Macbeth Flashcards

Flashcards to review the characters, plot, and themes of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Macbeth

A brave Scottish general, initially honorable but quickly consumed by ambition.

Lady Macbeth

Macbeth's ambitious and manipulative wife, who pushes him to commit murder.

Duncan

The good and trusting King of Scotland.

Banquo

A fellow general and Macbeth's friend, whose descendants are prophesied to be kings.

Macduff

A Scottish nobleman who eventually opposes Macbeth.

The Three Witches

Mysterious, supernatural beings who deliver prophecies that fuel Macbeth's ambition.

Malcolm

King Duncan's elder son, who becomes king at the end of the play.

Fleance

Banquo's son.

War-torn Scotland

What is the primary setting of Act I?

Thane of Cawdor

What title does King Duncan bestow upon Macbeth as a reward for his bravery?

She immediately grasps the opportunity for power.

What is Lady Macbeth's initial reaction to the witches' prophecies?

Duncan is his kinsman, his host, and a good and virtuous king.

What arguments does Macbeth consider against murdering Duncan in Act I, Scene 7?

The murder of King Duncan.

What is the main event of Act II?

A blood-stained dagger.

What hallucination does Macbeth have before killing Duncan?

Duncan's chamberlains.

Who does Lady Macbeth frame for Duncan's murder?

Malcolm flees to England, Donalbain to Ireland

Where do Malcolm and Donalbain flee after their father's murder?

Darkness during the day, an owl killing a falcon, and Duncan's horses eating each other.

What unnatural events are discussed in Act II, Scene 4?

Fear of the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings.

What is Macbeth's primary motivation for killing Banquo?

Fleance

Which character escapes the murderers in Act III?

The ghost of Banquo

Whom does Macbeth see at the banquet that no one else can see?

To meet Macbeth in the morning and prepare illusions that will confuse and lead him to his destruction, making him overconfident.

What is Hecate's plan for Macbeth?

They openly voice their suspicions of Macbeth and express their hope that Malcolm and Macduff can overthrow him.

What is the significance of Lennox and the Lord's conversation in Act III, Scene 6?

An Armed Head, a Bloody Child, and a Crowned Child holding a tree.

What three apparitions do the witches conjure for Macbeth in Act IV?

They are brutally murdered by Macbeth's orders.

What happens to Macduff's family?

To test Macduff's loyalty.

Why does Malcolm initially feign vices to Macduff?

To gather an army in England and invade Scotland to overthrow Macbeth.

What plan do Malcolm and Macduff make together?

She tries to wash imaginary bloodstains from her hands.

What does Lady Macbeth do in her sleepwalking?

To camouflage the army's true numbers.

What is Malcolm's strategy with branches from Birnam Wood?

A reflection on the futility and meaninglessness of life.

What is the content of Macbeth's 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow' soliloquy?

He was 'from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped' (delivered by Caesarean section).

What does Macduff reveal about his birth?

Macduff kills him.

What happens to Macbeth at the end of the play?

Malcolm

Who becomes the new King of Scotland at the end of the play?

Thane

What is a Scottish nobleman, a lord?

Soliloquy

What is the meaning of a speech where a character speaks their thoughts out loud when alone on stage?

Aside

What is a remark spoken by a character that is intended only for the audience to hear?