| sc1: Who will the witches meet? | Macbeth |
| sc2: What does Malcolm ask the Sergeant to tell Duncan? | what he knows about the battle. |
| sc2: What name does Macbeth deserve? | “brave Macbeth” |
| sc2: The captain says,”Till he unseated him from the nave to the chops/ and fixed his head upon our battlements.” Who is the person doing the unseaming, and who is being unseamed? | Macbeth unseamed Macdonwald |
| sc2: Who is the “most disloyal traitor?” | The Baron of Cawdor |
| sc2: What title do they give to Macbeth? | Baron of Cawdor |
| sc3: The witches greet Macbeth by three titles. What are the three? | (1)Baron of Glamis (name by inheritance), (2)Baron of Cawdor (name given by king after stripping it from the previous baron), and (3)king. |
| sc3: What prophecy do the witches give to Banquo? | that he will be less than Macbeth, and much greater; not as happy as Macbeth, only still much happier. His sons will be kings, but he will not. |
| sc3: What does Banquo say the “instruments of darkness” are capable of doing? | “Tell us truths to win us over and so harm ourselves.” |
| sc3: In Macbeth’s short soliloquy, he argues that the witches’ prophecy cannot be “ill” because…why? | because it has given him promise of success that began with a truth |
| sc3: In this short soliloquy, he (Macbeth) argues that it cannot be good. What images does he conjure that makes him feel frightened? | The image of himself as Baron of Cawdor. |
| sc3: To satisfy his fear, Macbeth thinks it might be possible to be King without what? | without his doing anything at all. |
| sc3: What reason does Banquo give to Ross and Angus for Macbeth’s odd behavior? | new honors that are given to him are like new clothes that do not fit when new. |
| sc4: What does Malcolm report Cawdor did at his execution? | confessed his treasons, begged to be pardoned, and seemed truly sorry. |
| sc4: “There is no art/ To find the mind’s construction in the face./ He was a gentleman on whom I built/ An absolute trust.” Who is speaking? Paraphrase the lines. | King Duncan is speaking. He is saying that Cawdor is a good actor that even fooled him with his trust. |
| sc4: For what does Duncan apologize to Macbeth? | the sin of his ingratitude |
| sc4: What does Duncan announce about Malcolm? | that his eldest son is in line for the throne, but must still prove his worthiness; that he will be now called The Prince of Cumberland |
| sc4: Duncan says that they should go to “Inverness.” What is Inverness? | Macbeth’s castle |
| sc4: What does Macbeth say about the Prince of Cumberland? | that he is in his way (to get the throne.) |
Macbeth Reading Questions Act 1 (scenes 1-4)
August 26, 2019