Act 1 Scene 5

Question 1

overview of act I scene v

Answer 1

lady macbeth reads her husband’s letter before welcoming him home and preparing to receive the king

Question 2

finish the quote: ‘my dearest..

Answer 2

..partner of greatness’

Question 3

‘my dearest partner of greatness’

Answer 3

• he loves and respects her
• superlative - dearest

Question 4

finish the quote: ‘too full o’th’milk…

Answer 4

…of human kindness’

Question 5

‘too full o’th’milk of human kindness’
‘the illness’

Answer 5

• macbeth is not only good natured, but is ‘too full’ -> stop him achieving the crown
• he needs to be inhumane
• associated with a comforting nature
• not the qualities that LM thinks are required to become king
• shakespearean context - women should be kind
• LM refers to ‘human kindness’ as ‘the illness’ - she views it in a negative light

Question 6

finish the quote: ‘The..

Answer 6

..illness’

Question 7

finish the quote: ‘thou wouldst…

Answer 7

…be great’

Question 8

‘thou wouldst be great’

Answer 8

• strong man and capable of reaching great heights, however he does not possess evil and therefore can’t succeed
• LM is very judgemental and critical of macbeth
• not popular with the audience as women were meant to be submissive and LM seen as matriarchal woman denouncing her husband as being weak

Question 9

finish the quote: ‘hie..

Answer 9

…thee hither’

Question 10

finish the quote: ‘pour my spirits…

Answer 10

…in thine ear’

Question 11

finish the quote: ‘valour…

Answer 11

…of my tongue’

Question 12

‘hie thee hither’
‘pour mine spirits in thine ear’
‘valour of my tongue’

Answer 12

• hurry home
• LM is manipulative - an ‘Eve’ figure - evil and satanic - associated with LM - becomes a contemptable figure

Question 13

finish the quote: ‘come, you spirits…

Answer 13

..that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here’

Question 14

‘unsex me here’

Answer 14

• she doesn’t want to be a woman because she sees women as weak and incapable of murder
• symbolism of masculinity
• explicit rejection of traditionally female behaviour -LM rejecting typical patriarchal society of the time

Question 15

‘come, you spirits’
‘come, thick night’

Answer 15

• uses imperatives
• links her to the witches
• makes it sound like she is casting a spell
• likes her to evil, unnatural spirits

Question 16

finish the quote: ‘fill me from..

Answer 16

…the crown to toe top full of direst cruelty’

Question 17

‘direst cruelty’

Answer 17

• not only is LM prepared to be crue;. but the adj ‘direst’
• highlights the extreme lengths she is willing to go to

Question 18

finish the quote: ‘come to my..

Answer 18

…woman’s breasts and take my milk for gall’

Question 19

finish the quote: ‘dunnest..

Answer 19

…smoke of hell’

Question 20

finish the quote: ‘my keen knife…

Answer 20

..see not the wound it makes’

Question 21

finish the quote: ‘blanket of..

Answer 21

..the dark’

Question 22

‘my keen knife see not the wound it makes’
‘blanket of the dark’

Answer 22

• reminiscent of macbeth telling the stars not to shine
• doesn’t want to be seen
• couple are complicit in the evil

Question 23

finish the quote: ‘Great glamis..

Answer 23

…worthy Cawdor’

Question 24

finish the quote: ‘my dearest..

Answer 24

…love’

Question 25

'Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor'

Answer 25

- flattery so that macbeth listens to her - she is manipulative

Question 26

'my dearest love'

Answer 26

- close and intimate relationship

Question 27

finish the quote: 'never shall Sun..

Answer 27

..that morrow see'

Question 28

finish the quote: 'your face, my...

Answer 28

...thane, is a book where men may read strange matters'

Question 29

'a book where men may read strange matters'

Answer 29

- implicit stage direction = shocked face - LM teaching macbeth how to look deceptive - macbeth is not trained / isn't good at being deceptive at the start

Question 30

finish the quote: 'look like the innocent flower...

Answer 30

..but be the serpent under't'

Question 31

'look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't'

Answer 31

- imagery highlights the goodness by vulnerability of honest human behaviour - LM shows that manipulation and deceit are the most effective methods of gaining power - evil is underneath all of our behaviour - deception and duplicitous - art of deception - juxtaposition - 'flower' and 'serpent' - clear biblical reference to the serpent in the garden of eden -> helped bring original sin into the world - linked to devi - LM would rather act like the devil than as a moral human being - like witches, she sees fair is foul and foul is fair'

Question 32

finish the quote: 'my...

Answer 32

...dispatch'

Question 33

'my dispatch'

Answer 33

- 'my'- LM takes ownership - LM is matriarchal and more confident and manly than her husband

Question 34

finish the quote: 'we will speak...

Answer 34

...further-'

Question 35

'we will speak further-'

Answer 35

- LM cuts macbeth off - macbeth isn't fully convinced yet - LM interrupts macbeth - commands him and manipulates him into killing duncan

Question 36

finish the quote: 'only look up clear...

Answer 36

...to alter favour is to fear'

Question 37

'only look up clear to alter favour is to fear'

Answer 37

- rhyming - shakespeare uses rhyme for plot progression - echo of how the witches speak -> LM is the fourth witch?? - supernatural taken over her

Question 38

finish the quote: 'leave all the rest..

Answer 38

...to me'

Question 39

what is lady macbeth's reaction to the letter?

Answer 39

- she has no doubt about killing duncan and immediately sees that she'll have to force macbeth to do it - he is 'too full o'th'milk of human kindness'

Question 40

evil imagery

Answer 40

- 'smoke of hell' - 'direst cruelty' - shows the evil on her mind

Question 41

dialogue when macbeth enters

Answer 41

- in half line breaks - makes their speech sound urgent and hurried - they are both nervous and need to act quickly in case they're interrupted

Question 42

why is lady macbeth's soliloquy important?

Answer 42

- shows that she's the driving force behind the decision to murder duncan - her language links her to the witches and shows that she's not to be trusted