| the tragic hero of the drama whose tragic flaw leads to his/her downfall | Macbeth |
| provides comic relief after King Duncan’s death by pretending to be Hell’s gatekeeper | thePorter |
| believes her husband is a traitor and is killed by Macbeth’s assassins | Lady Macduff |
| initiates the plan to kill King Duncan and is initially very cruel and malicious; ends up killing herself from guilt in Act V | Lady Macbeth |
| Banquo’s son who escapes Macbeth’s assassins | Fleance |
| King Duncan’s younger son who escapes to Ireland | Donalbain |
| King Duncan’s oldest son and heir to the throne; escapes to England and leads the English army in a battle to overthrow Macbeth; becomes the rightful king of Scotland in the end | Malcolm |
| Macbeth’s friend who becomes highly suspicious of Macbeth in Act III; is killed by Macbeth’s assassins | Banquo |
| the goddess of witchcraft | Hecate |
| King of Scotland; very trusting and loyal to his subjects; murdered by Macbeth | King Duncan |
| the original man was found to be traitorous and was killed for treason; the title was then given to Macbeth for his brave and loyal acts on the battlefield | Thane of Cawdor |
| Witches’ first prediction | Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor |
| Witches’ second prediction | Macbeth will be king |
| Witches’ third prediction | Banquo’s descendants will be king, even though he will not be one himself |
| Does Lady Macbeth encourage or discourage her husband’s ambitions to become king using any way possible? | She encourages him. |
| How does Duncan feel when he enters the castle in Act II? | He feels a sense of security and is at ease with his surroundings. |
| How does Macbeth behave before the king’s murder in Act II? | he begins to have second thoughts and hesitates to go through with the act |
| Who is the mastermind behind the king’s assassination? | Lady Macbeth |
| Why does Macbeth claim he cannot kill Banquo and Fleance himself? | He says that he has too many mutual friends and allies with Banquo, and he cannot risk losing their support. |
| Whose ghost haunts Macbeth at the banquet? | Banquo’s ghost |
| How do the guests react to their king’s odd behavior at the banquet? | They are confused because they cannot see the ghost themselves. |
| Besides Banquo, who else is missing from the banquet in Act III? | Macduff; he has gone to England to align himself with Malcolm in hopes of overthrowing Macbeth |
| First apparition | Armed head that says for Macbeth to beware Macduff |
| Second apparition | Bloody child that says that Macbeth should not fear any man born of woman |
| Third apparition | Crowned child with tree branch in hand that says that Macbeth shall not be vanquished until Birnam Wood marches to Dunsinane Hill |
| Final apparition | a line of 8 kings, followed by a bloody Banquo |
| Why does the final apparition cause so much agitation for Macbeth? | He realizes that Banquo’s prediction will still come true–his descendants will still be rulers of Scotland. |
| Who orders Macduff’s wife and children to be murdered and why? | Macbeth orders them to be murdered because he discovers that Macduff has aligned himself with Malcolm and they plan to battle him for the throne. |
| What does Macbeth decide to do anyways after he receives the prophecy from the second apparition? | Even though, he supposedly does not have to fear any man of woman-born, he plans to kill Macduff anyways for “good measure.” |
| Why is the doctor called to Macbeth’s castle? | Lady Macbeth has been sleepwalking and behaving very strangely. |
| What command does Malcolm give his troops in Act V in order for them to camouflage themselves as they approach the castle? | He commands them to use the tree branches from Birnam Wood to cover themselves in hopes of masking their numbers. |
| Does Macbeth see each of the apparitions’ prophecies come true? | Yes. They were ambiguous messages that he did not interpret in the correct manner, but each of them did come true. |
| Why do the witches meet at the beginning of Act I? | They meet to plan their later meeting with Macbeth. |
| Describe Macbeth’s actions on the battlefield in Act I. | Loyal, brave, courageous, strong, capable of great violence |
| At the end of Act I, what concerns Lady Macbeth about Macbeth? | She worries that he does not have what it takes to kill King Duncan in order to become king. |
| What does Macbeth see as part of a hallucination in Act II before King Duncan’s murder? | a floating dagger |
| What type of irony is it that is exemplified in the fact that the audience knows that Macbeth wants to kill Duncan, but Duncan is unaware of the fact? | dramatic irony |
| At the end of Act I and beginning of Act II, both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth wish for what to happen? | They both desire for the predictions to come true, but in so doing, they call out for spirits to cover their evil deeds so that none may see them. |
| Why does Lady Macbeth hesitate to kill King Duncan? | He reminds her of her own father. |
| When Macbeth begins to have second doubts about the murder, what does Lady Macbeth tell him? | She calls him a coward who is less than a man; she further guilts him by telling him that she would sooner murder her own infant than go back on an oath |
| Describe Lady Macbeth. | Manipulative, calculating, ambitions, motivated, cruel, selfish |
| How does Macbeth act after King Duncan’s murder? | He shows great agitation and regret. |
| What, specifically, bothers Macbeth after King Duncan’s murder? | He is especially agitated by all of the blood; he claims that Neptune’s great oceans will never be able to wash the blood from his hands. |
| How does Lady Macbeth respond after the king’s murder? | She is very calm and collected; she claims that a little water will clear them of the deed. |
| Later in the play, why do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth claim to envy King Duncan? | They say that he is dead and free from the trials and tribulations of life. |
| How does Hecate and the witches plan to ensure Macbeth’s downfall? | by making him overconfident |
| Why is Macbeth so insistent that Banquo be killed? | He does not want his crimes to benefit Banquo’s children. |
| In Act IV, of what does Malcolm try to convince Macduff? | He tests him of his loyalties by telling him that he would bring more suffering upon Scotland because he has too many faults to qualify him as a virtuous king. |
| In Act V, what is the “damned spot” that Lady Macbeth refers to in her sleepwalking? | Duncan’s bloodstain |
| In Act V, scene 8, why does Macbeth decide to fight Macduff, even though he knows he is fated to die? | He finally takes responsibility for his actions and decides to fight and not run like a coward. He will not go down without a fight. |
| What does Macbeth finally realize about the witches in Act V? | He realizes that they purposely deceived him with ambiguous messages. |
| Who do Lady Macbeth and Macbeth plan to frame for the murder of King Duncan? | the guards |
Macbeth Review
September 18, 2019