Macbeth Questions and Answers

Act 1

1. Macbeth has the greatest potential for evil - the fact that the 3 witches or “weird sisters” introduce
Macbeth, is to reveal his potential for evil, it is key to events in the plot , the tone of the play and the way
the readers will view Macbeth
2. It is the reversal of the order of things, what was once pure/untainted/innocent/strong etc. will turn into
corruption/evil/extreme guilt/loneliness/heartache/unhappiness. In Macbeth’s world, things that should be
good turn out to be bad; the witches’ prophecies give hope for Macbeth’s future, yet bring out the worst in
him. Even the weather is foul after they have achieved a wonderful victory in the civil war in Scotland.
3. The captain who describes the battle to King Duncan speaks as though he has witnessed a
superhero/extraordinary human who makes his way through the battlefield by sheer power of will and
tremendous strength, even when faced with the villainous Macdonwald, who has reinforcements, Macbeth
does not yield. The reference to Macbeth as Bellona’s bridegroom/groom (Bellona was the Ancient
Roman goddess of war) is quite apt.
4. He is an extremely brave and fierce warrior/soldier; he may not have an equal when it comes to battle.
5. They were quite close/intimate friends and Cawdor was someone whom Duncan had trusted absolutely.
Note: “No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive/Our bosom interest,” also foreshadows how the next
Thane of Cawdor (Macbeth) will deceive them.
6. To comment on the bloody events(betrayal) of the victorious day(they won), this also connects him with the
witches.
7. It connects Macbeth to the witches and to the central theme, it also foreshadows the impact the witches will
have on Macbeth’s life.
8. Banquo's reaction is one of jealousy or envy. He asked, "what about me?" No doubt, Banquo is happy for
Macbeth, but he really wants a prophecy for himself, but unlike Macbeth, Banquo questions whether or not
it was real, he doesn’t believe the prophecies of the witches until Ross arrives and confirms the prophecy,
even then Banquo senses danger and tries to warn Macbeth about the possible harm that seemingly
innocent & wonderful prophecies might have.
9. It reveals his ambition getting the better of him, he is eager and excited despite the unlikelihood of the
witches’ prophecies coming true
10. He questions Ross and Angus on why they award him a title(on Duncan’s behalf) that doesn’t belong to him,
at this point he is not aware that the Thane of Cawdor had betrayed Duncan and was to be executed
11. He wishes to temper Macbeth’s ambition, Banquo is aware that Macbeth is an ambitious person and realises
that the witches’ prophecies might come true, but with horrible consequences. He knows that if it stands in
Macbeth’s destiny to become king, Macbeth would pursue that ideal regardless of the chaos and heartache
it may cause
12. He decides to leave it to fate and not meddle in the situation and by any means force the prophecies to
come to fruition, he will leave it to fate and time.
13. Numbering mistake (there is no nr. 13,per accident, not superstition.)
14. It reveals how outward appearances may be fooling (appearance vs. reality) and not reveal the true
feelings/opinions/desires of an individual, people try to hide their true natures, it connects to the theme by
communicating the idea that appearances may be “fair” when in reality they hide the “foul” (false)
loyalties/courtesies/thoughts and dark plans of a person
15. Duncan is a rather flat character (because he is murdered so early on in the play) but a king of note, he cares
deeply for his subjects/subordinates, as seen in his sadness over Cawdor’s betrayal, but also his forgiveness
of Cawdor despite having him executed because of his treason( he is perhaps a little too trusting), he is fair
and greatly rewards those who protect and fight for his throne.
16. Macbeth sees Malcolm as an obstacle that he should remove(step over in order to become king, after the
naming of Malcolm as heir to the throne Macbeth seems unwilling to leave it to fate/chance to have him
crowned king and realizes that he may have to kill him, his subsequent soliloquy,” Stars hide your fires; Let
not light see my black and deep desires”, reveals how Malcolm had become a threat to him and his
aspirations to become king.
17. It echoes the theme of appearance vs. reality where Macbeth wishes to hide his desires and plans from
common knowledge/sight, his desire to keep his plans /intentions secret show how quickly he had begun to
entertain thoughts of murder& betrayal to attain what he desires.
18. They seem very close and to have a very intimate & loving relationship, despite their dysfunctional and
prone-to-evil personalities , Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are loyal to each other and acknowledge how their
respective prophecies(M) and planned intervention(LM) would benefit their partner and wish to share it
with each other. Sending her a letter also shows that they work together as a couple and that he depends on
her help/support
19. She feels/fears that Macbeth may be too good natured/cowardly to make the difficult decision to simply
take what they want by force(killing Duncan), she mentions that despite being ambitious, Macbeth’s sense
of loyalty/pride/duty may prevent him from killing Duncan.
20. a) She calls on the spirits to remove her humanity, essentially to make her inhuman and incapable of feeling
pity or remorse, thus not yielding to fear or guilt when she kills Duncan, she also wishes for her act to be
hidden from view, she wishes not to even be conscious of her deed, nor should heaven (forces of good, not
necessarily supernatural) be able to stop her from going through with it. b) She is not insane, she is capable
of rational thought, but willingly chooses to side with the forces of evil to have her husband ‘promoted’, she
too is ambitious but also ruthless and immoral.
21. Duncan comments on the castle’s fresh air and pleasant atmosphere. The irony is that the pleasant and
welcoming castle Macbeth will be the site of his death and become Duncan’s tomb; this is another instance
of appearance vs. reality, since on the outside the castle is welcoming, but it hides murderous and dark plans
within.
22. He realises how his killing of Duncan can be the make-or-break moment of his life, it could be the beginning
of great fortunes or be the end of his life if caught, he wishes to have the deed done quickly (if it is to be
done, it might as well be done quickly), so quickly that the consequence of his actions be consumed by the
action itself and thus suffer no consequences whatsoever and live on, guilt-free as the new king of Scotland
23. Duncan is his blood (cousin), he feels he should be the protector of Duncan against those (like himself now)
who wish to harm or kill the king, as Duncan’s host he should protect his guests, he still feels loyal to Duncan,
especially since Duncan has rewarded him so handsomely after the war and for the part he played in their
victory and he fears that he may be haunted by Duncan’s murder. He says ambition is his only motive (and
perhaps greed), but on its own, ambition is not enough reason to go through with the murder
24. She calls him a coward and questions his manhood, saying he is not brave enough, that she would never
break a promise to him, unlike he did when he wished not to proceed further with the plan and by
comparing him to a cat who wants fish, but doesn’t want its paws to get wet.
25. Lady Macbeth would drug the chamberlains/guards, causing them to pass out while on duty, remove their
daggers while they sleep, enter Duncan’s room, kill him with the chamberlains’ daggers and then smearing
Duncan’s blood on them, so that suspicion of the act would fall on the guards and not them.
Act 2

1. He has been unable to sleep due to his confusion over what to do and how to proceed (to kill Duncan or
not), since he’s been given the prophecies his mind has been teeming with thoughts of loyalty to Duncan,
loyalty to his wife, the fulfilment of his duty and the fulfilment of his own aspirations. He is also disturbed by
the murderous thoughts he has and quite afraid of his consideration of killing Duncan.
2. At the start of Act 1 he was a man of honour and integrity, near the end of the act 1 he is a man easily ruled
and manipulated by his wife, at the start of act 2 he is a man struggling to restrain his murderous
ambition/thoughts and is essentially at war within himself, trying to keep control and commit to the
rationale that he should not murder his king, this is however short-lived.
3. Macbeth has undergone a quite rapid character change, his own struggles and paranoia regarding Duncan’s
planned murder (and perhaps because of supernatural influence by the witches) Macbeth hallucinates and
sees a dagger floating in the air in front of him, the blade is pointed at Duncan’s room and is slowly leading
him there, Macbeth also admits that the dagger would be the instrument he would use in his killing of
Duncan, he tries to grab at the handle of the dagger, but can’t (since it isn’t real – manifestation of the
witches’ power), when getting close to Duncan’s room it seemingly starts dripping with blood.
4. She is not as strong-willed as first intimated by Act 1 sc 5, she confesses to having consumed alcohol to aid
her in her role in the murder, she also mentions that she herself would have done the deed, had not Duncan
so closely resembled her own father, this is an instance of the change occurring within Lady Macbeth, The
evil spirits may have given her the courage to commit murder, but their influence may have begun to
overwhelm her, this is seen clearly later on in the play.
5. Macbeth had murdered his own peace/peace of mind/his security/his comfort, his murder of a defenceless
person (Duncan was fast asleep) shows how vulnerable a king can be and he accepts this danger and the risk
it might hold for him in future. His insomnia will drive him mad and he will behave increasingly more erratic,
paranoid and tyrannical. His insomnia and subsequent guilt over the murder can also be seen as punishment
for his heinous crime.
6. She is angry with Macbeth for being too afraid to go back into Duncan’s room and retrieve the daggers while
he was brave enough to kill Duncan, it is ironic and rather hypocritical of her to be angry at Macbeth, since
she herself was showing weakness when she unable to commit the murder/perform her part in the plan.
Duncan’s murder evokes a terrible sense of guilt and shame within Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.
7. Water is used as a cleanser/purifier of sin, an agent capable of removing both feeling/thought and culpability
of the murder from them, the water does succeed in washing away the evidence of their deed, but it does
not “clear them of this deed” as first suggested by Lady Macbeth, they get rid of the blood on their hands,
but the guilt and shame over the murder remains and will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
8. Macbeth is having killer's remorse. He regrets what he has done. Macduff and company are knocking at the
door. The sound causes Macbeth to lament on what he has done, and wishes that the knocking might revive
Duncan, but knowing that it won’t. He wishes he had never committed the murder.
"To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself. "
"Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst! "
9. A few possibilities exist: Being sleep deprived Macbeth may have just reacted to the moment in not allowing
the chamberlains to deny the accusations of murder aimed at them. Macbeth may have been trying to
demonstrate his independence, as concerns his wife. She manipulated him into going ahead with the
assassination, and from this point of the play on, Macbeth shuts her out of all decision making. He rules
alone, from this point on. Killing the grooms may have been his first independent act. He also tries to justify
it by saying that he had been overcome with rage and sadness at the sight of his dead king, he was unable to
restrain his anger.
10. Lady Macbeth fainting may be a ploy to draw suspicion away from Macbeth for his sudden and rash killing of
the chamberlains, it may also be genuine shock/astonishment in reaction to Macbeth’s sudden and bold
decision to kill the chamberlains, since it was not part of their plan, she may be shocked at Macbeth’s rash
behaviour and leaving her out of the decision-making process.
11. Banquo is horrified, and hopes that Macduff is mistaken, although in the back of his mind he has an idea of
what might have happened.
12. The brothers fear that the murderer is still among them, and they do not want to risk their lives by staying
around, since Malcolm has been named heir to the throne, he would be the next target for the murderer.
This, unfortunately, casts suspicion on the brothers, and makes it less likely that anyone would assume
Macbeth is guilty. Other characters assume that the brothers assassinated their father, and that they flee in
order to escape prosecution, all but Macduff, anyway.
13. They are discussing the unnatural nature of the killing and how the weirdness of it all is reflected in the
natural events surrounding it: the bizarre darkness of the day; that a large falcon was harassed and killed by
a much smaller bird; that the king's horses attacked and bit each other. All of these references are meant to
show how deeply the world is troubled by the awful, bloody murder that has just occurred.
14. They symbolize how the balance between good and evil has been tipped in favour of evil because of
Macbeth’s heinous murder, nature itself is in disorder(fair is foul…), it also symbolizes the chaos that will
reign in Scotland while Macbeth sits on the throne
Act 3

1. Banquo strongly suspects that Macbeth had something to do with Duncan’s murder, he has also witnessed
how Macbeth’s prophecies have come true and knows that his prophecy directly threatens Macbeth’s reign.
2. Macbeth is talking about how he cannot trust Banquo, he has secured the crown, and initial suspicion over
the murder has fallen on Malcolm and Donalbain, but he is by no means safe, since his prophecies have
come true, so too may Banquo’s come true, which means Macbeth’s reign will be short and will lose his
crown to a different bloodline. Macbeth may also be referencing how he stands within danger, since others
might kill him in order to become king(because of his prophecy, Banquo is most imminent in Macbeth’s
mind)
3. Banquo might know he had something to do with Duncan’s murder and the fact that the 1 st and 2nd
prophecies came true, so exists the possibility that the 3rd (Banquo fathering a line of kings) will come true as
well. Macbeth reasons that in order to keep his throne, Banquo must be killed.
4. Banquo wonders whether or not what the Weird Sisters told him would come true as well, and he is right to
connect these two because Macbeth certainly does. Once Macbeth realizes that he has committed a
grievous sin that will ultimately benefit Banquo's descendants and not his own, he resolves to have Banquo
and Fleance murdered as well.
5. Macbeth hires professionals because he no longer has to do his own dirty work, he believes that the guilt
may be easier to deal with if someone else commits the murders, by not involving himself directly in the
murder, he is able to establish an alibi for himself, thus suspicion can’t fall on him. He can order to have
Banquo executed, but doesn’t feel secure enough in his position and doubts whether the other nobles will
still be loyal to him should he openly execute Banquo, his reasons may not be sufficient for them to swear
fealty to him.
6. Immediately following the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth is quite paranoid over the crime and continues
to wonder if someone heard the act or if someone knows that it is he who is guilty. He repeatedly asks Lady
Macbeth if she heard anything when the murder took place. These feelings of fear do not the leave the
couple and they continue to worry that the other noblemen suspect them of foul play. Later, Lady Macbeth
comments that it would be better to be "safely thus" because the fear is driving them mad. As the play
continues, this sense of fear and guilt drives Macbeth's hallucinations and his need to cover up his murders.
He becomes more paranoid and bloodthirsty, while Lady Macbeth becomes terribly frail and tormented by
the guilt she feels.
7. He has become more paranoid and controlling, he no longer hesitates to commit foul acts, such as murder to
secure his position, the irony is; the more he tries to hold onto his throne by means of murder, the more he
loses grip on reality and keeping his throne.
8. Macbeth has become the one to plan and take the decisions, he becomes more bold in his acts, stopping at
nothing to secure the crown, while Lady Macbeth is slowly withering away, her zeal, ambition and
take-charge attitude has disappeared, she seems to be hiding from the world, the guilt is eating up her
psyche and her psychological and emotional state keep on deteriorating . Since Duncan’s murder they have
drifted apart and no longer share that close bond they once had.
9. Since Macbeth was responsible for Banquo’s murder, it appears only to him to plague him with feelings of
guilt and depression, it’s his punishment for his crimes, it may also be a hallucination created by the inner
conflict and turmoil Macbeth is experiencing.
10. She tries to cover it up by saying it’s a sickness he’s had since he was a child and that it would shortly pass
and that lords need not worry or show awareness of what’s happening since it may embarrass and enrage
Macbeth.
11. Macbeth is acting crazy/out of his mind and she has to exert control, lest Macbeth reveal the truth and ruin
everything they tried to establish.
12. This is the final time that Macbeth is tormented by the spirits and he may believe that his troubles are now
behind him
13. He goes to see the witches again to find out whether there are any more threats - or people plotting against
him, he also wishes to find whether Banquo’s prophecy might still come true, since Fleance was able to
escape, and if so what can be done about it, he also asks further questions about his future.
14. Macbeth mentions that all the murders he had committed had left only their blood on his hands, he is no
closer to securing his crown, he realizes that there is also no going back, he has “stepped so far that…..”, it is
not worth trying to go back, (in this speech there is a hint of remorse), his diction seems to suggest that if he
could go back, he would, but it’s too late. He is now stuck with what he had done, with all these murders on
his head.
15. Hecate is angry, for the witches have "trade[d] and traffic[ed]" with Macbeth without including her.
16. She considers him a "wayward son", self-serving and ungrateful. She wants the other witches to "make
amends"--that is, to set things right. They are to work with her to set Macbeth up for failure, using his own
hubris and his weak humanity against him. he wants them to help her trick him into a false sense of security
so that he will then make the fool-hardy mistakes that will bring about his undoing. She wants them to help
her trick him into a false sense of security so that he will then make the fool-hardy mistakes that will bring
about his undoing.
17. Lennox reveals his doubts concerning Macbeth, that it now seems unlikely that those that fled (Malcom and
Donalbain is responsible for their father’s death, it is far more likely that Macbeth is the one responsible.
Lennox accepted Macbeth’s killing of the chamberlains and his reasons for it, but is deeply suspicious of
Macbeth. They also discuss the news that Macduff had refused to attend Macbeth’s coronation and has fled
to England to join forces with Malcolm along with the aid of King Edward.