| Why is Scotland at war at the opening of the play? | Scottland was at war at the opening of the play because Makdonwald, a rebel, was trying to overthrow Duncan and make a deal with the king of Norway. |
| What three predictions do the witches make in scene 3 of act one? | Macbeth will become thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. Banquo’s descendants will be royalty. |
| Who is named heir to the Scottish throne? | Malcom – Duncans son |
| The play opens with the witches conversing on the heath. What atmosphere and tone are created in this short opening scene? | Macbeth opens with a scene which creates an atmosphere of foreboding and introduces the evil powers which are about to tempt Macbeth to his ruin. The tone of this scene is evil and foreboding. |
| How does the line ” Fair is of and foul is fair,” later echoed in Scene 3, foreshadow the events of the entire act? | NOT POSITIVE ABOUT THIS ONE:What they are saying is that things that seems fair (good) are really foul (bad). And things that seem foul are really fair. What this prophecy is supposed to do is to show that morals are going to be lost in this play. Everything is going to be up for grabs and the events of the play will really be confused and mostly evil. |
| We first hear about Macbeth in Scene 2, through the speeches of the wounded sergeant as he reports to Duncan. What initial impression are we given of Macbeth? In what way is this impression confirmed in Scene 3? In what way is it not confirmed? | Initial impression: The title of “Brave Macbeth” “like cannons loaded with double ammunition” “New challenges scare them about as much as a rabbit frightens a lion.confirmed: “you weren’t the least bit afraid of death even as you killed everyone around you”Not confirmed:”present fears are less than horrible imaginings”^^Thanks Sarah! |
| Compare the reactions of Macbeth and Banquo to the witches and their predictions. how does the presence of Banquo in this act help create a sharper impression of Macbeth? | The main difference is that Macbeth hears how two of the three witches prophecies come true and cannot wait to become King that he is willing to take the issue into his own hands, where Banquo is wary of the witches prophecies and even if they are true, then it will happen without his intervention. |
| In what ways is Banquo “lesser than Macbeth and greater” | Banquo is lesser than Macbeth because Macbeth is king and has more power, but Banquo is greater than Macbeth because he is happier than him. |
| Is there any evidence in this act that Macbeth had previously entertained the possibility of becoming king? If so, what does this indicate about the role the witches play in influencing Macbeth’s thoughts and actions? | A. Yes, in scene three, macbeth want the witches to stay and tell him more about they are prophesying. Mac is trying to say its impossible so the witches will tell him its not.B. The withes never tell macbeth to anything; everything he does is his own choice- the witches just put ideas in his head (temptations). |
| What are lady Macbeths reactions when she receives Macbeth’s letter in Scene 5? | She is excited, but she is worried that Macbeth does not have the guts to kill King Duncan. She also did not act surprised and knew it to be true right off the bat. |
| How do her reactions compare with those of Macbeth earlier, when hears the witches prophecies and when he learns he has been made thane of Cawdor? | When Macbeth first hears of the witches prophecies he is startled and afraid but is also anxious to know more. He thinks it is impossible unlike his wife. Also, in contrast to lady Macbeth, he is shaken by the mere thought of murder. |
| What impression do you form of her character in the remaining scenes of this act? | That lady Macbeth is a psycho that is not fit to live in society. She is also ruthless, demolishing everything in her path, willing to take out anything in her path for power, titles, and riches |
| Study Macbeth’s s soliloquy at the beginning of scene seven. What do we learn about macbeth’s state of mind from this speech? | Macbeth does not want to do the crime because he knows there will consequences in this life and in the after life, it will teach others it is okay to commit violent crimes,King Duncan has only been good to him and trusts him, and people would be very saddened by his death. |
| What is his conflict? | -if there were no consequences in this life or the after life-if it would not teach others to be violent-if the king were not such a loyal person to him and did not trust him so much-if he was not the kings host |
| How does he describe Duncan’s character? | … |
| What is the effect of Lady Macbeths arguments? | … |
| Shakespeare ends Act One with Macbeth Lady Macbeth plotting the murder of Duncan. How exactly do they plan to kill him? | While Duncan is asleep, she will give his servants wine to make them drunk and eventually fall asleep and then she and Macbeth can kill Duncan and blame it on his servants by smearing the blood from the knife all over them. |
| What is the dramatic effect of concluding the act by letting us see the murder plot as it crystallizes? | We already know of the upcoming and know the condition of King Duncan and we are left in suspense waiting for the murder to happen. |
Macbeth Act One
August 24, 2019