Macbeth Comprehension Questions and Analysis

    ACT 5, SCENES 1-9
    SCENE 1
    Why would the lady-in-waiting be afraid for her own personal safety? 1mark
    Why does Lady Macbeth have a candle with her? 1mark
    Describe Lady Macbeth’s change of personality and mood. How has she changed from Act 1? 2marks

    SCENE 3
    What is Macbeth talking about in ll. 2-10? 1mark
    Describe Macbeth’s current frame of mind in this scene. 1mark
    What effect does the Doctor’s closing aside have? What does it indicate to the audience is the current atmosphere in Dunsinane? 2marks
    SCENE 4

    What trick does Malcolm decide to order his soldiers to do? What is his purpose for this? 2marks

    SCENE 5
    What is Macbeth’s general attitude and mood in this scene? Explain using quotations to support your answers. Be specific. 3marks

    SCENE 6
    Who is going to lead the first assault on the castle and who will lead the second assault? 2marks

    SCENE 7
    How does Macbeth respond to his success in his battle with Young Siward? 1mark
    What does Old Siward mean when he announces that the castle has been “gently render’d”? 1mark

    SCENE 8
    What does Macbeth mean when he tells Macduff that of “all men”, he has “avoided” Macduff the most, since Macbeth’s soul “is too much charged with the blood of thine already”? 1mark
    What terrifying news does Macduff give Macbeth, and why is it frightening? 1mark
    Why does Macbeth decide not to yield? 1mark

    SCENE 9
    Order is restored to Scotland. Summarize the final speech of the play. 2marks

    ACT 2, SCENES 1-2

    SCENE 1

    What important function does the presence of Banquo serve in this scene? 2marks
    What atmosphere is created by Macbeth’s soliloquy? 1mark
    What does the soliloquy reveal about Macbeth’s character? 2marks

    SCENE 2

    How do we know that Lady Macbeth is tense? 1mark
    Describe what happened in Duncan’s chamber? 2marks
    What are the advantages of sleep (ll. 48-52)? 2marks
    Why will Macbeth “sleep no more”? 1mark
    How does Lady Macbeth become more involved in the murder? 2marks
    Discuss the differences between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s reaction to the murder. Use quotes to support your response. 3marks

    ACT 2, SCENES 3-4

    SCENE 3
    What is the importance of the lines spoken by Lennox (ll. 58-65)? 2marks
    Who do they believe killed Duncan? 1mark
    What do Malcolm and Donalbain decide to do at the end of this scene and why? 2marks

    SCENE 4
    Who is now being accused of Duncan’s murder? 2marks
    Who decides not to go to Scone to see the crowning of Macbeth? What might this suggest? 2marks

    ACT 3, SCENES 1-6
    SCENE 1
    Macbeth has been crowned king and is now living in Forres, the traditional home of the Scottish kings. When this scene opens, Banquo is alone on stage, thinking to himself about Macbeth and about the three weird sisters.
    What does Banquo say about the three weird sisters? 1mark
    What does Banquo “fear…[Macbeth] play’d most foully for”? 1mark
    Explain clearly why Macbeth is not happy, although it appears that he has fulfilled his ambition. Use quotations to support your answer. 2marks
    Why does Macbeth hire others to commit his second murder for him? What argument does he use to persuade the murderers to kill Banquo? 2marks

    SCENE 2
    Lady Macbeth, now Queen of Scotland, finds her position less than she had expected. She still desires to support her husband as much as possible, but she also now realizes with dreadful clarity how empty is that ‘greatness’ which she had once deemed the supreme thing in life.
    What does Macbeth mean by “we have scotched the snake, not killed it”? 1mark
    What do we learn about Macbeth’s recent sleeping habits? 1mark
    Macbeth urges Lady Macbeth to pay particular attention to Banquo at the evening’s coming feast so that they can ‘flatter’ him and make him less suspicious of any evil intentions they might have.
    Why does Lady Macbeth tell him “you must leave this”? What has changed about her? 2marks
    What changed in the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in the planning of Banquo and Fleance’s murders? 2marks

    SCENE 3
    Although Macbeth only spoke to two murderers in scene 1, there are now three murderers ready to do the deed. What seems to be the reason for the third murderer? 1mark
    Why does the second murderer say “we have lost half of our affair”? What is he worried about? 1mark

    SCENE 4
    When Macbeth hears the news from the Murderer, how does he respond? 1mark
    When does Banquo’s Ghost appear? 1mark
    How does Macbeth react? 1mark
    How does Lady Macbeth attempt to ‘cover’ for her husband? How does she eventually handle the situation? 2marks
    What does Macbeth say about Macduff? 1mark
    What does Macbeth decide to do at the end of the scene? 1mark

    SCENE 6
    How does Lennox seem to feel about the general assumptions that Fleance killed Banquo and that Malcolm and Donalbain killed Duncan? 2marks
    What news does the Lord give Lennox about Malcolm and Macduff? 1mark
    What is the “due of birth” that the Lord feels Macbeth is withholding from Malcolm? 1mark
    How do the lords seem to feel Scotland is faring as a whole? 1mark

    ACT 5, SCENES 1-9

    SCENE 1
    Why would the lady-in-waiting be afraid for her own personal safety? 1mark
    Why does Lady Macbeth have a candle with her? 1mark
    Describe Lady Macbeth’s change of personality and mood. How has she changed from Act 1? 2marks

    SCENE 3
    What is Macbeth talking about in ll. 2-10? 1mark
    Describe Macbeth’s current frame of mind in this scene. 1mark
    What effect does the Doctor’s closing aside have? What does it indicate to the audience is the current atmosphere in Dunsinane? 2marks

    SCENE 4
    What trick does Malcolm decide to order his soldiers to do? What is his purpose for this? 2marks

    SCENE 5
    What is Macbeth’s general attitude and mood in this scene? Explain using quotations to support your answers. Be specific. 3marks

    SCENE 6
    Who is going to lead the first assault on the castle and who will lead the second assault? 2marks

    SCENE 7
    How does Macbeth respond to his success in his battle with Young Siward? 1mark
    What does Old Siward mean when he announces that the castle has been “gently render’d”? 1mark

    SCENE 8
    What does Macbeth mean when he tells Macduff that of “all men”, he has “avoided” Macduff the most, since Macbeth’s soul “is too much charged with the blood of thine already”? 1mark
    What terrifying news does Macduff give Macbeth, and why is it frightening? 1mark
    Why does Macbeth decide not to yield? 1mark

    SCENE 9
    Order is restored to Scotland. Summarize the final speech of the play. 2marks

    Macbeth Tragic Hero Persuasive Essay

    Task: Write a 1 ½ to 2-page typed essay on subject of tragic hero.Your essay should be double-spaced and in Times New Roman 12pt, or a comparable sized font.
    describe whether or not Macbeth a tragic hero? Explain why or why not

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