MACBETH TEST BREAKDOWN

40 Multiple Choice Questions (1.5 points each)

60 points

4 Short Answer Questions(10 points each)

40 points

CHARACTERS Duncan, King of Scotland - The King of

Scotland when the play opens. A good and trustworthy man. Macbeth murders him at the beginning of the play.

Malcolm & Donalbain - Duncan's sons. They are seen as obstacles to Macbeth because they stand in the way to Macbeth becoming king.

Macbeth - A brave warrior, a thane (a ruler of region of Scotland), and, eventually, king. He is a man with both driving ambition and a conscience. He commits murder to become king, but is racked with guilt for his bad deeds.

CHARACTERS Lady Macbeth - Macbeth's wife. A

remarkably ruthless woman at the beginning of the play who pushes Macbeth toward murder, and who breaks down toward the end of the play.

Banquo - Macbeth's companion and fellow warrior. He is loyal to Macbeth, but at the same time maintains a high level of integrity and does not support bad deeds.

Fleance – Banquo’s son (escapes death)

CHARACTERS Ross, Angus, Lennox, Macduff, Menteith,

Caithness - Noblemen of Scotland. Some come into conflict with Macbeth after he has risen to power, such as Macduff.

Macduff – Finds Duncan dead; suspects Macbeth; goes to England for aid; family is killed; kills Macbeth

Three Witches – Unearthly creatures with the power of prophecy, amongst other strange abilities. They tempt and lead Macbeth onto his rise to—and ultimate fall from—power.

Hecate – A witch; the queen of the witches

MACBETHQuotes to know

WHO SAID IT?

“[Life] is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury / Signifying

nothing”

Macbeth

WHO SAID IT?

“Out, damned spot! Out, I say! – One, two. Why,

then, ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky”

Lady Macbeth

WHO SAID IT?

“Tyrant, show thy face! / If thou be’st slain and with no stroke of mine, / My wife and children’s

ghosts will haunt me still”

Macduff

WHO SAID IT?

“A little water clears us of this deed. / How easy

is it then”

Lady Macbeth

WHO SAID IT?

“I grant him bloody, / Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, /

Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin / That has a name”

Malcolm

WHO SAID IT?

“Fathered he is, and

yet he’s fatherless”

Lady Macduff

WHO SAID IT?

“Fair is foul and foul

is fair”

The witches

WHO SAID IT?

“Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the topful / Of direst cruelty”

Lady Macbeth

MACBETHPossible Short Response Questions

POSSIBLE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS How did Macbeth earn the respect of

the King in Act One? Summarize the witches‘ prophecies

for both Macbeth and Banquo. Explain what Lady Macbeth asks the

spirits to do to her to get her ―ready for the King‘s execution. Give as many details as possible.

Explain the content and purpose of the Porter and his speech in Act Two.

POSSIBLE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS Explain the significance of both Macbeth and

Lady Macbeth getting blood on their hands in Act Two. How does each of them react to the blood? What does this reveal about their characters and their intentions?

Explain the meaning and significance of Macbeth‘s “Tomorrow” soliloquy (Act Five) in terms of the theme of the play and the universality of the message to you in your own life.

Explain the dramatic change in Macbeth since the beginning of the play. Be sure to include details about the differences in the murders of Duncan and Banquo, the appearance of the ghost, as well as his relationship with Lady Macbeth.

POSSIBLE SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS Explain the dramatic change in Lady

Macbeth from the beginning of the play. Be sure to include details about her motivations at the beginning of the play, her feelings towards Macbeth and the murders taking place and finally, her state of mind in Act Five.

Explain the irony in Macbeth’s line: “Infected be the air whereupon they [the witches] ride, / And damned all those who trust them!” from Act Four.