Macbeth Reading Guide

Act I Qs

1. The play opens with the witches to create a supernatural setting and
introduce evil into the play. Many Renaissance audience members
believed in witchcraft. The witches create suspense about Macbeth.
They discuss the recent battles in which Macbeth fought.
2. Duncan rewards Macbeth by giving him the title of the captured
traitor, the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth finds this out through Ross,
Duncan’s messenger, AFTER the witches prophesized that Macbeth
was the Thane of Cawdor.
3. The day of battle is “foul and fair”: Fair that they won and defeated
the traitors and foul that they lost their once loyal friends.
4. When Ross gives the news of Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth is amazed
and speechless. Banquo is shocked.
5. Malcolm is an obstacle between Macbeth and the throne. Macbeth
either remains a thane or must find some way to remove Malcolm in
order to become king. It seems likely that Macbeth will plot
Malcolm’s murder.
6. Lady Macbeth fears her husband is too womanly and weak. He lacks
manliness.
7. Lady Macbeth counsels her husband to put on a false face. Show
kindness to Duncan, but plot an evil scheme (be a serpent who will
strike).
8. Duncan and Banquo discuss how lovely and peaceful Inverness is as
they approach. The air has a pleasant odor and the baby birds are
happy in their nests. This creates dramatic irony because the Macbeths
have planned to murder the innocent Duncan.
9. Macbeth believes the murder is wrong because it betrays a double
trust. Duncan is a guest in Macbeth’s house and also the king.
Macbeth has a duty has host and loyal subject. Duncan is so beloved
by the Scots that his death would sent the country into a state of
misery.
10. Lady Macbeth taunts Macbeth into killing Duncan. She says he is a
coward and not a man. She insults his masculinity.
Act II

1. Banquo notices that the stars are not shining that night. He
calls heaven thrifty for conserving its light power. He
expresses anxiety over his inability to sleep and asks nature
for help, “Merciful powers.”
2. Macbeth imagines he sees a dagger. He probably imagines
seeing it at this time because he is approaching Duncan’s
sleeping chamber. It is a projection of his fear.
3. Lady Macbeth claims she has become bold as the plan
unfolds. All is going according to the plan, and once the
guards are drugged, she is confident they will pull off the
murder.
4. Duncan’s death would be difficult to make appear realistic on
a Renaissance stage.
5. Macbeth’s mind is plagued with fear and anxiety. He states
he has “murdered sleep.” His mind can never rest again.
6. Lady Macbeth is much more practical. She smears blood on
the faces of the guards and returns the daggers. She says “a
little water clears us of this deed” while Macbeth exaggerates
and says not all the water in the oceans can clean off the
blood.
7. The porter scene provides comic relief in one of the most
tragic moments in the play – the murder of Duncan and the
slaughter of his two guards. When Macduff finds the body,
he and Duncan’s sons are distraught.
8. Macbeth says that there is nothing of any value left in life,
“all is but toys.” One meaning is that nothing can replace the
invaluable king and another meaning relates to his own
destruction of peace of mind.
9. Malcolm and Donalbain fear a conspiracy and decide to flee
to save their lives. Running away will put suspicion on them.
10. The old man tells Ross about unnatural events in nature.
There is a reversal of order; life is out of joint. This parallels
the disorder in the universe when regicide occurs. Killing a
king is a damnable sin. Other unnatural elements: the
witches, the solar eclipse