Macbeth

Question 1

What type of play is Macbeth?

Answer 1

A Tradgedy.

Question 2

Who are the main characters of Macbeth? (HINT: There are 7)

Answer 2

Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The 3 Witches, Banquo, Macduff, Malcolm and Duncan.

Question 3

Who is Macbeth?

Answer 3

Macbeth is a strong, “noble” warrior who turns into a King after murdering Duncan. He then goes on a downwards spiral and murders anyone who he feels could stop his reign. He eventually gets killed by a Scottish Noble Macduff. He is shown to be what could happen if you go down a path of sin.

Question 4

Who is Lady Macbeth?

Answer 4

Lady Macbeth is a strong, ruthless and cunning woman. She plots for Macbeth to become King by murdering King Duncan. However, she too ends up on a downwards spiral and kills herself in the end. She is very controlling and mentally overpowers Macbeth. She has a tragic flaw.

Question 5

Who are the 3 Witches?

Answer 5

The 3 Witches will often stir up conflict and trouble by manipulating the characters who are weak in the mind. They do this to Macbeth and he becomes crazy and kills many people. They are truly evil and represent the darkness and evil.

Question 6

Who is Banquo?

Answer 6

Banquo is Macbeth’s best friend who fought in battle with him. Unlike Macbeth, Banquo does not go down a path of murder led by the witches. He does get killed but haunts Macbeth for his decisions. He symbolises what Macbeth could of been i he hadn’t listened to the witches.

Question 7

Who is King Duncan?

Answer 7

King Duncan is the King of Scotland who falls victim to Macbeth’s first murder. He symbolises what a King should be as he keeps Scotland in order until he dies.

Question 8

Who is Macduff?

Answer 8

Macduff is the person who kills Macbeth and doubted his leadership from the start. He becomes the leader of the crusade against Macbeth. However, part of him wants to kill Macbeth because he killed his family.

Question 9

Who is Malcolm?

Answer 9

Malcolm is the rightful leader of Scotland and Duncan’s son. After he and Macduff team up to overthrow Macbeth, they become a threat to Macbeth’s power. At first he appears weak but he becomes more powerful throughout the play.

Question 10

When Macbeth and Banquo come across the 3 witches in Act 1, what are their prophecies?

Answer 10

1) Macbeth will be made Thane of Cawdor
2) Macbeth will be made King of Scotland.
3) Banquo will never be king, but his heirs will be.

Question 11

Does Banquo believe the prophecies?

Does Macbeth believe them?

Answer 11

Banquo doesn’t but Macbeth does.

Question 12

What is Lady Macbeth’s reaction when she is told about the prophecies?

Answer 12

She comes up with a plan to kill the King of Scotland and make Macbeth King.

Question 13

How does Macbeth react to Lady Macbeth’s plot?

Answer 13

He agrees to go with it, but he feels guilty about it and sees daggers floating in the air.

Question 14

Who does Lady Macbeth frame the murder of the King on? What does Macbeth do to them?

Answer 14

The king’s guards.

Macbeth kills them after blaming them.

Question 15

After King Duncan’s murder who flees Scotland? Why does he/she flee?

Answer 15

Malcolm, the king’s son, flees Scotland after fearing for his life.

Question 16

Who does Macbeth kill next? Why does he do it and what does it represent?

Answer 16

Macbeth plots to kill Banquo next. This is because he’s scared that Banquo’s heirs are a threat to his throne. This represents Lady Macbeth’s power shifting to Macbeth.

Question 17

Who carry’s out Banquo’s murder?

What goes wrong in Banquo’s murder?

Answer 17

Macbeth hires a gang of murderers to kill Banquo and his son. However, his son gets away and escapes.

Question 18

Who does Macbeth see at a Banquet?

What does Lady Macbeth try to do?

Answer 18

Macbeth sees a ghost of Banquo at his banquet.

Lady Macbeth tries to calm Macbeth down.

Question 19

When Macbeth goes back to the Three Witches, what does he learn?

Answer 19

1) To beware of Macduff
2) That any man ‘born of woman’ can’t kill Macbeth (This means that any person born naturally (i.e not by c section) can’t kill Macbeth))
3) Macbeth is safe until Burnin wood comes to the hills.

Question 20

What does Lady Macbeth ‘see’ is on her hands?
Why does she see this?
What does it mean?

Answer 20

Lady Macbeth imagines blood on her hands, she see’s this because she feel guilty about all the murder she had caused. She can’t wash it off either and it means that all the people that died is her doing.

Question 21

What does Lady Macbeth do after going crazy?

Answer 21

She kills herself because of the guilt.

Question 22

What does Macduff do after his family is killed?
What’s his strategy?
What does this fulfill?

Answer 22

He leads an uprising against Macbeth.
He uproots trees in a forest and uses them as camouflage so his army can sneak up to the castle.
This fufill’s the witches third prophecy.

Question 23

Why does Macbeth think that Macduff cannot kill him?

Answer 23

Because ‘any man born of woman’ can’t kill him according to the Three Witches. He thinks that this is everyone.

Question 24

If ‘any man born of woman’ can’t kill Macbeth then why does Macduff kill Macbeth?

Answer 24

Because Macduff was born by a C-Section. Therefore he was not ‘born of woman’

Question 25

What are some key Macbeth quotes?

Answer 25

1) “stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires”
2) “is this a dagger which I see before me? The handle towards my hand?”
3) “life’s but a walking shadow”

Question 26

What are some key Lady Macbeth quotes?

Answer 26

1) “unsex me here”
2) “a little water clears us of this deed”
3 “ out damned spot! Out I say!”

Question 27

What are some key Witches quotes?

Answer 27

1) “Fair is foul and foul is fair”
2 “double double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble”
3) “you should be women but your beards stop me from believing”