King Duncan | The king of Scotland whom Macbeth kills to take his throne. Lady Macbeth frames the guards for killing him. His death symbolizes a destruction of order in Scotland and can only be fixed by if Malcolm, someone from his family, relinquishes the throne. |
The three witches | Three hags that are against Macbeth, they manipulate him with charms and spells and they prompted him to kill Duncan. They use their knowledge of the future to toy and destroy people. |
Macbeth | A Scottish general and he brings victory assuming he will be king, but Duncan inherits the throne. He was easily tempted to murder and after he kills Duncan, he goes somewhat crazy. He is paranoid about the murder and cannot get it out of his head. |
Banquo | He is a brave noble, general. He is very ambitious like Macbeth, bu he took the other road and decided that murder is never the answer. He like Macbeth is talked to by the witches. |
Lady Macbeth | Macbeth’s wife, she is very hungry for power. She pushes Macbeth to follow through with killing Banquo. After the murder, she helps frame the guards. |
Malcolm | The son of Duncan, fleas Scotland with Donalbain after his fathers murder |
Donalbain | Duncan’s son, Malcolm’s younger brother, fleas Scotland with Donalbain after his fathers murder. |
Macduff | Scottish nobleman, he pushes to unseat Macbeth. He is not very fond of Macbeth. He discovers King Duncan’s death. |
Act 1 | Lose in war, but king Duncan grants Macbeth thane of cawdor. The three witches tell Macbeth he will be Thane of Cawdor and then become the king. King Duncan is spending the night and they plan a murder to make Macbeth king. At the end of the act, Macbeth is determined to kill him. |
Act 2 | Macbeth still has concernes about the murder, but he ends up following through. Macbeth goes into shock so Lady Macbeth finishes the plan and frames the guards. Macduff discovers King Duncan’s death, and Macbeth plays it clueless. The guards are suspects so Macbeth kills them. Malcolm and Donalbain flee because they are worried they will be blamed for the murder. |
The setting | Takes place in Scotland is the mid 11th century |
The war between Norway and Scotland | At the very beginning of the book. The witches wait for Macbeth, Scottish solider, to tell him about his future and somewhat trick him. |
Paradox | A statement that appears to be a contradiction”evil love” |
What does Banquo warn Macbeth about? | He warns him that the witches are going to stab him in the back and that they are not trustworthy. |
When Duncan names Malcolm as his heir to the throne, what is Macbeth’s reaction? | Macbeth is very angry, but he is pretending to be happy. He knows that if he wants to be king, he must find a way around Malcolm. The witches told him that he would be king, so now he doesn’t really trust them. |
What does Macbeth’s letter to his wife suggest about their relationship? | It shows that he sees them as equals and that they have a very loving and caring relationship. |
What are some reasons that Macbeth won’t kill Duncan? | Duncan is his relative and he shouldn’t kill family, if you poison someone, you will also poison yourself, and what goes around comes around (karma) |
Characterize Lady Macbeth | Horrid, Frightening, Psychotic, Emotionless, and Manipulative |
Characterize Macbeth | Humble, Cocky, Courageous, Brave, and Heroic |
How would you describe Macbeth’s state of mind before the murder? How about after the murder? | He is so worried about the murder that he hallucinates by seeing a dagger and goes crazy. After the murder, he has so much guilt that he will never ever be able to sleep again. |
Has Macbeth changed from the first act? If so, how? | In the beginning he does not want to go through with the killing and he is not guilty, hopeful, or fearful, but in the second act he becomes all of those things. Power goes to his head and even before him it goes to his wife’s head. |
Macbeth Acts 1-2
August 2, 2019