| Golgotha | The place where Christ was crucified (a place of great suffering) |
| why do people do evil things, knowing they’re evil | What is one of the major themes in Macbeth? |
| his sons will become kings | What do the witches predict for Banquo? |
| he will become thane of Cawdor and then a King | What do the witches predict for Macbeth? |
| Angus and Ross inform him that Duncan has appointed him as Cawdor | What news does Macbeth receive after the witches disappear in Act 1? |
| he was sentenced to death for treason | What happened to the original thane of Cawdor? (before Macbeth; this is the guy Macbeth replaces) |
| he is skeptical and thinks witches could be evil | Macbeth is excited to become king. How does Banquo feel about this? |
| he begins to fantasize about killing Duncan | After Macbeth learns that he will become thane of Cawdor, he begins to think maybe he will become king. But there already is a King…what does Macbeth start to do? |
| his thoughts and speculations | Macbeth’s ability to act and kill Duncan is stifled by _______________________. |
| he invites himself over to Macbeth’s castle | After Macbeth becomes thane of Cawdor, what does Duncan do? (Remember: Duncan feels he owes Macbeth more than just the title of “thane of Cawdor”) |
| commit murder (won’t let his eye look at what his hand is doing) | Macbeth learns that Duncan has named his son, Malcom, Prince’ Macbeth claims he’ll either have to step over Malcom or give up. What does he ultimately decide he’ll have to do? |
| so she can kill Duncan (wants blood to clot in her veins so she won’t feel remorse) | Why does Lady Macbeth ask for darkness and to be more like a man? |
| the King came to his house and so many people now respect him | Why is Macbeth really scared to commit murder? |
| she guilt-trips him (says if she promised to throw a baby at a wall and smash its brains out, she would, just like how Macbeth should keep his promise to kill Duncan) | How does Lady Macbeth convince Macbeth to commit the murder? |
| he will cover the servants in blood and use their daggers to kill (everyone will think its the servants who committed the crime) | What is Macbeth’s “cover-up” scheme? |
| Macduff | Who discovers King Duncan dead? |
| he calls for Malcom, Donalbain, and Banquo to wake up and see the dead corpse | What action does Macduff take after he discovers Duncan dead? |
| he says he was so upset that they murdered duncan | Why does Macbeth admit to murdering the two servants? |
| they’re scared they’ll be murdered; Malcom=England; Donalbain=Ireland (they both flee without saying goodbye) | Why do Malcom and Donalbain decide to flee England, and where do they go? |
| yes | Does the city believe that the servants murdered Duncan? |
| they are prime suspects because they ran away | What does Macduff say about Malcom and Donalbain after they flee? |
| Macbeth | Who was named King after Duncan was murdered? |
| He knows they suspect him of foul play, and he is furious that he has done all of the work (so-to-speak) of becoming king, and Banquo’s descendants will benefit from it rather than his. | Why does Macbeth want Banquo and Fleance (Banquo’s Son) murdered |
| he can’t sleep, but Duncan rests peacefully | What thought regarding insomnia does Macbeth attempt to process in Act 3? |
| he wants her to enjoy it after the deed is done | Why doesn’t Macbeth tell Lady Macbeth his plan to have Banquo and Fleance murdered? |
| Since they came true for Macbeth, they will become true for him | What does Banquo think about the witches’ prophesies? |
| Banquo insists he run away (he can get revenge some other day) | How does Fleance escape the murderers when Banquo (his father) is killed? |
| plays on their sense of manhood (not unlike how Lady Macbeth did Macbeth in Act I), tells them Banquo is their enemy and if they want to be men, they will do something about him, says he’d do it himself but he doesn’t want to upset their (his and Banquo’s) mutual friends | How does Macbeth convince the two murderers to murder Banquo and Fleance? |
| Banquo’s ghost | What does Macbeth see at the table at the feast? |
| the floating dagger he saw before he killed Duncan | What does Lady Macbeth liken the ghost of Banquo to? |
| they didn’t include her in the plan to bring Macbeth down | Why is Hecate mad at the other witches? |
| She wants the witches to give Macbeth some visions which will give him false impressions, false hopes for his personal safety and the safety of his rule, so he will continue on his path of destruction. | What does Hecate ask the witches to do? |
| beware of the thane of fife(Macduff); no man born from a woman can harm him; be brave (Macbeth won’t be defeated until the forest of Birham marches to fight him at dunsinaine hill | What do the apparitions tell Macbeth? |
| they will all become Kings; he decides to raid Macduff’s castle and kill his wife/kids and any other descendants after he learns Macduff fled to England | What news does Macbeth get about Banquo’s sons? What does he decide to do? |
| he is helping Malcom raise an army | What is Macduff doing in England? |
| Macduff is not loyal to him | Why does Macbeth have Macduff’s family/descendants killed? |
| Malcom and Macduff | Who decides to team up against Macbeth? |
| he tells lies about himself and gauges macduff’s reaction | Before Malcom teams up with Macduff, he needs to be sure the Thane of Fife’s motives are true. What does he do? |
| you can’t find a devil in hell worse than Macbeth (Malcolm should just secretly satisfy his desires while appearing virtuous) | What is Macduff’s reaction when Malcolm lies, saying he has too many sexual desires? |
| greed is worse than lust because you can’t outgrow it; Scotland has enough treasures to satisfy him | What is Macduff’s reaction when Malcom lies, saying he is too greedy and would steal nobles’ land/jewelry? |
| he’s not fit to live (he’s cursed and a disgrace to his royal family) | What is Macduff’s reaction when Malcolm lies, saying he doesn’t have any good sides (no humility/mercy/kindness, etc; isn’t fit to be King)? |
| she’s been telling Macbeth to let go of his anxiety about murdering people, yet her subconscious mind is so bothered (she’s sleep walking/talking) | What is ironic about Lady Macbeth’s state of mind? |
| the Birnam forest picks itself up and moves to dunsinaine | Macbeth claims he wont be “afraid of death and bane(destruction)” until what happens? |
| to carry branches from the forest to conceal the number of approaching soldiers | What order does Malcolm give the troops? |
| the forest is moving towards his castle (dramatic irony) | What bad news does Macbeth hear from the Messenger that corresponds with Malcolm’s order? |
| he was cut out of his mother’s womb | If no man born of a woman can hurt Macbeth, how can Macduff kill Macbeth? |
| he becomes King | What becomes of Malcolm at the end of the play? |
| all thanes and Kinsmen are named earls | What becomes of Scotland at the end of the play? |
| young Siward; he is slained | Who first fought Macbeth? What happened to him? |
| his family was slain | What news does Ross bring to Macduff? |
Macbeth Comprehension Questions
August 6, 2019