Question | Answer |
What was the name of Shakespeare’s first traveling theater troupe? | Lord Chamberlain’s Men |
What was the name of the theater Shakespeare built? | The Globe Theater |
What did Shakespeare’s troupe change their name to after James I came to power? | The King’s Men |
Why did Shakespeare write Macbeth? | to win the king's support for his acting company and theater; to show his support for King James I as the new ruler of England; and it was an entertaining way to present a history |
Legend has it that Macbeth is a cursed play. What do theater people call the play to avoid the curse? | The Scottish Play |
Where is the setting of the play? | Scotland |
Who is the king of Scotland at the beginning of the play? | Duncan |
When the play begins, who are the Scots at war with? | Norway |
He is named Prince of Cumberland, making him next in line to the throne of Scotland. | Malcolm |
The third prediction of the witches states that his sons will be kings. | Banquo |
At the beginning of Act I, who was a traitor to their country, and subsequently executed? | Thane of Cawdor |
The witches greet Macbeth with the following titles: | Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King |
Who is with Macbeth when he first meets the witches? | Banquo |
Who says “screw your courage to the sticking place?” | Lady Macbeth |
Macbeth's title at the beginning of the play. | Thane of Glamis |
"Merciful powers to restrain in him the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose," | Banquo is saying that the witches' predictions have tempted him to think dark thoughts. |
On the night of Duncan's death, what occurred? | The night was rough and stormy, and strange screams of death were heard in the air. It was a very unnatural evening. |
Who succeeds Duncan as the King of Scotland after his murder? | Macbeth |
Why doesn't Lady Macbeth kill Duncan when she has the chance? | He resembles her father as he sleeps. |
Who invents knock knock jokes and jokes that he works at "hell gate"? | The porter |
Which Scottish noblemen did not go to see the crowning of the new King? | Macduff |
After their father’s murder, what happens to Malcolm and Donalbain? | Malcolm flees to England, and Donalbain flees to Ireland. |
The goddess of witchcraft? | Hecate |
Where are Scottish Kings crowned? | Scone |
"Is this a dagger which I see before me the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible to feeling as to sight, or art thou but a dagger of the mind... | Macbeth |
"A little water clears us of this deed: How easy it is then!" | Lady Macbeth |
"To Ireland, I; our separated fortune shall keep us both the safer. Where we are there's daggers in men's smiles…." | Donalbain |
"Thou hast it now; King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and I fear thou play'dst most foully for it. Yet it was said. It should not stand in thy posterity, but that myself should be the root and father of many kings." | Banquo |
“My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white” | Lady Macbeth |
"Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house: 'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more.'” | Macbeth |
A statement that is contradictory but holds some truth | Paradox |
"Nothing is but what is not" | Example of Paradox |
"Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair" | Example of Paradox |
The play Macbeth is a Shakespearean | Tragedy |
The play Macbeth is a Shakespearean | Drama/ historical drama |
The overarching theme through out the play is | Ambition when not kept in check by moral and spiritual guidance leads to evil. |
The play is often a read as a cautionary tale against too much | Ambition |
Macduff's refusal to attend the coronation in Scone is | a sign of disrespect as he is snubbing Macbeth by not attending. |
This literary device helps us understand literature and everyday life | Paradox |
This literary device can be viewed as a brain teaser | Paradox |
This literary device is often contrary to what is commonly believed | Paradox |
Imagery is important because plays during this era could not rely on special effects, elaborate lighting or sets to engage the audience | What is Elizabethan theatre |
Macduff suspects_______ of the king's murder | Macbeth |
The dagger soliloquy is known as | Shakespeare's best |
Who is the comic relief? | The porter |
The line, "Is this a dagger which I see before me the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have..." it shows the speaker has __________. | lost touch with reality |
What does the line, "Still it cried 'Sleep no more!' to all the house: 'Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more." mean? | Sleep was praised as a time of innocence, a place to seek relief from life's problems when your mind could heal from the stress of the day. It also shows that Macbeth has lost touch with reality. |
What themes are present in the first 2 Acts of Macbeth? | Ambition, when not kept in check through moral and spiritual guidance, can lead to evil and corruption |
These lines most likely show “I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters. / To you they have showed some truth.” ______________ | Banquo is wondering if the rest of the prophecy will happen as foretold. |
Macduff refuses to tell Lady Macbeth what has happened when she asks because_________ | As a lady, she would be scarred by the details and the shock would most likely kill her |
When Macduff asks Macbeth why he killed the guards, Macbeth replies, “Who can be wise, amazed, temp'rate, and furious, / Loyal, and neutral, in a moment? No man” These lines convey___________ | his rage over the king's violent murder and his love for the king drove him to kill the guards. |
This statement, “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face”, is ironic because it_______. | shows how even he (Duncan) was unable to predict the betrayal of his close friend Thane of Cawdor based on appearance. |
"screw your courage to the sticking place” means | Be firm and resolute in our plan (grow a pair). This is another blow to Macbeth's manhood. |
Which of the reading methods listed below is best for improving understanding when reading Shakespeare’s work? | It is best to read from the beginning of each sentence until you reach the end punctuation-Punctuation defines units of complete thoughts |
What time period was the play set in? | 1600's |
Shakespeare’s version of Macbeth could be ____________ | considered historical fiction. |
The purpose of a soliloquy in a play is _______________ | to illustrate the character's inner thoughts and feelings in a way that cannot be done as well through dialogue or action. |
When an actor’s stage direction calls for an aside, the actor is supposed to________ | direct his or her speech only to the audience in order to disclose inner thoughts. |
What makes The Tragedy of Macbeth a tragedy? | The play charts the downfall of the lead character, Macbeth |
Where can the stage directions be found? | they are written in italics and often precede the dialogue |
Which dramatic element is demonstrated in the first part of Act I scene 3 when the witches encounter Macbeth and Banquo? | foreshadowing |
How does Macbeth react to the witches’ prophecies? | He laughs at first then becomes excited at the prospect of his new titles |
“The Price of Cumberland – that is a step, On which I must fall down, or else o’er leap, For in my way it lies” | a metaphor comparing Malcolm, the newly named Prince of Cumberland, as a “step” that Macbeth must climb over to become king. |
By asking the "merciful powers to restrain in him the cursed thoughts that nature gives way to in repose," Banquo acknowledges that ___________. | the witches' predictions have tempted him to think ambitious and dark thoughts. |
Naming Malcolm as Prince of Cumberland and making him next in line to be king is __________. | wrong in Macbeth’s eyes because it was prophesized that he would be next in line to the throne |
What is a Euphemism? | a polite expression used in place of words or phrases that might otherwise be considered harsh or unpleasant |