Macbeth
... that the witches will meet again with Macbeth and that they plan to something evil. 6. In scene iv, Duncan says of the former Thane of Cawdor. “There’s no art/ To find the mind’s construction in the face./ He was a gentleman on whom I built/ An absolute trust.” Immediately after this statement, Macbeth enters. What is ironic about Macbeth appearing after Duncan says this? The ironic thing about Macbeth appearing after Duncan says this is that the king may not trust Macbeth as much as he wish to because of what the other Thane of Cawdor did. Though he may want to trust him he will not to be able to trust him like he trusted the former Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth 7. This play makes much of contrasting what is natural with what is unnatural. Banquo calls attention to this in the case of the three Weird Sisters: Banquo What are these, So withered, and so wild in their attire, Tat look not like th’ inhabitants o’ th’ earth And yet are on’t?-Live you? Or you aught That man question? You seem to understand me By each at once her choppy finger laying Upon her skinny lips. You should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret That you are so. (Scene iii, lines 40-49) The witches are not quite human, not quite spirit; they are female, but not really women-they are distinctly unnatural. Find another instance of someone acting unnaturally in act I and describe it. Does the unnaturalness appear good or bad? Lady Macbeth is acting unnaturally in Act I. She says to take her milk from her breast and exchange it for bile. When you burp and it has a sour taste that is said to be bile. So if she has a child they will be drinking bile. This unnaturalness appears bad. Character Study: 8. Pick one or two if the following characters from the play and describe their qualities, using examples from Act I. What kind of people are they? What are their qualities, using examples from Act I. What kind of people are they? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Macbeth Lady Macbeth Duncan Banquo Lady Macbeth is evil and ruthless. Her strengths are being inferior, unfavorable, and bold. Her weaknesses are being good-hearted and pleasant. Macbeth appears to be loyal at the beginning but when he plans to kill the king he appears to be bitter. Macbeth strengths are courage, honor, and his ambition. His weaknesses are being weak-minded and cruel. 9. An aside is when a sentence or two is spoken in an undertone by one character to the audience or to another character. It is understood that the other characters on stage do not hear the aside. Asides help the audience know a character better by allowing that character to privately express feelings, opinions, and reactions. In all of Act I, who is the only character to speak in asides or to instigate aside exchanges between two characters? Act I, scene iii, has more asides than the rest of the play combined. Considering that asides are, in essence, secrets, or whispers kept from the rest of the characters, and considering who is speaking the asides, what does this imply about that character? In all of Act I, the only character to speak in asides or instigate aside exchanges between two characters is Macbeth. This implies that the character don’t want others to know about something. Macbeth Foreshadowing: 10. Foreshadowing is a literary device by which the author hints at events to come later in the play. At the end of scene I, the three witches chant together “Fair is foul, and foul is fair.” As you look at Act I, what are the witches foreshadowing? What do you think this foreshadows for the rest of the play? The witches foreshadow that though these things they are prophesizing to him sounds good, it’s going to turn out bad. I think this foreshadows that something unexpected is going to happen. 11. The pacing of Macbeth is rapid-fire- there are many drastic scene changes, and events move very quickly. How do you think this rapid change of circumstances affects Macbeth’s ability to sort through events and come to decisions? This rapid ...