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Macbeth Act I Study Guide Name Macbeth Study Guide Questions, Act I Scene i 1. Many stage productions of Macbeth omit Act I scene i Is this scene necessary (what information is given)? What is the effect of this scenes setting? 2. Why does Shakespeare open the play by showing the witches? Why is it good for Macbeth not to appear first? 3. Explain what the line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (line 10) means (either generally, specifically, or both.) Scene ii 4. What does the captain report to King Duncan concerning the battle that has just been fought? 5. What is to happen to the Thane of Cawdor? His title? Scene iii 6. What three prophecies do the witches reveal to Macbeth and Banquo? 7. Why is Macbeth frightened by the witches prophecies? 8. How does Duncan reward Macbeth for his bravery in defeating the rebels? Comment on the order in which Duncan announces it and Macbeth finds it out. 9. When Macbeth is told of his new

title (by Ross and Angus), how do he and Banquo react? Can you think of reasons for the difference in reactions? 10. How do you interpret the line, “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me/ Without my stir?” 11. Do Macbeth and Banquo share a close relationship? Provide at least one example from Act I that supports your answer. 12. How could the witches be considered evil doppelgangers (look it in the dictionary!) for Macbeth? Macbeth Act I Study Guide Scene iv 13. What does King Duncan mean when he says, “There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face. / He was a gentleman on whom I built / An absolute trust?” What literary technique is Shakespeare using here, and what effect does it have on the audience? 14. What public announcement does King Duncan make as to his successor on the throne? 15. How does Macbeth take the news? 16. What is Macbeth referring to when he says “that is a step /on which I must fall down, or else oer leap”? 17.

What alternatives do you expect Macbeth to choose and how might he do it? 18. Where does King Duncan plan to spend the night? What is the significance of this event? Scene v 19. What is the content of Macbeth’s letter to Lady Macbeth? 20. What can you infer about their relationship based on this letter? 21. What is Lady Macbeth’s reaction to the prophesy that he would become king? 22. What does Lady Macbeth fear about her husband’s personality? 23. What is the meaning of the phrase “milk of human kindness”? 24. See Lady Macbeths famous invocation to the spirits (I v 39-55) How does her soliloquy reveal her character? • What is she like at the beginning of the play? • Does she show any evidence of tenderness? 25. Lady Macbeth tells her husband to “look like the innocent flower/But be the serpent under it.” Explain what this advice means (either generally or specifically or both) 26. From what you have seen of Macbeth, is her advice needed? 27. Why does she bid him

leave all else to her? Scene vi 28. What is the purpose and effect of Duncans and Banquos comments when they approach Macbeths castle? 29. How does Lady Macbeth greet King Duncan? Macbeth Act I Study Guide Scene vii 30. Why, in Macbeths opinion, what are his reasons for not killing the king? 31. What does Macbeth say is the only spur that drives him to murder? 32. What does Lady Macbeth accuse her husband of being? 33. How does Lady Macbeth propose that Duncan will be killed? Questions to Consider (and answer!) 34. What words are repeated frequently in Act I? What is the effect of this repetition? 35. When does Macbeth first think of murder? 36. Describe Macbeths character Does he have a conscience? What are his admirable qualities? What do the wounded captains comments (I. ii) reveal about Macbeths character? 37. What is Macbeth’s tragic flaw? Is Macbeth aware of his flaw? 38. Discuss the reversal of gender roles between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth How would you compare the

two characters? 39. Consider the forces that determine Macbeth’s destiny To what degree are the witches responsible for Macbeths downfall? Are they actual physical beings, or are they merely projections of Macbeths own wicked thoughts? Could the witches be considered evil doppelgangers for Macbeth? 40. What roles do fate and free will play in Macbeths decisions? http://www.universalteacherorguk/shakespeare/macbethhtm#1 http://www.olemissedu/courses/engl205/macbethhtml Macbeth Act I Study Guide