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Macbeth Act I Discussion Questions*
These questions will be asked in class as part of discussion, or they may be given out as homework, exit/entrance tickets, or essay assignments. Not all of these questions may be asked, but many of them will. Please pay attention to in-class directions.
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- In the first three scenes of Act One, rather than meeting Macbeth immediately, we are presented with others' reactions to him. Scene one begins with the witches, accepted symbols of evil in Shakespeare’s time. The witches arrange to meet with Macbeth sometime in the near future when a battle which is obviously in progress is concluded. They also introduce the central paradox of the play: fair is foul, foul is fair. With these ideas in mind, please answer the following questions:
- a. Why is Macbeth is first introduced to us through the witches? What effect does this choice have on the audience’s perception of Macbeth?
- b. Explain what you think is meant by the paradoxical statement “Fair is foul, foul is fair.”
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2. Scene two provides us with the views that Duncan, the King, and the bloodied Captain have of Macbeth.
- a. Paraphrase the Captain's description of the battle and the part played by Macbeth in securing victory.
- b. What impression do you gain of Macbeth from this description? What specific qualities of Macbeth particularly impress the Captain and Duncan?
- c. Given that Macbeth was first mentioned by the witches, the idea of fair is foul, foul is fair was introduced in scene one, and the fact that Duncan was deceived by the Thane of Cawdor, to what extent are you prepared to accept at face value the assessment of Macbeth as brave and noble?
3. The first part of scene three sees a return of the witches.
- a. Carefully read their discussion of their attempt to take revenge on the sailor's wife. What
- b. does this episode suggest about the extent and the limits of the witches’ powers?
- c. Macbeth's entry is a surprise because his first words echo those of the witches in scene
- d. one: “So foul and fair a day I have not seen.”
- e. What might this statement mean in a literal sense?
- f. What effect does this statement have on our initial response to Macbeth?
4. Macbeth and Banquo are confronted by the witches who predict both Macbeth's and Banquo's future.
- a. Analyze Banquo's reaction to the witches’ prophecy regarding Macbeth. What does
- b. Banquo suggest about Macbeth's reaction?
- c. What does Banquo’s challenge to the witches suggest about his character?
5. Dramatic Irony
Immediately following the disappearance of the witches, Ross and Angus bring the news that we, as an audience, already know regarding the Thaneship of Cawdor: that King Duncan has awarded the Thane of Cawdor’s title to Macbeth. This situation where the audience knows more than the characters is called dramatic irony.
- a. How does Banquo react to the news of Macbeth’s new title?
6. Metaphor
Macbeth's reaction takes the form of a metaphor: “Why do you dress me /In borrowed robes?”
- a. Explain this metaphor. The clothes metaphor is used throughout the play. Pay careful attention to how and why the metaphor of clothing is used whenever you come across it.
- b. Why does Banquo warn Macbeth about his reaction to the prophecies? What does this warning suggest about Banquo's understanding of Macbeth's character and ambitions?
7. Soliloquy
Macbeth's response comes in the form of a soliloquy, a speech which reflects the thoughts of a character that is heard by the audience but not by the other characters in the play. Carefully read from the start of Macbeth's soliloquy to the end of the scene.
- a. Paraphrase this soliloquy.
- b. What does the soliloquy suggest about Macbeth's state of mind?
- c. What decision does Macbeth resolve to take? What reasons does Macbeth give for his decision?
- d. Explain Banquo's use of a clothing metaphor.
8. In scene three Macbeth and Banquo are received by Duncan.
- a. What does Duncan say to Macbeth and Banquo, respectively?
- b. How does each respond?
- c. How does Macbeth react to the naming of Malcolm as heir to the throne?
- d. What does Macbeth mean when he says the following statement?
Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires:
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be
What the eye fears, when it is done, to see.
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9. Act One, scenes 5- 7 introduce Lady Macbeth and explore her relationship with Macbeth. These are very important scenes because our response to the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is crucial to our interpretation of the play.
- a. What does the tone of Macbeth's letter suggest about his relationship with her?
- b. Explain her assessment of Macbeth and his ambition.
- c. How does she see her role?
10. Carefully read Lady Macbeth’s "unsex me" soliloquy.
- a. What is she attempting to do?
- b. What do the lines that follow suggest about Lady Macbeth’s psychological state?
Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark,
To cry 'Hold hold!'
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11. Carefully read Macbeth's soliloquy in scene 7. What does he mean by the following statement?
If it were done when 'tis done ,then 'twere well
It were done quickly. If th' assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch,
With his surcease, success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and end-all-here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come.
b) What arguments does Macbeth provide against the assassination?
c) What motive does he provide for the murder?
d) Analyze Lady Macbeth's response to his declaration that he will proceed no further in the business.
- a. What tactics does she use to persuade him?
- b. What does the tone of her attack upon him suggest about her psychological state?
- c. What is it that finally persuades him?
- d. How is clothing imagery used in this scene?
- e. How is the "fair is foul" theme further developed?
* Questions taken or adapted from this site: www.appohigh.org/.../Macbeth%20Study%20Questions%20Act%201.doc