Flashcards
Macbeth
Cards in this deck (37)
- 1Give a brief synopsis for Act 1 of Macbeth1) Macbeth and Banquo return from battle
2) M & B meet the witches who say that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and later king and that Banquo's descendants will become kings
3) Duncan = proud of Macbeth - makes him Thane of Cawdor - honours MB with a visit to his castle
4) Macbeth writes home to Lady Macbeth (LMB) telling her that he has become Thane of Cawdor (LMB is more ruthless and and wants more for MB and will go to great length to to get what she wants and to help him) - 2Give a stage direction featured in Act 1 of MacbethThunder and lightening. Enter three witches.
= pathetic fallacy - ominous/bad
(regarding the witches) - 3Give some key quotes to remember for the character of Macbeth according to the synopsis in Act 1- "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" - his first line - echoes witches - comes after them - paradox/inversion
- "stars hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires" (wishes to hide his nefarious thoughts from god - "deep" + "desires" - alliteration)
and the juxtaposition of "black" with "stars" - 4Give some key quotes to remember for Lady Macbeth according to the Act 1 synopsisShe says Macbeth is "too full o'th' milk of human kindness" - weakens him egotistically by questioning his masculinity - "milk" - breast feeding
She wishes to be "filled from the crown to the toe top with direst cruelty" - more nefarious - "toe" "top" - alliteration
"unsex me here" - wants to have masculine attributes - reference to women generally being of the weaker sex at the time - feels she won't be able to carry out what she wants as a women as she would a man (gender roles) - 5Give some key quotes to remember for the Witches according to the Act 1 synopsisThey speak in rhyming cuplets - e.g. "fair is foul and foul is fair" - paradox (contrasting ideas) or an inversion
"when the hurly burly's done when the battles lost and won" - rhyming cuplets
Also consider what the earlier stage direction told us about them. - 6Give a brief synopsis of Act 2 from Macbeth1) Duncan visits Macbeth
2) Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan so he becomes king
3) LMB drugs the guards wine so they sleep and later frames them for the murder by placing a bloody dagger near the guards
4) M kills Duncan - troubled with guilt
5) LMB berates him for his guilt - calls him a coward
6) Macduff visits Macbeths and finds the king is dead - guards = blamed and killed
7) Duncan's sons (Malcom + Donalbain) flee the castle as the fear whoever killed their dad is after them too - be killed?? - 7Give 2 stage directions which are crucial within Act 2Murder occurs off-stage = more horrific to the audience
fear and guilt = knocking sound echoes Macbeths' pounding heart - 8Give some Lady Macbeth quotes in Act 2 with regards to the synopsisShe says that she would have killed Duncan "had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't"- suggesting that women of the time are incapable of violence (especially LMB) - despite her supposedly newfound 'man-like' attributes - promotes her vulnerability
LMB worries about her husband being "brain sickly" ironically foreshadows her own madness - 9Give some Macbeth quotes in Act 2 with regards to the synopsisMacbeth doubts "Neptune's ocean" will wash the blood clean from his hands
Macbeth "murdered sleep" - personification - he has ruined sleep for himself and his wife (LMB)
Before killing Duncan he hesitates and says "is this a dagger which I see before me" - mental deterioration and increased anxiety - feels fate is his guide - 10Give a stage direction from Act 3Thunder. Enter three witches, meeting Hecate.
- 11How does nature react to Duncan's death?It reacts in an "unnatural" manner
Shakespeare implements a nameless old man to witness this - he says "Tis unnatural, even like the deed that's done" - uncommon - 12Are Macbeth and Lady M seen again together after Act 3?No, this is the final scene where we see Macbeth and Lady M on stage together.
- 13Give a brief synopsis of Act 3Macbeth = king of Scotland (full fills one of the witches prophecies)
Macbeth is worried about witches prophecy that Banquo's son will become king (Fleance = son)
Pays assassins to murder Banquo and Fleance - BANQUO = KILLED
FLEANCE = ESCAPES
Macbeths give a banquet - Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost and goes mad/ranting which makes LMB worry about her husbands sanity
Witches meet Hecate - she is annoyed she wasn't involved in the witches meddling with Macbeth - 14Give some Lady Macbeth quotes for Act 3 in response to the synopsisShe feels remorse for killing Duncan and says that "all's spent" - suggests that she nor her husband are suited for killing and are made to face the consequences.
LMB says that she would "better be with the dead" than suffer her own thoughts
After Banquo's ghost arrives she has to pretend that Macbeth is unwell as his behaviour is unusual - takes control as she echoes Act 1 - "Are you a man?" - associates fear with being unmanly
"Joyful doubt" - oxymoron
"restless ecstacy" - both quotes show how she is reflecting on the emptiness of Macbeth's previous murder of Duncan - 15Give some Macbeth quotes for Act 3 with regards to the synopsisThe Macbeths hold a feast - Macbeth = good mood as he thinks Banquo and F are being dealt with so is happy to "play the humble host" - "play" suggest a fake sense of hospitality
A murderer tells Macbeth that Banquo has been killed by Fleance as ESCAPED - Macbeth replies "cabined, cribbed, confined" - the alliteration emphasises he trapped he feels. Fleance is still alive = future for Macbeth as king is uncertain
Macbeth - "it will have blood they say - blood will have blood" - the repetition of "blood" - shows fear - he is starting to see the inevitability of his downfall. (This links to the point bellow)
Macbeth has killed so many people that he says that "Returning were as tedious as go o'er" - despairing at this moment - doesn't want to keep killing but thinks its the only way to secure the throne
In his soliloquy Macbeth says his reign is like a "fruitless crown" and a "barren sceptre" - suggesting that he feels his reign might be worthless as he doesn't have any heirs - 16Give me a quote from Hecate in Act 3The witches plan to summon apparitions to trick Macbeth into being overconfident - "security/Is mortals' chiefest enemy" - by making him bold they are making sure that he'll continue his reign of terror - plunging natural order into chaos.
- 17Give a brief synopsis of Act 4Macbeth calms himself down by going to see the witches to confirm pre-conceived prophecy
Witches tell him two important facts
- no-one born of woman will harm him
- the Burnham wood will march on Macbeth's castle
as well as warning him about Macduff!!
The witches still say that Banquo's descendants will become king (Fleance)
Macbeth is angry and sends people on a rampage to kill Banquo's associates
Macduff's family killed but Macduff went to meet Malcom and Donalbain to arrange to battle with Macbeth - 18Give some stage directions which are in Act 4Each of the apparitions that the witches mention descend as if they are going to hell again
The murder of Lady Macduff's son is done on stage - Macbeth doesn't care now if people know it's him - 19What does the ghost that descends when the witches tell Macbeth "no one born of women will harm him" look like?A bloody child - represent MacDuff - born by C-section
- 20What does the ghost that descends when the witches tell Macbeth "the Burnham wood marches on Macbeth's castle"look like?A child wearing a crown and holding a branch
"crown" - Malcom
"branch" - moving forest - 21What does the apparition (Beware Macduff) look like?an armoured head - foreshadows Mac B decapitation
- 22Give a quote the witches use in Act 4 of Macbeth according to the synopsis"something wicked this way comes" - announcing MB arrival - changed from Act 1
"double double toil and trouble" - double meanings and evil intentions
The witches pretend to obey Mac B" Speak./Demand/We'll answer"- trick him into asking for apparitions by saying that he can talk to their "masters" - they know his biggest weakness is ambition - they play on his lust for power - 23Give a quote from Act 4 used by Lady MacduffAngry and scared - husband has run off and left her to protect their castle and children
"to do harm/ Is often laudable" - morals of Scotland have been turned upside down by Mac B tyranny - afraid of being under Macbeths rule. - 24Give a quote used by Macbeth in Act 4"Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs" - wants to know if prophecy of Banquo is true - witches show him another vision (line of Banquo's descendants) - he is angry!! - evil and paranoid - willing to kill anyone associated with the enemy even if no threat is posed
- 25What could the "treble sceptres" carried by Banquo's descendants be a reference to?King James and the three sceptres he received during his coronations. The connection implies that like King J, Banquo's descendants are rightful heirs to the throne. Macbeth is later referred to as the "bloody-sceptered" - contrasting with Banquo's descendants - Macbeths actions make him an unworthy ruler.
- 26Give a quick synopsis of Act 5Macduff, Malcom and Donalbain march on Macbeths castle behind trees - witches prophecy about Burnham wood comes true
Lady Macbeth goes mad - commits suicide after claiming she can see blood on her hands continuously and tries washing it off
Macduff was born of C section - not born of women - proves the witches prophecy
Macduff kills Macbeth
Malcom is crowned king - 27Give a stage direction used in Act 5Enter a doctor of physic, and a waiting gentle woman
doctor = can't share secrets
gentle woman = can't share anything either
- they won't be able to share LMB's suffering to get her help - 28Give some quotes that are used by Lady M in Act 5"out-damned spot" - trying to wash invisible blood off her hands and contrasts with dissimisive attitudes - "a little water clears us of this deed"
"perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand"
"smell blood still" - 29Give a quote used by Macbeth in Act 5"out, out brief candle, life's but a walking shadow" - fed up with guilt/worry/life and break of relationship and wife's death
- 30Name a quote used by Malcom regarding Lady Macbeth and Mac B in Act 5"this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen"
- 31Explain the theme of SUPERNATURALThe first witch says that they will meet "in thunder, lightning or in rain?". This quote creates a semantic field of darkness/negativity
At the time the play was written people were very interested in the super natural, particularly King James 1
Shakespeare is aiming to get people to question the logic behind the witches and use their own logic to consider what they are seeing and hearing
Banquo questions the reality of the witches when he asks "Are ye fantastical?" Conversely Macbeth is indecisive as logically he doesn't believe the witches but his ego does when he says "cannot be ill, cannot be good"
Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, is drawn strongly to the dark side of the supernatural and she asks them to "fill {her} from the crown to the toe top with direst cruelty" and possess her - she desires more manly attributes and feel she will be incapable of carrying out her nefarious intentions as a women. - 32Explain the theme of THE GOOD SIDE OF SUPERNATURALDuncan is close to god and is appointed to the king by god - RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE
Macbeth's soul is condemned if Duncan is killed as he has murdered the good, not to mention committing regicide
Macduff asks for gods blessing in the death of Macbeth who is evil - "gentle heavens" and also seeks gods aid - "within by swords length" -
He speaks this line to Malcolm after learning that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children, expressing his desire for direct revenge (Act 4)
Macduff is of good virtue - 33Explain the theme of Fate vs. Free willFATE = Macbeth follows the witches prophecies instead of choosing own FREE - WILL - the witches suck him in by treating him as Thane of Cawdor (Act 1)
Duncan states Malcom is the rightful heir - makes Macbeth feel he needs to do something drastic to become king - Macbeth believes the witches prophecies more
Spoken by Macbeth as he hallucinates a floating dagger - "Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going" (Act 2) - signifies descent into insanity and guilty ambition as the imagined weapon "marshal's" (guides) him towards the crime he is committed to (FATE)
Macbeth commits regicide - is the "dagger" just an excuse to kill the king
- his mind has configured the illusion of the dagger
In Act 3 - Macbeth allows fate to push him to kill BANQUO but he goes against FATE for self interest - get rid of Fleance in order to remain king!
Shakespeare uses his own free-will and intellect to become a famous play-write
and thought all men should be responsible for their own actions/thoughts and not be manipulated
He gained patronage from King James 1 (OR SUPPORT) - 34Explain the theme of Appearance vs. reality"fair is foul, and foul is fair" - all is not as it seems - Witches - Act 1
Lady Macbeth would also put on a front as she tells Macbeth to "look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under't" - tells him to mask his true intentions
e.g. In Act 2 she pretends to faint upon hearing of Duncan's death
Near the end of Act 1, Duncan visits Macbeth's castle and he refers to Lady Macbeth as a "fair and noble hostess" - this is an example of dramatic irony - the audience knows that the Macbeth's are planning to kill Duncan.
The Macbeth's guilt manifests in a number of ways:
- Lady M : blood on her hands - "out damned spot"
- Macbeth - "is this a dagger which I see before me" - dagger
"Never shake / Thy gory locks at me" Banquo's ghost - reflective of Macbeth's psychological decline and guilt. - 35Explain the theme of AmbitionShakespeare shows that a small amount of ambition is normal but the uncontrolled ambition present in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is an issue in the play
Banquo - Act 3 - Silliloquy - "root and father of many kings" -
ambition makes Macbeth do terrible deeds - turning him from "valiant" to "dead butcher"
ambition is his "fatal flaw" - he is heroic at the start (Duncan calls him "noble" and Lady Macbeth says that Macbeth "wouldst not lay false" to get what he wants.
Lady Macbeth sees that there is a difference being ambitious and acting on it - she says MB is "not without ambition, but without/ The illness should attend it" - she thinks that Macbeth isn't ruthless enough to take action to get what he wants
Macbeth's reluctance to kill Duncan = moral
his actions emphasise how strong his ambition is - ambition = act against his morals
Makes Macbeth act against his better judgement . He knows that ambition often "o'erleaps itself/And falls" - it can lead a person to aim too high so that they fall and loose everything. Foreshadowing Macbeth's own tragic downfall - 36Explain the theme of guilt"The death of each day's life, sore labours' bath, Balm of hurt minds, great natures second course" - metaphorical language - sleep is healing however Macbeth has ruined his own chance of it.
Lady Macbeths guilt comes out - Act 5 "out damned spot"
"all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" - blood on hands - desperately trying to wash it off - symbolic of guilt borne suffering
Lady M later commits suicide due to guilt manifestation due to manifestation of guilt (blood on hands) - Shakespeare warns of mental consequences of guilt - 37—
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- GCSE English Lit Flashcards on Macbeth, created by F S on 18/04/2026.
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- Created by F S · Apr 17, 2026
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