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