| When was Macbeth written? | during Shakespeare’s Dark Period (1606) |
| Whom does Macbeth defeat in battle? | the armies of Norway and Ireland |
| Who is the king when the play starts? | Duncan |
| Who was Macdonwald? | Scottish (Irish) rebel who Macbeth killed |
| Where do Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches? | in a moor |
| What is a thane? | rank of Scottish nobility |
| After the battle, the witches prepare to meet Macbeth upon | the heath |
| Macbeth and Banquo are | Scottish generals |
| Which King did Shakespeare want to impress? | James I (related to Banquo) |
| Name the style of writing during James I’s reign | Jacobean |
| Define motif | repeated theme (paradox=contradiction) |
| Name the three motifs in order of occurrence | prophecy, clothing, darkness |
| Give an example of a prophecy motif | Fair is foul, and foul is fair (talking about war) |
| Give an example of a clothing motif | borrowed robes (Macbeth thinks the Thane of Cawdor is still alive) |
| Give an example of a darkness motif | For in my it lies (Macbeth realizes he has to kill to people) |
| What do the witches prophesy? | Macbeth will be king and Banquo’s children will be kings. |
| What title, predicted by the witches, does Macbeth receive? | Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland |
| What happened to the previous Thane of Cawdor? | he was executed because he betrayed Scotland by fighting for the Norwegians |
| Why did Macbeth get promoted to Thane of Cawdor? | because he killed Macdonald (the Scottish rebel) |
| What does Macbeth do with the Macdonwald’s head? | he placed it on a stick |
| Who is made heir to Duncan’s throne? | Malcolm (Duncan’s eldest son) |
| Who is Malcolm? | Duncan’s eldest son (who becomes king at the end of the play) |
| Who first leads Macbeth’s thoughts toward murder as a means to his ambitious ends? | the three witches |
| Why does Macbeth develop inner turmoil regarding the possibility of becoming king? | it would mean that he would have to kill Duncan and Malcolm (the next heir to the throne); he thinks that since the witches correctly predicted that he would become Thane of Cawdor, he is meant to become king |
| Whose children are prophesied to one day inherit the throne of Scotland? | Banquo’s |
| Which King does Macbeth want to murder in the beginning of the play? | Duncan |
| Describe the weather during scene 1 | thunder, lightning, rain |
| The weather expresses this type of literary device | foreshadowing |
| What was Macbeth’s original title? | Thane of Glamis |
| Who is a “peerless” kinsman? | Banquo |
| Who is the Thane of Ross? | Scottish nobleman who tells Macbeth his new title (the king that the traitorous Thane of Cawdor had been defeated and the army of Norway repelled; goes to tell Macbeth that he has received the new title of “Thane of Cawdor”) |
| King Duncan owns the Castle of | Forres |
| How was the captain wounded? | through helping Malcolm escape capture |
| Who says,”Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” | all three witches |
| What is our first impression of Macbeth? | that he is a brave and capable warrior |
| Where does Duncan hear about the news that his generals, Macbeth and Banquo, have defeated two separate invading armies from Ireland (led by the rebel Macdonwald) and one from Norway? | at a military camp |
| How does Macbeth react to being called the Thane of Cawdor? | he becomes enraptured (charmed, delighted) |
| Name Macbeth’s castle | Inverness (a town) |
| What is Malcolm’s original title? | Prince of Cumberland |
| What does Macbeth’s letter to Lady Macbeth discuss? | his promotion and his encounter with the three witches and their prophesies |
| The letter is written in | prose (no iambic pentameter) |
| Lady Macbeth says that Macbeth is too ____ to seize the crown from Duncan | kind (he doesn’t have what it takes) |
| What does Lady Macbeth say she will do when Macbeth returns to Inverness? | chastise him |
| What is Lady Macbeth’s goal? | to persuade Macbeth into doing whatever it takes to become king |
| What does Lady Macbeth mean by ” 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.” | she wants the spirits to make her more of a man so that she can do the bloody deeds |
| The key to being evil is | egocentricity |
| What is a hautboy? | a loud woodwind instrument |
| What is ironic about King Duncan’s entry into Inverness? | he comments on the castle’s pleasantness and is oblivious to his fate |
| What is the only thing, according to Macbeth, that motivates him to kill Duncan? | ambition (makes people rush ahead of themselves toward disaster) |
| Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth’s ____________ and calls him a _______ in order to get him to follow through with his original intentions. He has a change of heart as a result. | manhood; coward |
| What is the key to succeeding at this murder? | Macbeth’s courage |
| Macbeth says that the assassination of Duncan would be easy if | he knew it wouldn’t cause a series of terrible consequences |
| Although Macbeth declares his willingness to endure eternal damnation for the deed, he has doubts because | bloody actions always return to plague the inventor |
| Name the reasons why Macbeth hesitant to kill Duncan | Macbeth is Duncan’s kinsman and an admired as a virtuous ruler |
| What is Lady Macbeth’s plan on killing Duncan? | to give the chamberlains wine to make them drunk and seem guilty |
| How does Lady Macbeth intend to place the guilt on the chamberlains? | by spreading Duncan’s blood on them while they sleep |
| In reaction to Lady Macbeth’s “brilliant” plan, Macbeth states that | she should give birth to men since her fearless spirit should not create anything that is not masculine |
| How does scene 7 end? | Macbeth agrees to kill Duncan |
| “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face” | no skill can determine the thoughts behind an expression |
| “He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust.”Who is “he” referring to in the quote? Who enters next? | Thane of Cawdor; Macbeth (shows that Duncan trusts Macbeth) |
| How does the monarchy work in the play? | next ruler is appointed (not necessarily by blood) |
Macbeth: Act I
August 15, 2019