Macbeth Exam Study Guide PDF

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Macbeth by Shakespeare...

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Macbeth Exam Study Guide  Characters Plot Themes Commonly held beliefs Literary terms Significant quotes Symbols Irony Foreshadowing   

Macbeth Characters: Macbeth- protagonist, great warrior, later king Duncan- King of Scotland, Macbeth’s cousin Donalbain- Duncan’s son, flees to Ireland Malcolm- Duncan’s son later king, flees to England Lennox, Ross, Menteth, Angus, Caithness- thanes against Macbeth Banquo- A general in Duncan’s army, Macbeth’s closest friend Macduff- Scottish general who strongly suspects Macbeth of murdering Duncan. Thane of Fife Dunsinane Castle- macbeth’s castle Burnim Woods: forest around castle Fleance- son of Banquo Porter- Keeper of Macbeth’s castle  Test questions regarding characters: 1) Macbeth beat this king to gain the title of Thane of Cawdor 2) Was “not of woman born”: Macduff 3) Macbeth’s guilt causes him to believe he has murdered his sleep 4) “Instruments of darkness”: The witches

5) A kong uninterrupted speech given by a character alone one the stage is a: sililoquy 6) Who spoke this “Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all and I fear/ Thou played’st most foully for’t”: Banquo 7) Prince of Cumberland: Malcolm 8) “Shall beget kings”: Banquo 9) Character who is “too full of the milk of human kindness”: Macbeth  Plot ● 2 themes in the play includes perils of ambition and fate ● The play’s dramatic    Quotes 1) “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” a) Who said this? Paradox spoken by the witches b) What does it mean? Represents their philosophy of life and sets the tone of the play. 2) “Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.” a) Who said it? Malcolm (pg. 73) b) There was nothing more fitting for him than his death since he was a traitor 3) “But; tis strange: and oftentimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betrays, in deepest consequence. a) Who said it? Banquo page 67 b) What does it mean? T  his shows Banquo’s disagreement towards the supernatural creatures with Macbeth. Banquo is skeptical about the witches and he doesn’t want to be near them because he doesn’t trust what they say which contrasts to Macbeth’s feelings which is that he is curious about the witches. 

4) “Let not light see my black and deep desires.” a) Who said it? Macbeth b) What does it mean? Macbeth wants heaven to not see what he wants to do to Duncan in order for him to achieve the power he desires. He knows right from wrong and he understands he has to pay for his sins*. 5) “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.” a) Who said it? Lady Macbeth said this to Macbeth b) What does it mean? Telling Macbeth to hide his scarred looks from his face and to act innocent. Famous line, saying she will NOT fail. 6) “That but this blow, might be the be-all and the end-all- here, but here, upon this bank and shoal of time, we’ld jump the life to come.” a) Who said it? Macbeth 91 b) What does it mean? The murder of King Duncan would be the greatest thing of the whole affair and he would risk himself to do it but there are still punishments for these types of crimes. 7) “It will have blood; they say, blood will have blood.” a) Who said it? M  acbeth b) What does it mean? What he did will not be a secret forever and it will come out, he means that the blood  of a murder victim will   seek out the blood  of their murderer, and thus a murder will   always be brought to light 8) “Something wicked this way comes.” a) Who said it? 2nd witch b) What does it mean? The witches are saying macbeth is wicked because of the bad things he has done. 9) “I am in blood stepp’d in so far that, should i wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er.” a) Who said it? Macbeth (Act 3, Scene 4) b) What does it mean? He’s gotten himself in so deep that it would be hard to go back to being good as it is hard to keep killing people 10) “ But i must also feel it as a man.” a) Who said it? Macduff Page 10

b) What does it mean? After hearing that his whole family was slaughtered, Macduff realizes he needs to take the news like a man, meaning he needs to feel it like a man. Instead of grieving he needs to turn his grief into anger, and take action. He wants to get revenge because Macbeth killed his family.  Themes/ Symbols/ Motifs  Blood ( Symbol): Blood is everywhere in Macbeth, beginning with the opening battle between the Scots and the Norwegian invaders. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their murderous journey, blood comes to symbolize their guilt, and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean. Macbeth cries after he has killed Duncan, even as his wife scolds him and says that a little water will do the job. Blood symbolizes the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the consciences of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, one that hounds them to their graves.  Perils of Ambition (Theme): Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful madness.  Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immoral acts. One of Shakespeare’s most forcefully drawn female characters, she spurs her husband mercilessly to kill Duncan and urges him to be strong in the murder’s aftermath, but she is eventually driven to distraction by the effect of Macbeth’s repeated bloodshed on her conscience

 In each case, ambition—helped, of course, by the malign prophecies of the witches—is what drives the couple to ever more terrible atrocities. The problem, the play suggests, is that once one decides to use violence to further one’s quest for power, it is difficult to stop. There are always potential threats to the throne—Banquo, Fleance, Macduff—and it is always tempting to use violent means to dispose of them.  Unnatural v. Natural (Theme) “Unnatural deeds/ Do breed unnatural troubles”  This quote by Lady Macbeth’s doctor when she is sleepwalking relates to the theme of unnatural v. natural and how it affects the characters. Here Lady Macbeth is going insane over the unnatural events her and her husband have committed causing her to lose her insanity and obtain unnatural troubles like sleepwalking. This quote also relates to how Macbeth’s ambition and tyranny has skyrocketed due to the unnatural deeds he committed. Macbeth’s hallucinations are also a unnatural trouble that has came about because his unnatural deeds.   Sleep Sleep is a big motif throughout the book because it shows how Lady Macbeth and Macbeth deal with the murders they have committed. Only the innocent can sleep, and Macbeth soon realizes he murdered his chance of having a peaceful sleep. Sleep symbolizes innocence, and Macbeth killed Duncan at his most peaceful state, when he was asleep. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s guilt and lack of sleep soon makes them become insane.  Literary Terms 

Tragedy- is a drama where the protagonist cause his own downfall or death  Tragic hero- a high ranking and socially powerful person often at the peak of good fortune who has a fatal weakness that causes their downfall  Catharsis- the cleansing of pity or fear by the end of the play  Soliloquy- (in a drama) a speech of a character while they are alone on the stage explaining their feelings or emotions to the audience  Aside- Is when a character’s comment intended to be heard by the audience but treated as unheard by other characters on the stage.  Paradox- Means two seemingly contradictory statements or actions combine to create the truth.  Foil-  a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight particular qualities of the other character. (Banquo is the foil in Macbeth)            

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