Macbeth - Understanding the Text

He awards him the title, Thane of Cawdor

He appoints Macbeth to be his heir*

*a person who inherits and continues the work of a predecessor.

He makes Macbeth King of Scotland

He rewards Macbeth by treating him with suspicion

Banquo

Duncan

Ross

The witches

Encourage him to be patient and hope that the prophecy comes true

Persuade her husband to act to take the crown

Discourage her husband from fruitless ambitions

Encourage her husband to attempt to win the crown by noble deeds

Her hands are covered with blood when she helps to murder the King

Her hands are covered with blood when she plants the bloody daggers on the grooms as incriminating evidence

Her hands are covered with blood when she murders the grooms

Macbeth does not participate in the murders; therefore Lady Macbeth's bloody hands do not resemble her husband's

Neither son can challenge Macbeth for the throne

Both sons are suspected of the murder

They save their own lives

All of the above

To kill Banquo

To kill the King

To kill Lennox

To defeat Malcolm, Siward, Macduff and the other lords

The witches prophesy that Banquo will be King after Macbeth

Macbeth knows that Banquo is plotting to overthrow him

The witches prophesy that Banquo's line of descendants will include kings

Macbeth has always been enemies with Banquo

Suspicious

Invincible

Angry

Cautious

Guilt

Hatred

Scheming

The sounds of battle

'Birnam Wood' is the code name of the attacking army

The prophecy is false: Birnam Wood does not come to Dunsinane, but Macbeth is defeated nevertheless

The attacking soldiers carry tree branches

The wood is magical and can shift positions

They both receive the news with indifference

They both respond to the news with disappointment

They both respond to the news with ambition and a hunger for more power

All of the above

The witches' prophecies cause all of the events in the play without any help from human action

The witches' prophecies do not change any of the events of the play, all of which would certainly have come about through Macbeth's own action

The witches' prophecies both recognise and feed Macbeth's existing characteristics, including superstition, violence and ambition

The witches' prophecies are irrelevant to the outcome of events in the play

Sweno

Macbeth

James I

Edward the Confessor

Killing sheep

Causing storms

Causing a shipwreck

All of the above

A wren

A monkey

A ghost

An owl

Lady Macbeth feels guilt about the murders from which she benefits although she does not believe anyone can stand in judgement over her

Macbeth fears being judged for his treasonous actions by his peers

By fleeing, Malcolm and Donalbain show that they feel guilty for their father's murder

Banquo's death is a judgement for his part in not exposing Macbeth's treason

Untrustworthy

Different in reality from what ought to be true

Different in appearance from reality

All of the above

Macbeth refers to himself both with the royal "we", saying "our", and in the "third" person as "Macbeth"

In saying our high-placed Macbeth, Macbeth refers to himself in both the first and the third person simultaneously

In saying "Our high-placed Macbeth", Macbeth refers to himself in both the first and the third person simultaneously

Macbeth refers to himself both with the royal "we", saying our, and in the third person as Macbeth

Lady Macbeth compares memory to a "warder" guarding the brain

Lady Macbeth compares "memory" to a "warder" guarding the brain

Lady Macbeth intends to get the chamberlains drunk through "wine" and wassail

Lady Macbeth intends to get the "chamberlains" drunk through "wine" and "wassail"

Banquo views "present" events as "seeds of time" which will grow into "future" events

Banquo views present events as seeds of time which will grow into future events

Banquo views present events as "seeds of time" which will grow into future events

Banquo talks - "seeds of time" - about present events which will grow into future events