Act Five Questions

Scene 1

1) What do the nurse (gentlewoman) and the doctor see?
Lady Macbeth accompanied by a light sleepwalking talking about the bad things Macbeth has done
2) What does Lady Macbeth mean when she says, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!...will these hands never be clean.”
She's talking about the blood on her hands from killing Duncan, and how the guilt won't go away.
3) What is wrong with Lady Macbeth at this point of the play?
She's joined Macbeth in going insane

Scene 2

1) What happens in this scene? What new characters are introduced? Why?
The soldiers Macduff got are marching to Macbeth. The characters we meet are Menteith, Caithness, and Angus, they give us another perspective of Macbeth.
2) What is the significance of the scene?
It catches us up to Macbeth's current doings and shows us who is leading the army.
3) What is meant when Caithness says, “Some say he’d mad; others that lesser hate him do call it valiant fury”?
Some people will argue that Macbeth has gone insane, while others will argue that he is just mad.

Scene 3

1) How would you describe Macbeth’s attitude and mood in this scene?
Macbeth is confused here - he hears an army is after him so he gets his own, not knowing how they will harm him after talking to the witches.
2) Why isn’t Macbeth afraid? Do his soldier’s seem afraid? Why or why not?
Macbeth isn't afraid because no one born of a woman can hurt him and the trees can't physically march, so he's safe. His soldier's feel like he's crazy and a little too confident, and they're probably going to do trying to protect him as he sits there "invincible."

Scene 4

1) What does Malcolm order the soldiers to do?
Malcolm tells his men to hide behind the trees to throw off the numbers Macbeth's spies report.

Scene 5

1) What is meant when Macbeth says, “She should have died here-after”?
He means it would of been better if she died after the battle so he could mourn her.
2) What is the significant of the following quote, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is told no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.”
He means life is an illusions and the emotions everyone have takes away from the real meaning.

Scene 6

1) What is important about this scene?
Malcolm gives the order to start fighting

Scene 7

1) Who does Macbeth kill in this scene? What is significant about this death?
Siward's son is killed, and this is significant because it reassures him that anyone born of a woman can't harm him.

Scene 8

1) What happens in this scene?
Macduff kills Macbeth
2) Why does Macbeth lose heart in the fight against Macduff?
Macduff was born via c-section, so he technically wasn't born of a woman.
3) Who is named king at the end of the play?

Malcolm

Act Four Questions

4.1

1) What are the four visions that Macbeth sees?
An armed head telling him to beware Macduff, a bloody child telling him anyone born from a woman couldn't harm him, and a child with a tree telling him he won't die until the woods march against him.
2) Which visions does he misread or misunderstand and why?
He misunderstands the 2nd and 3rd - when he hears only people born from a woman can harm him, he thinks he is invincible because of course everyone is born from women. When he hears the trees marching will be his downfall, he thinks he's safe because the trees won't get up and march.
3) What news does Lennox bring Macbeth?
Macduff fled to England.
4) What does Macbeth decide from Lennox’s news?
He's going to kill everyone in Macduff's castle
5) How might this scene be a possible climax for the play?
Macbeth is reaching the peak of his craziness.

4.2

1) Why does Shakespeare include a scene with Lady Macduff and her son?
To let us meet them before they are murdered and to see the views of Macduff from his wife.
2) What is important about this scene?
It shows how Macduff going to England is seen as him betraying Scotland by everyone, including his family.
3) List one motif or symbol from this scene?
The birds motif shows up a few times - in lines 10, 11, 36, 71, and 80

4.3

1) Why has Macduff come to England?
To get military help to deal with Macbeth
2) What is Malcolm’s fear in lines 10-19?
He's afraid Macduff is going to sacrifice him to Macbeth
3) Who does the lamb represent in these lines?
Macduff
4) What is significant in the lines “Angles are bright still, though the brightest fell./Though all 
things foul would wear the brows of grace,/ yet grace must still look so.”
It's comparing Macbeth to Satan, saying he used to be the brightest star in Scotland, but then betrayed everyone
5) What is significant in the line, “Bleed, bleed, pour country!”
Macduff and Malcolm are describing Scotland under Macbeth's Tyranny
6) What does Malcolm call Macbeth? What list of adjectives does he use?
He says Macbeth is a Tyrant and the adjectives he uses are: murderous, lecherous, greedy, lying, deceitful, violent, malicious, and guilty of every sin.
7) How has Malcolm changed since Act II?
He went from being brave to scared of his own shadow in fear of becoming a king worse than Macbeth
8) What is the atmosphere of this scene? Why is this important?
The two talk about stopping Macbeth and making Malcolm king, but he said he doesn't want to become king since he's afraid he'll be worse than Macbeth. This is important because Malcolm being king was their only plan, and now they don't know what to do.
9) What news does the doctor bring? How is this symbolic to the scene, especially to Malcolm?
He says that since Macbeth is god-chosen as he's king, he has the ability to heal. This is symbolic to Malcolm since it's saying Macbeth is doing good while Malcolm is afraid of being king.
10) How many men did England lend Macduff?
10,000
11) What does Macduff mean when he says, “But I must also feel it as a man.”

He needs to buck up but it's hard not to remember all he has done.

Vocab Quizlet

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Act Two Headlines

Scene 1 - Macbeth wishes Banquo and his son goodnight - does something sinister; stay tuned for more!

Scene 2 - The king is dead; Macbeth finally learns to ditch the evidence.

Scene 3 - Some shady people talking with Macbeth arrange to murder someone

Scene 4 - Ross and gramps talk about the night of the murder and that Duncan's sons fled. Why won't Ross go to see Macbeth become king?

Act Two Questions

Scene i

1) Who says the following: “Their candles are all out. Take thee that too. A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, and yet I would not sleep. Merciful powers, restrain in me the cursed thoughts that nature gives away in repose.” What is significant about the quote? How has the atmosphere of the castle been changed?
Banquo says it because he fears the witches that gave their prophecies. The castle's atmosphere has changed to be ominous.

2) Why does Banquo mention his dream of the Weird Sisters? Hint: Ironically this is his last dream.
It predicted the death of Duncan

3) What does Macbeth say he and Banquo will talk about later in private?
His dream and the witches

4) Reread lines 42-70. Briefly summarize what Macbeth is saying in this soliloquy.
He sees a dagger that isn't actually there that then disappears but reappears, pointing to Duncan's room

5) How does the illusion of the dagger play into the mindset of either witchcraft or Macbeth losing it.
It fits into witchcraft because the only way Macbeth'll become king is to kill Duncan

Scene ii

1) What does Lady Macbeth mean when she says, “That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold”?
The liquor she shared with the guards made her braver

2) Symbolically what does the fatal bellman toll? More than one thing here. And who is the fatal bellmen—the one Lady Macbeth hears?
The bellman is an owl and it forebodes the death of Duncan.

3) How do you read the lines, “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done ‘t.” What does this say about Lady Macbeth?
If Duncan didn't look like her father, she'd have killed him. This suggests she would have someone else kill her father.

4) Sleep is an important symbol in this play. Please keep a list of all the times (with line numbers) that sleep is mentioned in Act II. Attach and turn this list in with these questions.

5) What is meant when Macbeth says, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep”?
That since he killed Duncan, he won't be able to sleep anymore and slowly go insane.

6) Why is Lady Macbeth upset with Macbeth towards the end of scene ii?
Because Macbeth brought the daggers back instead of leaving them on the guards, she calls him a coward since he doesn't want to go back.

7) What is symbolic about the knocking that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth hear?
It suggests that God was at the door because it was believed kings were picked by God himself

8) What does Lady Macbeth say about washing of hands at the end of the scene? Do you believe her?
She says that by washing his hands he'll be getting rid of a witness and he won't feel the blame. I don't believe her because he'll always know he killed Duncan.

Scene iii

1) How is the Porter a humorous character? What does he say about drink? How does he metaphorical set the atmosphere of the scene?
He's humorous because in shakespeare's time, drunk people were funny. He says the drink makes him sleepy, happy, and to urinate. He gives the audience a laugh before the murder's found and says he's the gatekeeper of Hell, which symbolizes the castle.

2) Who is at the gates? (more than 1 person)
Macduff and Lennox

3) What does Macduff mean when he says, “Confusion now hath made his masterpiece!”?
Confusion is being personified and he means that everyone is confused as how they won the war but now the king's dead.

4) How does Macbeth react to the news of the king’s murder? How does Lady Macbeth react?
Macbeth reacts by saying he wished he had died an hour earlier for he wouldn't be alive to see the king's death and that he killed the guards that "killed" Duncan. Lady Macbeth feints.

5) Where do Donalbain and Malcolm decide to go? Why?
Donaldbain flees to Ireland and Malcolm flees to England so they won't be killed next.

Scene iv

1) What is meant by the old man when he says, “On Tuesday last, a falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed”? What is symbolically suggested here? Hint: Relate the birds to scene ii.
He is saying he saw a falcon killed by an owl. It symbolically means the falcon represents the king and the owl represents Macbeth. This also points that Macbeth isn't a majestic eagle anymore.

2) What does Macduff say about Malcolm and Donalbain?
Macduff says that since they fled some people are putting the blame of killing Duncan on them.

3) What does Macduff say about Macbeth?
He says that he killed the two guards who were originally blamed, and that he's already gone to Scone to be crowned king but Macduff isn't joining him.

4) What is meant by the line, “Lest our old robes sit easier than our new”?
Duncan was a better king than Macbeth will become

5) Why doesn’t Macduff go to the coronation?
He doesn't fully trust Macbeth and is suspicious that he is the one that killed Duncan