Macbeth Discussion Questions
Macbeth Reading and Discussion Questions (Required)
Act 1, Scene 1 (1.1)
What is the effect of beginning the play with the witches?
Beginning the play with witches provides the play with an air of suspense and it may be inferred that evil could be a major theme within the play.
Who are the witches going to meet, and when?
Macbeth, after the battle
Act 1, Scene 2 (1.2)
What do we learn about and from the "bloody Captain" (1.2.1-48)?
That Macdonwald was an opposing villain and was battling against Macbeth with the assistance of his men from ireland and lady Luck however they weren't powerful enough.
Who is Macdonwald and what has he done?
That Macdonwald was an opposing villain and was battling against Macbeth with the assistance of his
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Thane Cawdor
What does King Duncan say about the traitor and about his title (1.2.73-76)? King duncan declares that the traitor Cawdor ought to be killed and his titles ought to be granted to Macbeth.
Act 1, Scene 3 (1.3)
What is the effect of what the witches tell each other in 1.3.1-30?
It provides a lot of suspense to the play since they plan to do evil to a sailor.
What is the effect of the specifics they tell?
The specifics they tell show how thought out their plan is.
Are these details important to the plot of the play?
No however they are vital to show how through the witches are
What does the First Witch mean by line 11? Keep the line in mind; "do" is an important word in this play.
On line nine once the first witch says, “I’ll do, I’ll do, and I’ll do” she implies that she's going to do many bad things to the sailor.
What does Banquo ask the witches and what do they tell him?
Banquo demands to know his own future. The witches prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings, however he himself won't be.
What do we know that Macbeth doesn't know in 1.3.73-81?
What the reader knows and Macbeth doesn’t is that the Thane of Cawdor will be sentenced to death by the King of scotland and the title will be granted to
Similarities Between 1984 And Macbeth
1512 Words | 7 PagesBefore visiting Macbeth's castle, Duncan states how there is no way to see that the Thane of Cawdor is a traitor. "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face" (1.4.12-13), and "This castle hath a pleasant seat. The air/Nimbly and sweetly recommends itself/Unto our gentle senses". Duncan is ignorant that he will be betrayed again by Macbeth, which is dramatic irony.
Greed Quotes In Macbeth
509 Words | 3 PagesOne of them, a bloody child, tells him that nobody born of man can kill him. He feels safe because of this and because another of the apparitions tells him that he will be safe until the Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane hill, which Macbeth knows is impossible. He then receives word that one of the king’s generals, Macduff, is fleeing to England. Macbeth then sends killers to wipe out Macduff’s entire family and his castle. When Macduff hears that his family was killed he is grief ridden and enraged.
Power Corrupted In Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'
699 Words | 3 PagesMacbeth Power corrupts. A simple truth, oft repeated. However, for Macbeth, that truth became all too real, as he became corrupted simply to attain power. At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the title character is a Thane in Scotland, a high rank. On his journey home from war, he and his friend Banquo encounter three witches, who appear, as Banquo describes them, as “women, and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.”
Who Is To Blame In Shakespeare's Macbeth?
727 Words | 3 Pages(1.3.126-128). To reinforce what Banquo says, Macbeth already knows that he is thane of Glamis. There is a battle going on, and the thane of Cawdor died, but Macbeth has yet to hear wind about it. The witches could have knowledge about this, and just told him what he wants to hear about being king
Duncan's Betrayal In Macbeth
402 Words | 2 PagesMacbeth is a play written by Shakespeare in 1606. Macbeth is essentially a story of a warrior who gets consumed by his own greed and ambition. Betrayal is a prevalent theme throughout the play that shifts power between the characters. In the beginning, the Thane of Cawdor betrayed the country and the king. When King Duncan heard the news he removed him from his position, “ No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth” (Shakespeare 1:2:63-66).
Macbeth Quotes Analysis
682 Words | 3 PagesMacbeth come across the three witches, there they state, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor” (Act 1, Scene 3). In reply to the three witches, Macbeth demanded “stay you imperfect speakers! Tell me more”. With just these few statements announced, Macbeth’s thirst for power and glory arises and is clearly seen.
Comparison Of Macbeth And Pablo Escobar
1288 Words | 6 PagesMacbeth was the Thane of Cawdor but he wanted to be king more than anything. The witches had told him that he would one day be king but he did not know how long that would take so when King Duncan had been invited to stay the night at his house he exclaimed that “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/ shakes so my single state of man/ that function is smother 'd in surmise,/ and nothing is but what is not”(1.3.52-55). He felt that if he were to kill King Duncan that he would have a better chance of becoming king. Though the witches had never told him that someone would need to get murdered for him to become king, his ambition tempted him to quicken this process the only way he felt he could. This was the beginning of the murderer that the witches had created with the fortune telling.
Theme Of Fate And Freewill In Macbeth
1619 Words | 7 PagesHail to thee, thane of Cawdor!...that shalt be king hereafter (Act 1, Scene 3).” The play Macbeth starts off with the three witches telling Macbeth and Banquo that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and then he will become king. Soon after, Macbeth learns that King Duncan has named him as the Thane of Cawdor. With this, Macbeth begins to believe that the witches’ prophecies must be true and is determined to become king. He says, “Let not light see my black and deep desires (Act 1, Scene 4),” implying that he has the inner desire to now become king.
Examples Of Power In Macbeth
876 Words | 4 PagesOver the course of the play, power causes Macbeth to turn from honorable to cruel which leads to his downfall. Early on in the play, ¨Macbeth¨, Macbeth is seen as an honorable man toward everyone, especially toward king Duncan. When the witches tell Macbeth that he will be thane of Cawdor and soon king he says,¨I know I am thane of Glamis. But how of Cawdor? The thane of Cawdor lives, a
The Human Mind In Macbeth And The Talented Mr. Ripley
745 Words | 3 PagesHuman beings do not have a total control over their thoughts and emotions. The human mind can easily be influenced by changes in terms of social status, greediness, and ambition. The play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith are types of artworks where these changes or events can unleash the worst characteristics of people, and a battle for control ensues, between the good side and the dark forces within. To begin with, firstly, at the beginning of the play, Macbeth appears as a brave soldier and a warrior hero, whose fame on the battlefield led him to get a great honor from the king.
Macbeth Character Analysis
976 Words | 4 PagesThey tell him that he will soon be named Thane of Cawdor, and will eventually become king. Macbeth does not believe this prophecy, until King Duncan names him the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth writes a letter to his wife, Lady Macbeth, telling her about his encounter with the witches. It is in reading this letter that Lady Macbeth begin to think up a plan to murder the king. When Lady Macbeth presents her plan to Macbeth, he reacts reluctantly.
Macbeth's Strengths And Weaknesses
824 Words | 4 Pages‘Macbeth’s ambition is his only weakness’. Do you agree? Macbeth’s greatest weakness is his ambition, but it is also his greatest strength. Despite his ambition being one of his major weaknesses, it is not his sole weakness he exhibits that contributes to his inevitable death.
Power Of Words In Macbeth
2529 Words | 11 PagesMacbeth is a brilliant solider and patriotic to King Duncan. The king refers to Macbeth as, “Valiant Cousin,” thus showing that the two have a very close relationship. Macbeth is faced with a moral crisis that he should kill King Duncan and take to the throne or leave him and carry on being the Thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth entices him to commit the murder because she is just as ambitious as her husband and she persuades him by questioning his manhood. She even calls upon the dark spirits to take away her soft womanliness.
Essay On Macbeth Is Evil
593 Words | 3 Pages“Go pronounce his present death,/And with his former title greet Macbeth”(1.2.64-65). The King was very confident in Macbeth and that is why he named him he new Thane of Cawdor. King Duncan considered Macbeth as a friend, he was comfortable being around him and trusted Macbeth. Macbeth holds a high title as a hero of war and the new Thane of Cawdor which means he couldn’t possibly be wholly
Crime And Punishment In Macbeth
433 Words | 2 PagesMacbeth, Crime and Punishment Macbeth, a warrior, earns the title of Thane of Cawdor early in the play. His wife, Lady Macbeth, wants him to become king like the witches prophesied. They make a plan to kill Duncan while Macbeth starts to kill other people. All this murder begins to weigh heavily on the Macbeth’s and they start going crazy with guilt.
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