English II Honors/AP Seminar: Macbeth Acts 1-3 Test - Sheehan

What is the English Renaissance?

An artistic, intellectual, and cultural “rebirth” in Europe that revived interest in classical Greek and Roman ideas and focused on human potential and achievements.

When did the English Renaissance occur?

It began in Italy in the 14th century and in England roughly spans 1485–1625.

What did the English Renaissance revive in terms of learning?

It marked a revival of classical studies, including Greek and Roman literature, philosophy, and art.

How did the English Renaissance change the focus of literature and art?

It led to more secular (non-religious) works and encouraged exploration of human experience, reason, and individualism rather than only religious topics.

What is humanism in the context of the Renaissance?

An intellectual movement focusing on what it means to be human, emphasizing reason, rationality, and human potential rather than just religious authority.

What kinds of texts and traditions did humanism draw from?

It drew heavily from classical traditions, especially Greek and Roman writings, which were pulled into plays and literature of the period.

What does “reason over religion” mean in the Renaissance context?

It means thinkers increasingly valued logic, critical thinking, and human reason as tools for understanding the world, sometimes above strict religious explanations.

How did exploration relate to the Renaissance?

Exploration reflected the Renaissance spirit of curiosity and discovery, as people sought new lands, knowledge, and ways of understanding the world.

How did inventions connect to the Renaissance?

New inventions and technologies, like improved printing, spread ideas faster and supported the growth of learning, art, and science.

What is the Chain of Being?

A belief that God created a fixed, ordered hierarchy for all of nature and humankind, where every being has a specific, God-given place.

How did the Chain of Being create social stability?

People believed that fulfilling their assigned role maintained order and harmony, while failing in their responsibilities caused universal disorder and chaos.

Why was breaking the Chain of Being considered an offense against God?

Because it meant rebelling against the order God designed; disrupting the hierarchy was seen as sacrilegious and morally wrong.

How does Macbeth show what happens when the Chain of Being is broken?

Macbeth murders King Duncan, God’s chosen ruler, which breaks the natural order and leads to chaos in Scotland, strange natural events, guilt, paranoia, and Macbeth’s downfall.

What is the Divine Right of Kings?

The belief that God divinely chooses the monarch to rule, so the king’s authority comes directly from God.

Why is going against the king considered treachery under Divine Right?

Because resisting or plotting against the king is seen as rebelling against God’s will, making it both a political crime and a sin, punishable by death.

Who was Queen Elizabeth I in relation to Shakespeare?

The monarch who ruled during much of the English Renaissance; she strongly supported the arts and greatly respected Shakespeare.

Why did Queen Elizabeth I’s lack of an heir matter?

She had no husband or children, creating uncertainty about succession and contributing to political tension about who would rule next.

Who was King James I?

The king who ruled England after Queen Elizabeth I’s death; he was originally from Scotland and became Shakespeare’s new royal patron.

What religious background did King James I have?

He was Protestant and very religious, which influenced his interests and political concerns.

Why was King James I unpopular with some English people?

He was from Scotland, which many English considered rude and barbaric, and there were several Catholic plots to murder him.

What was King James I’s interest in witchcraft?

He was deeply fascinated by witchcraft and even wrote about it, which influenced Shakespeare to include witches heavily in Macbeth.

How does Macbeth act as a cautionary tale for King James I’s time?

It shows the disastrous consequences for traitors and for those who challenge the rightful king, warning would-be rebels.

How does Macbeth reflect political tensions of King James I’s rule?

It explores regicide, treachery, and the chaos that results when ambition challenges lawful authority and the Chain of Being.

How does Macbeth show the result of challenging the Chain of Being?

It portrays Scotland suffering unnatural events, moral breakdown, and tyranny after Duncan’s murder and Macbeth’s rise.

What message does Macbeth send about excessive ambition?

It shows that unchecked ambition can lead to terrible consequences, including guilt, madness, violence, and ruin.

When was Macbeth written and first presented?

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth around 1603 and it was presented to King James I around 1605.

What was the main source that inspired Macbeth’s story?

Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, which mix real history with legends and contain a story about an 11th-century Scottish king named Macbeth.

What does Holinshed’s Chronicles provide for Macbeth?

It provides historical background on kings, battles, and important events that Shakespeare adapts into a dramatic, tragic plot.

What is a tragedy in literature?

A serious literary work, usually a play, that involves the heroic struggle of a main character and ultimately ends in their downfall and catastrophe.

What must a tragedy include regarding the main character’s fate?

The main character must suffer as a result of a personal flaw or moral weakness, and the story must end in tragedy rather than happiness.

Who is a tragic hero?

The main character in a tragedy, often of high status or noble birth, whose personal flaw leads to their downfall despite their strengths.

What qualities does a tragic hero usually have?

Nobility or high rank, admirable traits, a tragic flaw, a serious mistake in judgment, and a downfall that evokes pity and fear.

What is a tragic flaw?

A personal weakness or moral failing in the tragic hero that leads to their downfall.

What is Macbeth’s tragic flaw commonly seen as?

Unchecked ambition that pushes him to murder Duncan and continue committing violent acts to keep power.

What is a monologue?

A long speech by one character in a play, addressed to the audience or another character, while other characters are present on stage.

How does a monologue function in Macbeth?

It lets a character explain their thoughts, plans, or feelings at length while still interacting with others.

What is a soliloquy?

A speech delivered by a character who is alone on stage (or believes they are alone), revealing their inner thoughts and feelings directly to the audience.

What do soliloquies reveal in Macbeth?

They show Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s internal conflicts, fears, ambitions, and guilt that are hidden from other characters.

What is an aside?

A brief remark by a character meant to be heard by the audience (or one character) but not by the others on stage.

How does an aside help the audience in Macbeth?

It reveals a character’s true thoughts or reactions in the moment, even when they are pretending something else outwardly.

What is foreshadowing?

A literary technique that hints at events that will occur later in the story or play.

How do the witches foreshadow events in Macbeth?

Their prophecies and paradoxes hint at Macbeth’s rise and fall, Banquo’s fate, and the future kingship of Banquo’s descendants.

What is an allusion?

A reference in a text to a well-known person, event, object, or work from history, mythology, religion, or literature.

What is an example of an allusion in Macbeth’s battle description?

The battlefield is described as bloody “like Golgotha,” alluding to the place where Jesus was crucified.

What is a foil?

A character whose traits contrast with another character, highlighting that other character’s qualities.

How is Banquo a foil to Macbeth?

Banquo remains loyal, cautious, and moral, while Macbeth gives in to ambition and moral corruption, making Macbeth’s flaws stand out.

What is a paradox?

A seemingly self-contradictory statement, idea, or event that may still be true or meaningful.

What are two famous paradoxes spoken by the witches?

“Fair is foul, and foul is fair” and “When the battle’s lost and won.”

What is an illusion in literature?

Something that tricks the senses or mind, making something seem real when it is not, often revealing psychological conflict.

What are two important illusions in Macbeth?

The floating, bloody dagger Macbeth sees before killing Duncan and Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, both showing Macbeth’s guilt and fear.

What is iambic pentameter?

A poetic meter in which each line has ten syllables arranged in five “feet,” each foot being an iamb (unstressed syllable followed by stressed).

What is an iamb?

A metrical foot consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (da-DUM).

What does “pentameter” mean in iambic pentameter?

It means there are five metrical feet (iambs) in each line of verse.

What kind of speech uses verse in Macbeth?

Verse is used mainly by upper-class or noble characters, especially in serious or romantic situations, and appears in prologues or formal speeches.

How is verse different from prose in Macbeth?

Verse is structured, poetic, and often in iambic pentameter, while prose is ordinary, non-poetic speech used for informal, humorous, or realistic dialogue.

What is prose in Macbeth?

Writing that is not in poetic form, often spoken by lower-class characters or used to create humor and realism.

Why does Shakespeare use prose for some characters?

To show informality, lower social status, or comic relief, and to make certain scenes feel more everyday and realistic.

How do the witches usually speak in Macbeth?

They typically use a chant-like, rhythmic meter based on trochees, which sound more abrupt and eerie than regular iambic pentameter.

What is a trochee?

A metrical foot with a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one (DUM-da), the opposite of an iamb.

How does the witches’ meter affect the tone?

It creates an unnatural, creepy, and unsettling tone, emphasizing their supernatural and chaotic nature.

Who is Macbeth at the beginning of the play?

A brave Scottish general, Thane of Glamis, and loyal warrior who fights for King Duncan and is highly respected for his courage.

How does Macbeth’s character change by Acts 2–3?

He changes from a hesitant, morally conflicted nobleman into a paranoid, tyrannical ruler who kills to gain and keep power and acts increasingly on impulse and fear.

What are Macbeth’s main internal conflicts in Act 1?

Ambition vs. morality (desiring the crown but knowing murder is wrong), desire vs. fear (wanting power but fearing consequences), and loyalty vs. temptation (respecting Duncan but craving the throne).

Who is Lady Macbeth?

Macbeth’s wife, who is fiercely ambitious, manipulative, and determined to see Macbeth become king so she can be queen.

How does Lady Macbeth react to Macbeth’s letter about the witches?

She is thrilled by the prophecy and instantly starts plotting how Macbeth can become king quickly.

Why does Lady Macbeth think Macbeth might fail to seize the crown?

She believes he is “too full of the milk of human kindness,” meaning he is too kind and lacks the ruthless evil needed to commit murder.

What does Lady Macbeth ask the spirits to do in her soliloquy?

She asks them to “unsex” her, make her cruel, and remove all guilt or remorse so she can help murder Duncan without weakness.

How does Lady Macbeth manipulate Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 7?

She taunts him, calls him a coward, attacks his masculinity and bravery, and says she would kill her own child rather than break a promise, pressuring him to kill Duncan.

Who is Banquo in Macbeth?

A noble warrior and Macbeth’s friend who fights bravely in battle and is present when the witches deliver their prophecies.

How does Banquo respond to the witches’ prophecies?

He is cautious and skeptical, warning that evil forces may tell small truths to lead people into greater harm.

What do the witches prophesy about Banquo?

They say he will be “lesser than Macbeth and greater,” “not so happy, yet much happier,” and that he will not be king but his descendants will be kings.

How does Banquo become a threat to Macbeth?

Because the prophecy says his children will be kings, Macbeth fears that Banquo’s line will replace his own, so he arranges for Banquo’s murder.

Who is Fleance?

Banquo’s young son, who is prophesied to father a line of future kings.

Why is Fleance a problem for Macbeth?

As long as Fleance lives, Macbeth’s power and dynasty feel threatened because the witches said Banquo’s descendants will be kings.

What happens to Fleance in Act 3?

He escapes the ambush where Banquo is murdered, which increases Macbeth’s paranoia because the threat to his crown remains.

Who is King Duncan?

The kind, generous, and trusting king of Scotland who rewards Macbeth for bravery and deeply trusts him.

How does Duncan misread people?

He misjudges the Thane of Cawdor and later Macbeth, believing their outward loyalty while being unaware of their betrayal.

Why is Duncan’s murder especially tragic?

Because he is a good, benevolent king, and his death breaks the Chain of Being, bringing moral and natural chaos to Scotland.

Who is Malcolm?

Duncan’s eldest son and heir, named Prince of Cumberland, who is meant to be the next king.

What does Malcolm do after Duncan’s murder?

He flees to England out of fear for his life, which makes some people suspicious but is actually a wise move for safety.

Who is Donalbain?

Duncan’s younger son, who is practical and quick to recognize danger.

What does Donalbain do after his father is killed?

He flees to Ireland because he believes that whoever killed his father will likely target the heirs next.

Who is Macduff?

The Thane of Fife, a respected nobleman known for his loyalty to Scotland and sense of justice.

What does Macduff do when Duncan is murdered?

He discovers Duncan’s body and later chooses not to attend Macbeth’s coronation, signaling his suspicion of Macbeth.

What action does Macduff take in Act 3?

He goes to England to ask King Edward and Siward to raise an army to overthrow Macbeth, whom he sees as a tyrant.

Who is Lennox?

A Scottish lord who carefully observes the strange events in Scotland and grows increasingly suspicious of Macbeth’s role in them.

How does Lennox feel about Macbeth by Act 3, Scene 6?

He does not believe the official stories that blame Duncan’s sons and Fleance; he calls Macbeth a tyrant and doubts his innocence.

Who is Ross?

A nobleman who often acts as a messenger, delivering important news such as Macbeth’s new title and Scotland’s political changes.

How does Ross navigate the political chaos?

He remains somewhat cautious and loyal outwardly while living through the confusion and fear created by Macbeth’s rise.

Who is Angus?

A nobleman who initially supports Duncan and later becomes wary of Macbeth’s suspicious rise to power.

What does Angus represent among the nobles?

The growing sense that Macbeth’s rule is illegitimate and that true loyalty lies with the rightful heir.

Who are the three witches (Weird Sisters)?

Supernatural beings who enjoy manipulating mortals and speak in strange, chant-like rhythms filled with paradoxes.

What prophecies do the witches give Macbeth?

They hail him as Thane of Glamis (which he is), Thane of Cawdor (which he becomes), and future king.