Possible short questions

1) What is an allegory?

An allegory is a tale in which the characters personify abstract qualities, usually to teach a
moral lesson.

2) What abstract qualities are portrayed by the evil young men in the story?

They represent Avarice, Gluttony, and Sloth.

3) What is the theme of this tale?

The theme of the tale is the inevitable outcome of wickedness. Greed is the root of all evil.

4) What is the moral lesson of this tale?

The moral lesson is that avarice, gluttony, and sloth lead to spiritual death.Greed is the root
of all evil.

5) What characteristics does the Pardoner reveal in his prologue?

. He himself is totally motivated by greed and seems to have no virtue at all.

6) How does this story fit the character of the Pardoner?

The young men represent all the Pardoner's own faults.

7) Why would medieval audiences have been familiar with The Pardoner's Tale?

It was famous in both Eastern and Western literature and was often acted out as a morality
play.

8) How does the youngest reveler plan to kill the other two?

He poisons the wine that he buys for them to drink.

9) Does he kill them?

Yes; they drink the wine and die.

10) How does the youngest die?

The other two young men kill the youngest as soon as he returns from town.

11) Why does the Pardoner falsely claim his relics have healing powers?

So that parishioners will pay him money to be “cured”

12) Whom do the three young rioters in the Pardoner’s story want to kill and why?
Death, because he killed a friend of theirs

13) What does the old man they meet tell them?

That they can find death in a grove under an oak tree

14) Why do they start plotting against each other?

Because each wants a greater share of the gold they find under the tree

15) When the youngest returns from town with wine how do all three men die?

The youngest is stabbed and the other two die from poisoned wine.

16). According to “The Pardoner’s Tale,” why are the three rioters looking for Death?

The three rioters are sitting in a tavern, and they see a coffin containing a corpse. This causes
them inquire about the person in the coffin, and they find out it is their former friend. They
then start to think of all the other times in which Death "has made away with all [their]
friends" (94). The rioters believe that Death is the cause of all of their friends deaths, and
they therefore seek to get revenge and kill Death.

17) Where does the old man tell the three rioters to look for Death? How do they treat him?

The old man tells the rioters that Death is "under a tree", and that Death will be easy to find
and kill. In the end, the rioters find gold under the tree, and this ultimately leads to the
rioter's death. The rioters treat Death in a very forceful, negative way, as they force
information about Death out of him by threatening that he will "pay for it" . The rioters also
believe that the old man is Death's spy.

18) Describe the rioters’ plan for the gold and how it proves fatal to all three men.

Once the rioters find gold, they plan to stay with it overnight so that they can bring it back to
their homes in the morning. They appoint a man to fetch food and wine, and while the man
does that the other two men plan to kill the other man. The other single man, meanwhile,
plans to put poison into the wine so that he can kill the other two men. Once the man arrives
back, he gets stabbed. The other two men drink the poisoned wine, and they die themselves.
All three men are dead. This proves that being too greedy can ultimately lead to death.

19) Why do the Pardoner and the Host quarrel at the end of the tale? Who patches up their
quarrel?

The Pardoner believes that he deserves money, so he asks the Host to pay his due. The Host
declines to pay when he says, "of Christ descend upon me if I do" pay . The Knight then
breaks up the quarrel and gets the Pardoner and the Host to kiss and resolve the fight.
20)What are the witches planning at the beginning of the act?

They are planning on meeting with Macbeth.

21) What does the Captain report about the battle to Duncan?

He reports that Macbeth has fought bravely and has defeated the enemy.

22) What title is given to Macbeth for bravery in the battle?

Thane of Cawdor.

23) How do the witches greet Macbeth after the battle?

They greet him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and as future King.

24) What news is brought by Ross and Angus?

News that Macbeth has gained the title of Thane of Cawdor.

25) What happens that causes Macbeth to recalculate his ease of becoming king?

Malcolm becomes the Prince of Cumberland.

26) What has Lady Macbeth schemed to do to the King?

A: She has schemed to have Macbeth murder the king while he is sleeping.

27) Why does the King come to Macbeth's castle?

To be the new Thane of Cawdor's guest and to congratulate Macbeth over

dinner.

28)What does Macbeth wish the knocking could do?

He wishes that it would wake Duncan from death.

29)What is the first reaction to the King's death and whose is it?

The reaction from Macduff is great horror, almost unconceivable horror.

30)What does Macbeth do to the supposed murderers and why?

He kills them in fury. He claims that in his great fury he killed them without thinking.

31)Why do Malcolm and Donalbain decide to flee?

They suspect that Macbeth murdered the King and fear that they may be the next to be killed.
32) Why does Macbeth have Banquo killed?

Macbeth fears that Banquo's children will end up with the throne and he doesn't want that to
happen.

32) Why does Macbeth hire murderers to kill Banquo?

He is already guilty enough from killing Duncan and doesn't want to have more guilt by
killing his friend Banquo.

33)How does Macbeth feel with his new found power?

He is very insecure about having one of his enemies take it from him.

34)What happens when the murderers try to kill Banquo and his son?

They kill Banquo but let his son Fleance escape.

35)What does the ghost of Banquo do to Macbeth's paranoia?

It makes him completely insane. He knows that he can never be free of the

guilt connected with the murders of his friends.

36)How does Lady Macbeth make her husband feel better after seeing the ghost?

She attempts to get him to go to sleep.

37)What three things does Macbeth learn from the witches and apparitions and

how does he react to them?

 He should fear Macduff, he is thankful for the warning.

 He shouldn't fear any man born of a woman, he rethinks his views on Macduff.
 Nothing will affect his reign until Birnam Wood moves, he knows that a forest can't
get up and move so he is very secure in the fact that he will reign until he dies of
natural causes.

38) How does Macbeth react to Macduff's departure?

He decides that he will destroy all that Macduff has so that he won't be threatened by any of
Macbeth's kin.

39) How does Macduff react to the news that his family has been slaughtered?

He regrets leaving them and not warning them. He feels that he should have been there to
defend them.

40) What action is taken by Macduff and Malcolm?

They decide that now is the best time to go to battle with Macbeth and they make moves
towards ordering the army to move out.

41) What significance does the doctor have?

He sees and hears the confession of Lady Macbeth while he is trying to diagnose her
condition.

42) Why won't the doctor or the gentlewoman tell anyone what they have seen or heard?

They fear the wrath of Macbeth. If he would find out that they know about the murder of
Duncan he would surely kill them very quickly.

43) What is Macbeth's current psychological condition?

He is nearing insanity. He finally believes all the prophesies and knows that he is going to
eventually lose the throne.

44) How is the prophesy of Birnam Wood moving to Dusinane Hill fulfilled?

Each man in the English force cuts down a bough to provide cover so that the size of the
army is not known.

45) Why doesn't Macbeth put his armor on when he goes out to do battle?

He knows that he can't be killed by a man born of woman. Therefore he has nothing to fear
from mere humans.

46) What is said that frightens Macbeth before he is killed by Macduff

Macduff tells Macbeth that he was ripped from his mother's womb at an untimely moment.

47) Who decides who becomes king and who does he choose?

Macduff decides that Malcolm should be king since he was the next in line for the throne.