Review for Macbeth

MACBETH REVIEW GUIDE

Things to know:

• List the five elements of tragedy
-Must have a tragic hero
-The hero must be fated to fall
-Internal and external conflicts
-The must be dramatic foils
-The play questions the nature of existence. 


• List the five elements of a tragic hero
-Must be born into a royal family
-Must be loyal and virtuous 
-Must have a tragic flaw
-Must must cause downfall
-Audience learns from the hero's experience. 


• Discuss Macbeth’s tragic flaw
-Blind ambition, if he wants something, he will do anything to get it and he doesn't really care. 


• Discuss who wins in Macbeth and why? Who is the hero?
The witches or Malcolm. The witches because in the beginning, you could tell that they were messing with Macbeth and they were looking for trouble, and they got what they wanted. Malcolm because although he lost his father, he still has his brother and he became king. 


• Define soliloquy and monologue and point to examples from Macbeth
-Soliloquy- One person alone on stage speaking his/her inter thoughts to the audience. Lady Macbeth after she gets Macbeth's letter, Banquo talking after Macbeth has become king. 
-Monologue- A long speech with other people in stage. Malcolm speech at the end after he was crowned king, Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth he wasn't a man unless he killed Duncan. 


• Outline the plot according to the six elements of plot: exposition, inciting event, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution (give at least three events for the rising and falling action)
Exposition- The war as reported by the bloody captain, the witches talking about when they are going to meet Macbeth. 
Inciting event- The witches telling Macbeth that he is going be become Thane of Cawdore, that he will become king, and that Banquo's sons will be kings. 
Rising Action- Killing Duncan, the porter scene, and the killing of Banquo
Climax- Macbeth ordering Macduff's household. 
Falling action- Macduff talking to Malcolm, Lady Macbeth dying, the army marching to Dunsinane
Resolution- Macbeth is dead and Malcolm becomes king. 


• Identify the following characters and discuss they roles in the play (Who they are, What they do, Why the do what they do)

Macbeth
-Protagonist, he is a dynamic character, in the beginning he is a loyal and virtuous soldier, then he has the idea that he will become king stuck in his head and he turns bad. 


 Macduff 
-He is a symbol of gods appointed avenger. He is the person who sets things right. 


The Porter
-He is the drunken doorkeeper. He provides comic releif. He also metaphorically sets up the castle as hell. 


Lady Macbeth
-She is the one that pushes Macbeth to killing Duncan, without her that he might not have killed Duncan. She is also known as the fourth witch because she summons evil spirits into the castle. 


 Lady Macduff 
-She is represents the innocence of the kingdom that Macbeth is going to kill off just for the heck of it. After this we see everyone leaving Macbeth. 


The Witches
-They are the ones that start that play by planting the idea of being king in Macbeth's head. They also reresent the Good vs. Elvil theme because they present good things but bad thing come because if them. 


Duncan
-He is the king of Scotland until he is killed by Macbeth. He was known to be a very good king. 


 Lennox
-He was at the door with Macduff after Duncan was killed, he was also the last thane to leave Macbeth's side. 


The Doctor
-He states that Lady Macbeth has gone insane, he also learns why. Then he tells Macbeth that her kind of insanity can not be cured. 


Malcolm 
-He is Duncan's first born son, he leaves after the murder of his father to england, then he comes back with Macduff and becomes king. 


Ross
-He tells Macduff that all of his family has been slain.

 The Bloody Captain
-He reports to Duncan that Macbeth and Banquo are great fighters and about the battles. 


Donalbain
-He is Duncan's second born son and he runs away to Ireland to get away from whoever killed his father. 


 Seyton
-He tells Macbeth the his wife is dead. He is symbolically an evil agent. And he become Macbeth chef in the end. 


 Fleance
-He is Banquo's son who got away from the murders. This news soils Macbeth's future plans because he wants his own sons to become king. 


Banquo 
-He was Macbeth's best friend until he was murdered. He was part of the predictions with the witches, and Macbeth was scared of him because he knew to much and needed to be gotten rid of. 


Menteith 
-He is a symbol of the Scottish lords who have rebelled against Macbeth. 


Siward
-He is Malcolm Uncle and he agrees to lead the army that goes and attacks Macbeth's castle. 

• Discuss and give examples of the following THEMES:

--Blind Ambition
-Macbeth having the murderers kill Banquo and Fleance so the Macbeth's sons will be kings. Also him killing Duncan in order to become king.



--The Corruption of Power
-Macbeth killing Macduff's family because he feels he can do whatever he wants and he doesn't treat anyone well and ordered all the cowards to be killed.



--Appearance vs. Reality
The witches predictions because the predictions themselves are good but the things needed to be done for the predictions to be true and evil. Donalbain and Malcom fleeing after the killing of their father, people thinking that they left because they killing their father, but they were trying to stay safe.



--Superstition and how it affects human behavior
-Macbeth's believing the prophesies and that Macbeth stresses out over them. Lady Macbeth inviting the evil spirits in and her becoming emotionless.



--Good vs. Evil
-The witches are evil and are looking to corrupt the goodness of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth inviting the evil spirits into the castle, so the castle which was once a peaceful place and is now evil. 
 • Discuss the following symbols/motifs (what people and/or ideas the represent and connect them to a theme)

--washing of hands
cleaning your conscience of the guilty deeds.


--blood

-Life and death or evil deeds. 


--planting of seeds, things growing
-the witches plating the seed of Macbeth being king, Duncan planting the seed that is Macbeth and him raising Macbeth



--the atmosphere of Macbeth’s castle
Evil, Hell. 


--spells or chants and supernatural beings
Evil, superstition, good vs. evil, superstition and how it effects human behavior.



--weather
The give that play a evil and bad feeling, the weather is sort of a foreshadow to what is about to happen. It sets the mood. 


 --daggers
-symbols of evil



--spirits, scorpions, snakes and things in the mind
superstition and how is effects human behavior, appearance vs. reality. 

--birds and flying:
Eagles- Banquo and Macbeth (beginning of the play)
Crows- The murderers 
Sparrows- The Norwegian soldiers 
Geese- The English soldiers 
Owl- Macbeth (after his fall) 
Wren- Lady Macduff 
Martlet- The bird that sets up the peace and good of Inverness before Lady Macbeth lets in the evil spirits  
Falcon- Duncan

• Identify the speaker and the significant of important and famous quotes from the following characters:

Witches,
Act 1 scene 1
Act 1 scene 3
Act 3 scene 1 

Apparitions,
Act 4 scene 1


Banquo,
Act 1 scene 3
Act 3 scene 1

Duncan, 
Act 1 scene 4


Macduff,
Act 2 scene 3
Act 4 scene 3


Malcolm, 
Act 5 scene 9
Act 4 scene 3


Macbeth,
Act 2 scene 1
Act 3 scene 1 
Act 3 scene 4

Lady Macbeth, 
Act 1 scene 5


The Bloody Captain, 
Act 1 scene 2


Lady Macduff,
Act 4 scene 2

Ross
Act 4 scene 3


• Know and review your study questions for each Act (you should have done these for homework). Some of these questions will be on the test.

Act V Study Questions

MACBETH: Study Questions—ACT 5

Scene 1

1) What do the nurse (gentlewoman) and the doctor see?
-Lady Macbeth sleep walking and talking. 


2) What does Lady Macbeth mean when she says, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!...will these hands never be clean.”
-When she and Macbeth kill Duncan, she said she needed to wash her hands of the deed for it to be gone. Now, the guilt is overwhelming and the spots of blood represent each murder. 


3) What is wrong with Lady Macbeth at this point of the play?
-She is overwhelmed with guilt.


 Scene 2

1) What happens in this scene? What new characters are introduced? Why?
The Scottish forces talk about meeting up the English forces at Birnam woods. The new characters are Angus, Menteith, and Caithness. They appear to show that there are a lot of people against Macbeth, even the Scottish.



2) What is the significance of the scene?
-This scene shows that there are a lot of people against Macbeth, even the Scottish.



3) What is meant when Caithness says, “Some say he’d mad; others that lesser hate him do call it valiant fury”?
-People who hate with thin he had gone crazy and people who like him or agree with him think he is acting valiantly.



Scene 3

1) How would you describe Macbeth’s attitude and mood in this scene?
-Macbeth seems nervous and somewhat scared. he tries to calm himself down by going over the vision that the witches told him. 


2) Why isn’t Macbeth afraid? Do his soldier’s seem afraid? Why or why not?
-He isn't afraid because because one of the visions was that no man born a woman could hurt him. Also, he thought the tree couldn't attack his castle, so he thought he was set go to. Yes, they are scared because Macbeth is going crazy and threatening to kill anyone who seems afraid, and the English army is coming. 


Scene 4

1) What does Malcolm order the soldiers to do?
- To chop down limbs of trees in the forest and every soldier will be carrying a tree so they can't see the numbers they have. 


Scene 5

1) What is meant when Macbeth says, “She should have died here-after”?
-She should have dies later on, because either one, he was to busy to morn her death, or that she sould have died later in life wen they were older. 


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.”
-Life is just a brief thing that happens. 


Scene 6

1) What is important about this scene?
-It is when they reach the castle and the battles going to start.



Scene 7

1) Who does Macbeth kill in this scene? What is significant about this death?
-Young Siward. It is significant because it gives Macbeth more steam because he was born a women and he couldn't hurt Macbeth. Young Siward is also English.  


Scene 8

1) What happens in this scene?
-Macduff confronts Macbeth and kills him. 


2) Why does Macbeth lose heart in the fight against Macduff?
-Because he knew he was going to lose because Macduff had a C-section and was technically born a woman. Macbeth knew he was going to lose so he gave up. 


3) Who is named king at the end of the play?
-Malcolm