Macbeth Scene by Scene Study Questions

Macbeth: Scene by Scene Study Questions ACT I scene i 1. Describe the mood and atmosphere in the first scene. Why does Shakespeare attempt to make the audience uneasy? 2. What main character is mentioned? What future event? 3. You are the director. How would you cast the witches? What would they wear? How would they look? How would they speak? ACT I scene ii 1. List the several qualities described to us that reveal Macbeth as a hero. 2. Why are King Duncan and Malcolm not in battle? 3. What kind of king does Duncan seem to be? How is he treated by those around him? 4. How do Macbeth and Banquo appear in this scene? Since this is a play about Macbeth, why has he not yet appeared? 5. Who are the primary traitors to Duncan? What does Macbeth do to such persons? What can be foreshadowed of Macbeth’s later character? 6. What title is given to Macbeth as a reward at the end of the scene? Why does he receive this title? ACT I scene iii 1. List several phrases that reveal the witches’ evil nature, their vengefulness, their supernatural powers. What limits are there upon the witches’ powers? 2. Name the three prophecies given to both Macbeth and Banquo. Describe the reaction each has to these prophecies. 3. After Ross informs Macbeth of his new appointment, what lines reveal Macbeth’s ambition? What decision does Macbeth make regarding his political future? 4. What is Banquo’s warning to Macbeth concerning the witches? 5. Describe the two clothing images found in this scene. What is their function? 6. Identify and explain a speech by Macbeth that sounds false. 7. Trace Macbeth’s inner conflict as revealed by his asides. ACT I scene iv 1. Why juxtapose Duncan’s comment on the recently executed Cawdor with the arrival of Macbeth and Banquo? 2. Why is Macbeth so upsoet about Malcolm being proclaimed Prince of Cumberland? Why does Duncan choose this occasion for the announcement? 3. Read over the speeches given by Macbeth and Banquo. Which seems the most sincere? Why? ACT I scene v 1. Describe Lady Macbeth’s character as revealed in her opening speeches. How does she view her role in the enterprise at hand? 2. What images are revealed in her soliloquy? What moods do they create in the reader? 3. According to Lady Macbeth, what is Macbeth’s “problem”? 4. What does Lady Macbeth foreshadow in her speech? 5. What is Macbeth’s reaction to his wife’s proposal for the murder of King Duncan that very night? ACT I scene vi 1. How does King Duncan’s opening speech intensify the apprehension of the reader? 2. How does Lady Macbeth give a dazzling example of what she earlier told Macbeth he should do? ACT I scene vii 1. Read over Macbeth’s soliloquy. What reasons does Macbeth offer for not murdering King Duncan? What images suggest Macbeth’s sense of guilt? Fear? Identify one reason Macbeth gives for the murder. 2. Follow Lady Macbeth’s methods of argument through the scene. Describe her tactics and devices. Why is Macbeth convinced by Lady Macbeth’s arguments? 3. How does Macbeth seem to “echo” his wife from earlier on when he utters his final speech? What does this “echo” tell the reader about Macbeth’s character? Act II scene i 1. Identify the phrases that suggest the darkness of the night. 2. What is bothering Banquo in his opening speech? 3. Re-read Macbeth’s first three-line speech. What lesson does Macbeth seem to have learned? 4. Why is Banquo so careful in his reply to Macbeth’s, “It shall make honour for you”? 5. In this scene Macbeth delivers a great speech. Identify his expressions of fear and determination. What images are suggestive of the murder and horror of the deed? What feelings might be created in the audience during this soliloquy? Detail the similarities to Lady Macbeth’s earlier speech. Act II scene ii 1. What details create unbearable tension at the opening of the scene?