Macbeth Final Test Flashcards
Duncan’s older son. Is a good king that Macbeth is not. Uses deception to insure his own safety.
Malcolm
Nobleman of Scotland and rival of Macbeth. Thane of Fife, a nobleman of Scotland. This man showed an early distrust of Macbeth. He also represents fate as when knocking on the door. He thinks he can avoid having his family looking guilty and getting killed by fleeing, but he overestimates Macbeth. He then plays the avenger who killed his family
Macduff
General in the Scottish Army and Macbeth’s friend. Thane of Lochaber, a general in the King’s army. This man is the opposite of Macbeth, showing an alternate reaction to prophecy. He keeps his morals and allegiances, but ends up dying. He is brave and ambitious, but this is tempered by intelligence
Banquo
Macbeth’s wife and supporter of her husband. This woman is a good wife who loves her husband. She is also ambitious but lacks the morals of her husband. To achieve her ambition, she rids of herself of any kindness that might stand in the way. However, she runs out of energy to suppress her conscience and kills herself
Lady Macbeth
King of Scotland. This character is a good king who is liked by his people. He trusted people but ended up dead.
Duncan
a forest near Dunsinane Hill in Scotland. In the play, three witches reveal to Macbeth his fate through prophecies. They suggest that he will be king of Scotland until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.
Birnam Wood
is the site of Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan. Is where Macbeth and his wife live at the beginning of the play (Macbeth’s castle).
Inverness
Banquo’s son who’s seen as a threat to Macbeth. Plays no large role, and the only question is how his line ends up becoming king after Malcolm. Fled when his father was killed.
Fleance
is where the coronation of Macbeth and Malcolm is said to take place. This is also the future place for where Banquo’s sons will be made King.
Scone
Evil prophets that guide Macbeth’s destiny with incomplete information regarding his future. These characters add an element of supernatural and prophecy to the play. They each have a familiar, such as Graymalkin and Paddock, and are commanded by Hecate, a Greek goddess of the moon and witchcraft. They can use sieves as boats, and they can become an animal. They are described as having beards but looking human.
Weird Sisters
The Witches Prophecy: witches say that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and will become king (order 1-10)
1
Macbeth murders King Duncan: Macbeth isn’t told how he is to become king and realizes that the king has a heir to the throne (Malcom), so he decides to kill King Duncan to help the prophecies happen rather than leaving it to fate (order 1-10)
2
Banquet scene: Macbeth’s fears and guilt are made obvious at the banquet because he becomes super paranoid about everything and he thinks that he is seeing ghosts of the people he has murdered (order 1-10)
3
Macbeth sees ghosts: at the banquet, Macbeth thinks that there are ghosts of the people he has murdered. He thinks that they are haunting him. This makes him even more paranoid whilst making his fears and paranoia public. His wife tries to reassure everyone that he is “sane.” (order 1-10)
4
Banquo murdered: Macbeth had Banquo murdered because he is seen as a threat to the throne. The witches also said that Banquo’s descendants will become king, whilst he wouldn’t, this was also a threat to Macbeth’s reign. (order 1-10)
5
Witches new prophecies: When Macbeth goes back to the witches, they make some new prophecies for him. They mention that no child born from a woman would be able to kill him and that his reign is safe until the trees move. Macbeth takes this literally, which turns out to be incorrect later on since the witches talk in riddles to confuse people. (order 1-10)
6
Macduff’s family killed: Macduff’s family was killed to punish Macduff and to stop him from fighting against Macbeth because the witches told him to “beware Macduff, beware the Thane of Fife.” (order 1-10)
7
Malcolm and Macduff Plan to kill Macbeth: Macduff suspects Macbeth of killing the kind and works with Malcolm to try and kill Macbeth. They use the trees to camouflage themselves and attack the fort in the final scene. (order 1-10)
8
Lady Macbeth suicide: LMB kills herself because of the guilt of knowing about the murder of King Duncan (order 1-10)
9
Macduff kills Macbeth: Macduff and his army close in on the castle, making the prophecy come true. Macduff also wanted to get his own back on Macbeth for murdering his entire family (order 1-10)
10
Name of king when shakespeare wrote Macbeth
James I
(Act I, scene I, line 12) “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”
Significance and what they mean
Significance: Shakespeare uses the phrase to show that what is considered good is in fact bad and what is considered bad is actually good. It highlights the hypocrisy that people adopt to hide their true intentions. Shakespeare uses this theme to caution about judging things based on the face value. While King Duncan loves Macbeth dearly, it is Macbeth who ends his life.
(Act I, scene iv, line 9-12) “That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou’ld’st have, great Glamis, That which cries, “Thus thou must do, “if thou have it”
Significance: Lady Macbeth has just received a letter from her husband telling her all about the witches and their prophecies. Now, she is reflecting on what must be done to ensure that Macbeth becomes king.
(Act I, scene iv, line 50-53) “Duncan comes here tonight. (Macbeth) “And when goes hence?” (Lady Macbeth) “O, never Shall sun that morrow see! Your face, my thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye,” (Lady Macbeth)
Significance: When Lady Macbeth says, “To beguile the time, / Look like the time,” she’s riffing on the proverb, “to beguile the time with a fair face.” In other words, Macbeth should deceive Duncan and his court by acting like a smiling, welcoming host in order to hide his evil intentions.
“Neptune’s Blood” (Act II, scene II, lines 60-61) “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather…”
Significance: Macbeth laments in this passage that all the oceans in the world wouldn’t be capable of washing the blood from his hands. Instead, it is likely that his red stained palms would turn green seas crimson in his attempt to clean them.
“Bloody instructions” (Act I, scene 7, lines 7-9) “But in these cases We still have judgement here, that we but teach Bloody instructions, which , being taught, return”
Significance: Macbeth is also concerned that if he murders the king, when he becomes king others may do the same and he will be murdered in turn.
