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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV, by William Shakespeare
Build Vocabulary
Spelling Strategy The letter c combines with the i of the suffix -ious to spell the sh
sound, as in pernicious and judicious.
Using the Root -cred-
credibility
credence
credentials
1. The news reporter had to show his ___________________________, or proof of his profession,
to get into the crime scene.
2. The mayor’s ___________________________ was ruined when it was discovered that he had
stolen funds from his office.
3. Those accusations are completely ridiculous; I give them no _____________________ whatsoever.
Using the Word Bank
pernicious
intemperance
judicious
avarice
sundry
credulous
B. DIRECTIONS: Match each word in the left column with its definition in the right column. Write
the letter of the definition on the blank next to the word it defines.
____
1. pernicious
a. lack of restraint
____
2. judicious
b. greed
____
3. sundry
c. tendency to believe readily
____
4. intemperance
d. showing good judgment
____
5. avarice
e. various
____
6. credulous
f. highly injurious or destructive
C. DIRECTIONS: Use words from the Word Bank to fill in the blanks in these sentences.
1. King Duncan was known as a wise and ___________________________ ruler.
2. When it comes to power and fortune, Macbeth shows great ___________________________.
3. Had Banquo been less ___________________________ about Macbeth’s evil intentions, he
might have been able to save his own life.
4. Macbeth’s control of Scotland had a ___________________________ effect upon the country.
5. The murderers had committed ___________________________ crimes before they killed Banquo.
6. Macbeth’s ___________________________ manifested itself when he had Banquo killed.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV
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Unit 2: Celebrating Humanity
(1485–1625)
A. DIRECTIONS: Remember that the word root -cred- means “belief.” Use the following words to
complete the sentences.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV, by William Shakespeare
Grammar and Style: Possessive Forms
You can write the possessive form of a singular noun by adding ’s: girl’s, boy’s, king’s. For
the possessive of most plural forms, simply add an apostrophe: creditors’, goddesses’,
countries’. However, some plural forms that do not already end in s do need an ’s: men’s,
women’s, children’s. Remember that you don’t add an apostrophe to make a word plural.
A. Practice: Decide which is the correct form of the noun in each sentence: the plural, the singular possessive, or the plural possessive. Circle your choice.
1. The three (witches/witch’s/witches’) stirred the bubbling cauldron.
2. Each (glass’s/glasses’/glasses) stem was covered with dust.
3. Macbeth looked into the three weird (sisters/sister’s/sisters’) cauldron.
4. (Scotlands/Scotland’s/Scotlands’) future is in jeopardy.
5. These (ladies’/lady’s/ladys’) opinions are good enough for me.
6. The (Macbeths/Macbeth’s/Macbeths’) castle stands on a hill.
7. (Rosses/Ross’s/Rosses’) warning can’t save Lady Macduff from her fate.
B. Writing Application: Use the possessive form of each underlined word or phrase to write a
sentence based on The Tragedy of Macbeth. The first one has been done for you.
1. The lives of the characters
The characters’ lives have been changed forever by the bloody deeds of Macbeth.
2. The eight kings
3. The escape of Fleance
4. The prophesies of the three apparitions
5. The words of the messenger
6. The deeds of the murderers
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Name _____________________________________________________
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV, by William Shakespeare
Reading Strategy: Using Your Senses
DIRECTIONS: You will get more from what you read if you use your senses to try to see, hear,
smell, taste, and feel the things Shakespeare’s characters say. In the graphic organizer below,
read each quotation from Act IV of The Tragedy of Macbeth and decide which of the senses it
appeals to. Some quotations may appeal to more than one sense. Use the blank spaces in the
graphic organizer to analyze other sensory images throughout the rest of the text.
Quotation
Appeals to Sense(s) of
“This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our
tongues / Was once thought honest . . .”
“. . . To offer up a weak, poor, innocent lamb
/ T’ appease an angry god.”
“Each new morn / New widows howl, new
orphans cry . . .”
“Double, double, toil and trouble; / Fire burn
and caldron bubble.”
“Thy crown does sear mine eyelids.”
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV
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Unit 2: Celebrating Humanity
(1485–1625)
In today’s commercial theater environment, with its elaborate sets and extravagant special
effects, it is difficult to imagine a time when a stage setting consisted of little more than a bare
floor. Yet when Shakespeare was writing and producing his plays, theaters used almost nothing in the way of scenic design. Theatergoers depended on the words of the play to transport
them to another time and place. Shakespeare was a master of poetic language. His plays contain rich, vivid imagery that allows audiences to experience dramatic moments through the
senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV, by William Shakespeare
Literary Analysis: Imagery
Imagery can create responses from any of the reader’s senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell,
or taste. Written images can illuminate for the reader the meaning of both individual moments
and patterns of meaning that run throughout the text. Look at this imagery-laden quotation
from the First Witch in The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act IV.
“Pour in sow’s blood, that hath eaten
Her nine farrow, grease that’s sweaten
From the murderer’s gibbet throw into the flame.”
This passage contains visual imagery: “sow’s blood”; a mother pig eating her nine young.
It also contains imagery of touch: “grease” from the noose that hangs a murderer; grease added
to a “flame.”
Paying attention to imagery can guide you to a deeper understanding of the text. As you
read, be on the lookout for repeated imagery; for example, think about the image of blood that
runs throughout the entire text of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Blood as an image can mean many
different things: loyalty, guilt, revenge, death, brotherhood, parent-child relationship, royalty,
and so on. Think about the significance of each of these ideas within the plot of the play.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passages from The Tragedy of Macbeth and identify the imagery
in each. Then write the connection, or what the image makes you think of.
1. “When shall we three meet again? / In thunder, lightning, or in rain?”
Imagery: ________________________________________________________________________________
Connection: ____________________________________________________________________________
2. “Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires . . .”
3. “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’ other . . .”
Imagery: ________________________________________________________________________________
Connection: ____________________________________________________________________________
4. “But now I am cabined, cribbed, confined, bound in / To saucy doubts and fears . . .”
Imagery: ________________________________________________________________________________
Connection: ____________________________________________________________________________
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