all Shakespeare. Why is it significant to the overall play? What does Macbeth’s reaction to the fate of his wife reveal about his state of mind? 6.
How are the prophecies proclaimed by the three apparitions in Act IV, scene i, fulfilled in Act V? 7.
At the end of the play, what has become of Macbeth? Who becomes king? 8.
In scene viii, Macduff declares that “The time is free” (V.viii.55). Do you think his statement is true or ironic? 9.
Consider that a repeating motif in Shakespearean plays is how nature in chaos must eventually return to order. Is everything at the end of Macbeth back in order, or is the truth more complex? Journal Response and Question for Act V: Critical Analysis of Macbeth While reading Macbeth, keep in mind and track some of the motifs you encounter. A motif is a recurring image that represents something other than the literal. Consider who and what the motif is connected to, and on a bigger scale, think about how this recurring pattern relates to a theme of the play. Cite line numbers in parenthesis including act, scene, and line (I.ii.5­6) and put slash marks to indicate the end of one line and the beginning of another. This is not a required part of the assignment but will save you time when you need evidence and ideas to support your analysis. motif related to character/event proof How does this connect to theme? blood sleep nature gender roles madness Themes in Macbeth: ●
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Great ambition or lust for power ultimately brings ruin. Evil can be disguised as something more appealing. Temptation overcomes even the strong. Guilt haunts the guilty. The concept of “masculinity” and “femininity” go beyond mere gender. To write your critical analysis, choose one of these themes (or others that we’ll discuss) and analyze how any of the above motifs reinforce that theme.