| What couplet is illustrated in Scene 1? | Fair is foul , and foul is fair;Hover through the fog and filthy air |
| Who defeated Macdonwald? | Macbeth |
| Who were essential to the battle? | Macbeth and Banquo |
| Why did Duncan order the people to kill the former Thane of Cawdor? | The Thane of Cawdor deceived and betrayed the king. |
| Who was next in line for the Thane of Cawdor? | Macbeth |
| What did the three witches prophesize about Macbeth? | That he would become:”Thane of Glamis””Thane of Cawdor””King hereafter” |
| What did the three witches prophesize about Banquo? | The witches prophesized that Banquo will be the father of many kings. |
| What do the witches mean when they say, “Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none” | They mean that Banquo will be greater in death than Macbeth is in life. |
| Who delivers the news that Macbeth is now the Thane of Cawdor? | Ross and Angus |
| What happens that causes Macbeth to recalculate his ease of becoming king? | Malcolm becomes the Prince of Cumberland. |
| What is the signifigance of Lady Macbeth’s “unsex me” scene? | She wishes she was a man so that she could have power instead of her husband having it and her having to control him. |
| What is the basic idea of Lady Macbeth’s plan to kill Duncan? | She has schemed to have Macbeth murder the king while he is sleeping. |
| Why does the King come to Macbeth’s castle? | To be the new Thane of Cawdor’s guest and to congratulate Macbeth over dinner. |
| How sure is Lady Macbeth that this plot will succeed? | She is so sure that she doesn’t even consider the fact that they could fail. |
| What are the witches planning at the beginning of the act? | They are planning to go meet Macbeth infront of the fire. |
| Banquo, like Macbeth, is surprised that the witches have predicted Macbeth’s new title. He is, however, leery. What does he say about the motives of the “instruments of darkness”? | He says they often tell of good things which may happen without telling the bad consequences. |
| Macbeth says, “Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires.” What are Macbeth’s desires? | He now desires to be the king, and he realizes that something will have to be done with the present king (and his sons) before his desires can become reality. |
| What are Macbeth’s arguments to himself against killing Duncan? | If Macbeth kills Duncan, then he is setting a precedent that subjects can kill kings and be rewarded with the kingship. Macbeth is Duncan’s kinsman and his subject, as well as his host. Duncan is a good king and virtuous man; he has done no particular evil. Duncan is a popular king, and his death would bring sorrow and unrest upon Scotland. |
| What arguments does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to commit the murder? | •She tells him not to be a coward, not to say later that he “could have been” when he could now “be” king. She tells him to be a man and go get what he wants. She says if she had made the promise to do so, that she would have killed her own baby to carry out that promise. |
| What is Lady Macbeth’s full plan in detail? | She will drug the kings grooms (guards) with their drink. Macbeth will then go into the king’s room and murder him in his sleep. They will plant the weapons on the guards to make them appear guilty |
Macbeth Act 1
July 1, 2019