Name
Period
Date

Macbeth
Act 1 Questions

1. Act I: In the opening scene the witches set the mood of the play with a single line which is re-echoed in various ways throughout Act 1. What are these words?

2. In scene 1, what atmosphere is established with the three witches on the heath?

3. What first speech of Macbeth’s (Scene iii) links him at once with the witches?

4. Why does Sweno, the King of Norway, seek a peace treaty?

5. Macbeth himself does not appear on stage until Scene iii. However, in Scene ii a sergeant gives us an account of Macbeth in battle (lines 7-14). What impression is conveyed of him in this advance notice?

6. How does Banquo react to the three prophecies about Macbeth?

7. How does Macbeth react to the prophecies about Macbeth?

8. What do these differences suggest about the characters of the two men?

9. Who has been named the Prince of Cumberland?

10. Why does this announcement upset Macbeth?

11. An aside is a dramatic convention allowing a person to make brief comments as if thinking aloud, without being heard by anyone else on stage. What do we learn of Macbeth’s thinking in Scene iii and iv through the use of these asides?

12. When Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to unsex her, what does this mean?

13. Who ultimately plots the specifics of Duncan’s murder?

14. Describe the character of Lady Macbeth as she has been introduced in Scenes v, vi, vii. What seems to be her relationship with her husband? What approach does she use to convince Macbeth that the murder must be undertaken?

15. How is Macbeth related to each of the following people:

15.1. Duncan

15.2. The witches

15.3. Banquo

15.4. Lady Macbeth