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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Reading Warm-up A
Read the following passage. Pay special attention to the underlined words. Then, read it again,
and complete the activities. Use a separate sheet of paper for your written answers.
Everything most people know about the historical
Scottish leader Macbeth they learned from William
Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth. In the play,
Macbeth and his queen are ruthless murderers eager for
power and driven by ambition. The fictional Macbeth is
introduced as a hero, but he soon becomes a desperate
character. He listens to witches and plots to take the
Scottish crown. His first victim is King Duncan. Many
others follow, as Macbeth uses murder to clear a path to
the throne. Macbeth’s descent into evil and his plight as
one crime forces him to commit another make great
drama. However, most of the story is not historically
accurate.
Records kept by eleventh-century monks report that
the real King Duncan died in battle with Macbeth.
Macbeth may have been a rebel, challenging the king’s
authority, but he certainly was not a secretly scheming
traitor who murdered his sleeping king. In addition,
Macbeth’s loyal wife was innocent of any wrongdoing.
Macbeth became king after Duncan, but there are no
reports of King Macbeth wiping out families who might
challenge his claim to the crown. By all accounts, he
ruled a united Scotland for seventeen years. In fact, his
kingdom was so stable, he left the country to visit Rome
without fear of an uprising or a revolt.
Any assault against Macbeth came from without, not
from within. During his reign, a swarm of invaders
attacked Scotland, making it the center of an ongoing
battle for control of Britain. Norse, Danes, Romans,
English Saxons, and others struggled to take over the
country, but their campaigns were not successful.
Macbeth was hailed as a great king at the time of his
death, but his reputation for peace and prosperity has
almost completely vanished. Thanks to the vivid portrait
created by Shakespeare, Macbeth is remembered not as
a popular monarch, but as a warrior corrupted by his
desire for power.
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1. Underline the phrase that is
a clue to the meaning of
ambition. Tell what the word
ambition means.
2. Circle the words that
describe Macbeth’s plight.
Then, use plight in a sentence of your own.
3. Underline the words that
help define the word rebel.
Explain what a rebel is.
4. Circle the words that
describe the way a traitor
might act. Why might
Macbeth seem like a traitor
in the play?
5. Circle the phrase that suggests the opposite of revolt .
Then, give an example of a
revolt.
6. Circle the word that is a clue
to the meaning of assault.
Rewrite the sentence using a
synonym for assault.
7. Underline the words that
name the peoples making up
the swarm. Explain what the
word swarm means.
8. Circle the words that tell
what vanished means. Then,
give a synonym for vanished.
Name
Date
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Reading Warm-up B
Read the following passage. Pay special attention to the underlined words. Then, read it again,
and complete the activities. Use a separate sheet of paper for your written answers.
Although many ancient cultures had games that
involved hitting balls with sticks, modern golf was developed in Scotland. By the 1400s, the Scots were playing
golf—hitting a ball with a club from starting point to finishing hole in as few strokes as possible. Even at that
early stage, the game was about skill, not haste, and a
game could last a long time. It was also a sport that got
players hooked. In fact, the earliest known reference to
golf comes from King James II of Scotland, who, in 1457,
issued a ban on golf and soccer. James complained that
these games kept his valiant archers from practicing for
war with their bows and arrows.
Golf remains a favorite sport in Scotland, where
almost every village has a course. Some of these include
lavish clubhouses with halls for a banquet or other special occasion. Others are world-famous because of the
championships that are played there. Private clubs have
lists of members who have registered, but many are open
to the public.
The Scottish heath is the ideal landscape for golf, providing the rolling, hilly terrain, the open spaces, and the
natural hazards, such as ponds, that golf requires.
Unfortunately, foul weather, such as rain, is a hazard
that no one can control. Despite advanced methods in
weather prediction, some tournaments in Scotland have
had to be postponed because of rain and fog.
The local dampness used to be an advantage: Scotland
has always had enough rainfall to prevent withered fairways and greens. Today, with modern methods of landscaping, almost any environment can support a lush golf
course. Links in Hawaii, Florida, California, and other
warm locations attract golfers, but few have the history
and vistas a golfer can experience in Scotland.
1. Underline the phrase that
shows that golf is not played
with haste. Then, name a
sport in which haste might be
desirable.
2. Circle the word naming a
time when it is necessary to
be valiant. Then, rewrite the
sentence using a synonym for
valiant.
3. Underline the phrase that is a
clue to the meaning of
banquet. What modern
buildings might have halls for
a banquet?
4. Circle the word that tells
where your name appears
after you have registered.
Then, tell what registered
means.
5. Underline the words describing a heath. Why is a heath
an ideal landscape for a golf
course?
6. Circle the word that names
an example of foul weather.
Then, give another example
of foul weather.
7. Circle the word that names
the topic of the prediction.
Then, describe a situation in
which someone might rely on
an expert’s prediction.
8. Underline the phrase that tells
what prevents golf courses
from becoming withered.
Explain what withered means.
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Name
Date
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Literary Analysis: Elizabethan Drama
In the years before Elizabeth I came to power in England, troupes of actors traveled the
English countryside performing religious plays. They performed wherever they could: in the
courtyards of inns, in town squares, and in open areas on the outskirts of villages. Many of the
plays they presented were based on biblical stories.
During the Elizabethan period, the style of English drama changed radically. Permanent
theaters were built, giving actors not only an artistic home, but also the luxury of perfecting
certain aspects of presentation. Plays began to veer away from religious themes. Instead,
audiences found themselves watching plays about familiar problems and events. Playwrights
used poetic language and rich imagery to tell a wide variety of stories—from dramas about tragic
figures to comedies about hapless lovers. This kind of theater, with its nonreligious
entertainment value, became very popular. Audiences loved watching plays about characters
with motivations and feelings they could understand.
DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions about Act I of The Tragedy of Macbeth.
1. What might the three witches represent to an audience used to watching plays with religious themes?
2. In what ways might the content of the following speech be said to echo the religious sentiments of Shakespeare’s audience?
. . . But I have spoke
With one that saw him die, who did report
That very frankly he confessed his treasons,
Implored your Highness’ pardon and set forth
A deep repentance . . .
3. In the following speech, what is Lady Macbeth saying about her husband’s character? How
might such sentiments about Macbeth win an audience’s sympathy?
Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be
What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it. . . .
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Name
Date
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Literary Analysis: Soliloquy
The term soliloquy comes from the Latin solus, which means “alone.” When a character
delivers a soliloquy, he or she is usually alone on stage. A soliloquy is a long speech made by a
character in a play. In a soliloquy, a character mulls over thoughts and feelings, expressing
them aloud to the audience. In essence, a soliloquy amounts to a character thinking aloud.
Characters can reveal their true thoughts, feelings, fears, and motivations to the audience
without other characters gaining this information. Soliloquies provide important information to
the audience.
DIRECTIONS: Reread Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy at the beginning of Act I, scene v. Answer the
following questions about the soliloquy.
1. What does Lady Macbeth share in the first part of her soliloquy? What purpose does this
serve?
2. What do readers learn about Lady Macbeth’s opinion of her husband from the second part
of her soliloquy?
3. What is Lady Macbeth’s fear? What is her plan?
4. Based on the thoughts, feelings, fears, and motivations she shares, how would you assess
Lady Macbeth’s character?
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Name
Date
The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Selection Test B
Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers
the question.
1. What is the central theme of Act I of The Tragedy of Macbeth?
A. the price of fame
B. the supernatural
C. betrayal
D. loyalty in battle
2. The Tragedy of Macbeth and other Elizabethan plays represented a radical shift in
English drama because they were
A. not about religious themes.
B. based upon ancient myths.
C. tragedies.
D. performed by both men and women.
3. Based upon the information in Act I, what appears to be Macbeth’s character flaw?
A. an obsessive need to be loved
B. cowardice
C. a desire for power
D. slow-wittedness
4. During the Elizabethan period, theater companies began to
A. travel more.
B. use actors who were usually members of the nobility.
C. use permanent performance spaces.
D. cast men to play women and women to play men.
5. What important role do the witches play in Act I?
A. They help define the setting.
B. They provide historical background.
C. They help describe other characters.
D. They foreshadow events.
6. Based upon the information in Act I, what can you infer about King Duncan?
A. He is a weak leader.
B. He is a shrewd military planner.
C. He is reluctant to join his men in battle.
D. He places a high value on bravery and loyalty.
7. Which of the following best describes Macbeth’s feelings about the possible assassination of King Duncan?
A. great confidence
B. tortured ambivalence
C. determined ambition
D. relentless guilt
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8. Why does Lady Macbeth think Macbeth has a poor chance of achieving power?
A. He is not ruthless enough.
B. He lacks sufficient ambition.
C. He is too loyal to King Duncan.
D. He does not have the wit to devise a workable plan.
9. What do stage directions give the reader?
A. definitions of certain text terms
B. information about what is taking place on the stage
C. information about the characters’ backgrounds
D. historical information about the play
10. Throughout Act I, Macbeth’s plans and actions seem to be motivated most of all by
A. his lust for wealth.
B. the support of the witches.
C. his wife’s encouragement.
D. the advice of Banquo.
11. Which of the following is an example of a stage direction?
A. ALL. Fair is foul, and foul is fair. / Hover through the fog and filthy air.
B. [Thunder and lightning. Enter THREE WITCHES.]
C. 3. Anon: At once.
D. FIRST WITCH. I come, Graymalkin.l
12. Elizabethan tragedies were modeled on plays from
A. France.
B. Eastern Europe in the Middle Ages.
C. ancient Greece and Rome.
D. early South American civilizations.
13. The annotations in The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, are a helpful aid for
A. figuring out what characters are physically doing on stage.
B. clarifying unfamiliar language.
C. understanding theme.
D. following the plot structure of the play.
14. In what way is Lady Macbeth stronger than her husband?
A. She is harsher with the servants.
B. She is better able to pretend she loves King Duncan.
C. She stands firm when Macbeth begins to waver in his deadly purpose.
D. She understands the witches’ prophesies.
15. Which would be true if you were watching a play at the Globe Theater back in
Shakespeare’s day?
A. The stage lighting would come from candles.
B. The play would most likely be about a religious subject.
C. The illusions of time and space would come from the words of the play.
D. The audience would number about 15,000 people per performance.
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Vocabulary and Grammar
On the line, write the letter of the one best answer.
16. In Act I of The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth says, “. . . function/Is smothered in
surmise.” Surmise means
.
A. anger
B. playfulness
C. murder
D. rumor
17. Imperial and sovereign are examples of
A. words about political relationships.
B. words about war.
C. words about Shakespeare.
D. words about witches.
18. The soldier who sold secrets to the enemy army was imprisoned for
A. valor
B. liege
C. sovereign
D. treason
19. Macbeth shows great
A. valor
B. treason
C. desperation
D. perturbation
.
in battle.
Essay
20. The following lines are spoken by Lady Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act I, Scene v:
Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me, from the crown to
the toe, top-full / of direst cruelty!
Write an essay in which you first explain the meaning of these lines and then relate them to
the character of Lady Macbeth as she is depicted in Act I.
21. When the characters of Banquo and Macbeth are introduced in Act I, they appear quite
similar in rank, loyalties, and character. However, as the act progresses, the two characters
begin to diverge. Write an essay comparing and contrasting Macbeth and Banquo in this
act. How do they seem alike? At what point do they first diverge? Give illustrations of their
similarities and differences from Act I to support your position.
22. Thinking About the Essential Question: What is the relationship of the writer to
tradition? Elizabethan drama moved away from traditional religious themes
and embraced the traditions of ancient Greek and Roman drama. In an essay, explain how
Shakespeare embraces ancient traditions in Act 1 of The Tragedy of Macbeth and the effect
of those traditions on the play.
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