| Why does King Duncan decide to make Macbeth Thane of Cawdor? | Because he did so well in battle and fought heroically for him |
| What is Banquo’s reaction when Macbeth receives his new title? | He is shocked and can’t believe that the witches were right |
| After reading the letter from her husband, Lady Macbeth calls upon the spirits to “make thick my blood, / Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse….” What is she asking for? | To be made insensitive to the cruelty she is planning |
| Define paradox and know how to identify one in the text. | Contradicting words. “Fair is soul, and soul is Fair.” (EXAMPLE) |
| Near the end of Act I, why does Macbeth express doubt about murdering the king? | Because he is the king’s host and subject. |
| When Macbeth talks agitatedly about the murders, what does Lady Macbeth urge him to do? | To kill Duncan, The King. To try and not to dwell on it. |
| Define irony and explain its usage in the porter’s cursing. | The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. |
| When Lennox and Macduff arrive at Macbeth’s castle in the morning, what is their initial impression of the state of the guests and residents? | If the porter had stayed up late and slept in |
| Why do Malcolm and Donalbain flee Scotland as soon as the murder becomes known? | They don’t want to be accused of killing their dad or be killed next because of they know could have an idea that Macbeth murdered him. |
| What do the natural disturbances that continue all night (the screaming owl, chimneys being blown down, and Duncan’s horses turning wild) symbolize? | It symbolizes a disturbance in the kingdom. |
| What does the “barren scepter” Macbeth refers to symbolize? | Macbeth becoming king |
| Why does Macbeth tell the hired murderers that they must keep his plan to kill Banquo a secret? | He doesn’t want to get caught, and they have friends. |
| How does Macbeth react when he hears that Fleance has escaped the murders? | He reacts with fear and anxiety. |
| How does Lady Macbeth explain what is happening when Macbeth begins talking to Banquo’s ghost at the dinner party? | That is is his fear and that is isn’t real. She tells him to stop making faces. She says to pay attention to his guests. After he “sees” the ghost again she asks the guests to leave, to have a private conversation with Macbeth. |
| Define figurative language. Find an example of vivid figurative language in Act III. | is when you use a word or phrase that does not have its normal everyday, literal meaning. “O, full of scorpions in my mind, dear wife!” (EXAMPLE) |
| What do the Witches tell Macbeth? | Tell him 3 new prophesies. 1. Beware of Macduff. 2. No one born by a woman will hurt him. 3. You will be safe until the trees march. |
| Regarding Macduff, what does Macbeth decide to do when he learns that no one born of a woman will harm him? | His confidence is boosted up, because no one can harm him. |
| What was Lady Macduff’s last chance for escape? | A Messanger |
| When Ross joins Malcolm and Macduff in Scene 3, he says to Macduff, “Let not your ears despise my tongue forever, / Which shall possess them with the heaviest sound / That ever yet they heard.” What does he mean? | He is about to tell him that his family is dead and he doesn’t want Macduff to hate him for bringing the terrible news. |
| When Macduff receives the news of his family, what does Malcolm urge him to do? | He gets angry and takes revenge |
| Why does the gentlewoman in Scene 1 refuse to repeat Lady Macbeth’s sleep talk to the doctor? | There is no witness to confirm the truth of the gentlewoman’s words |
| How does Macbeth reassure himself that Malcolm and Macduff are not a threat to him? | Are both “of woman born” |
| As Macbeth’s anxiety grows, what does he ask the doctor to do? | Cure Lady Macbeth |
| What does Macbeth’s reaction to his wife’s death reveal about his feelings about life and death? | Thinks life is a meaningless path to death |
| Why does Macduff declare that he must kill Macbeth? | He must avenge his family members’ murders |
Macbeth Acts 1-5 Test Review
November 27, 2019