Q.1. Who is Macbeth?
Ans. He is the evil King of Scotland. Being inspired by the Witches and his wife, he snatches away the throne from Duncan by murdering him and sinks into a state of chaos because of his greed and guilt; his evil acts lead to his ruin, and rebel forces lead an attack against him, and Macduff, in a personal battle, beheads him.
Q.2. Who is Lady Macbeth?
Ans. Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth. She is a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position.
Q.3. Who are the three Witches?
Ans. They are the three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies.
Q.4. Who is Banquo?
Ans. Banquo is a general in Duncan’s army and a close friend of Macbeth prior to Macbeth’s seizing the throne. Banquo is the brave, noble general who was brutally killed by the murders hired by Macbeth. The Witches prophesy that his children will inherit the Scottish throne.
Q.5. Who is Macduff?
Ans. Macduff is a general in Duncan’s army who becomes suspicious of Macbeth’s part in the king’s murder. His son and wife were killed by Macbeth’s men and eventually, he became able to slay Macbeth.
Q.6. Who is Lady Macduff?
Ans. Lady Macduff is Macduff’s wife who was murdered by the ruffians sent by Macbeth.
Q.7. Who is Hecate?
Ans. Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft. She helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth.
Q.8. Who is Fleance?
Ans. Fleance Banquo’s son survives Macbeth’s attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance’s whereabouts are unknown.
Q.9. Who are the Murderers in “Macbeth”?
Ans. The Murderers are a group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo, and Fleance (but they fail to kill Fleance). and Macduff’s wife and children.
Q.10. Who is Siward?
Ans. Siward is the Earl of Northumberland and a veteran military officer. He becomes an ally of Malcolm and Macduff and leads the first attack against Macbeth’s forces.
Q.11. Who was Young Siward?
Ans. He was the son of Siward. He follows his father to fight against Macbeth in Scotland; but is killed in battle.
Q.12. Who is Seyton?
Ans. Seyton is the only remaining officer in Macbeth’s army that remains loyal to him.
Q.13. Why did Lady Macbeth go mad?
Ans. Lady Macbeth went mad because, before the murder of Duncan, she “hardly imagines the act, or at most imagines its outward show,” and because she does not “foresee those inward consequences which reveal themselves immediately in her husband.”
Q.14. Is the Ghost of Banquo a hallucination?
Ans. Yes, but Shakespeare knew that most of his audience would think of it as a real ghost.
Q.15. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”- What is meant here?
Ans. The line refers to the theme of Macbeth as “the reversal of values”.
Q.16. Who was Duncan?
Ans. Duncan was the good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murdered. Duncan is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler.
Q.17. Who was Malcolm?
Ans. Malcolm was King Duncan’s oldest son. He was the rightful heir to the throne of Scotland but flees to England after his father’s murder and later returns to lead a successful attack against Macbeth.
Q.18. What is Golgotha?
Ans. Golgotha was the place where Christ was hanged on the cross.
Q.19. Who is Bellona?
Ans. Bellona is the name of the goddess of war.
Q.20. Whom does Duncan nominate as the heir to the throne? Ans. Duncan nominates his eldest son, Malcolm, as the heir to the throne.
Q.21. What does the phrase ‘the milk of human kindness’ mean?
Ans. The milk of human kindness’ refers to the gentleness of human nature.
Q.22. Why does Lady Macbeth wish to drive away her feminine qualities?
Ans. Lady Macbeth wishes to drive away feminine qualities so that she can execute her design of putting an end to Duncan’s life.
Q.23. What is Lady Macbeth’s “prayer” to the spirits after she learns Duncan is coming?
Ans. She wants to be filled with cruelty, given a hard heart and the thick blood necessary to do what has to be done in order to make Macbeth king.
Q.24. With whom does King Duncan arrive at Macbeth’s castle?
Ans. King Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle in the company of his sons, Malcolm and Donalbain, and a few of his noblemen Banquo, Lenox, Macduff, Ross, and Angus.
Q.25. What does Macbeth do with the daggers after the murder?
Ans. After Macbeth has murdered King Duncan, he takes the daggers to his wife instead of placing them with the guards.
Q.26. What does the death of Duncan symbolize?
Ans. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan’s line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne.
Q.27. What does the escape of Fleance symbolize for Macbeth?
Ans. The escape of Fleance represents a possible threat to Macbeth, for the prophecy regarding Banquo’s children leading a line of kings could still be fulfilled. Moreover, Fleance’s escape brings about the initiation of Macbeth’s decline, as this is the first time he has failed in executing his plans to perfection.
Q.28. What is Lady Macbeth’s advice to her husband when he is unable to say “Amen”?
Ans. Lady Macbeth advises her husband not to think about it so much, or it will make them crazy.
Q.29. What does Lady Macbeth tell her husband to do when he does not sleep?
Ans. When her husband does not sleep, she tells him to wash “this filthy witness” from his hands. In another word, she urges him to get cleaned up and forget about it.
Q.30. Who first learns a murder has taken place?
Ans. Macduff first learns that a murder has taken place.
Q.31. Who are the supposed murderers?
Ans. The grooms are the supposed murderers.
Q.32. Why does Lady Macbeth faint?
Ans. Lady Macbeth faints because she is trying to move the attention from the murder to herself.
Q.33. What does Lady Macbeth’s fainting signify?
Ans. Lady Macbeth’s fainting signifies that she is completely shocked that the King has been murdered.
Q.34. Why does Macbeth have Banquo killed?
Ans. Macbeth fears that Banquo’s children will ascend the throne and he doesn’t want that to happen. So, he has Banquo killed.
Q.35. Why does Macbeth hire murderers to kill Banquo?
Ans. He is already feeling guilty for killing Duncan. He doesn’t want to have more guilt for killing his friend Banquo. For this reason, Macbeth hired murderers to kill Banquo.
Q.36. How does Lady Macbeth cover for Macbeth at the banquet?
Ans. Lady Macbeth tells the guests that her husband often has these fits that those who know him well have learned to ignore them. When Macbeth really gets out of hand, she sends the guests home.
Q.37. How does Lady Macbeth make her husband feel better after seeing the ghost?
Ans. After seeing the ghost, Lady Macbeth tries to get her husband to feel better by making him go to sleep.
Q.38. What three things does Macbeth learn from the witches and apparitions?
Ans. 1. He should fear Macduff.
2. He shouldn’t fear any man born of a woman.
3. Nothing will affect his reign until Birnam Wood move.
Q.39. What question do the witches refuse to answer?
Ans. The witches refuse to answer whether Banquo’s issues will be kings.
Q.40. four things did the witches show Macbeth?
Ans. The witches showed him an armed head, a bloody child, a crowned child with a tree in its hand, and, finally, eight kings followed by Banquo’s ghost.
Q.41. Why does Macbeth have Macduff’s family killed?
Ans. Macduff is not loyal to Macbeth, and Macbeth is angry. So, Macbeth has Macduff’s family killed.
Q.42. Who first fights Macbeth?
Ans. Young Siward fights Macbeth first.
Q.43. What happens to Young Siward when he fights Macbeth?
Ans. Young Siward is slain when he fights Macbeth.
Q.44. When does Macbeth know he’s in trouble?
Ans. He knows this is his end when Macduff tells him he was taken from his mother’s womb prematurely instead of being “born of a woman.
Q.45. Who will be King of Scotland?
Ans. Malcolm will be The King of Scotland.
Q.46. What figure of speech do you find in “Fair is foul, and foul is fair?
Ans. Chiasmus
Q.47. What was the gift of Duncan to Lady Macbeth?
Ans. a precious diamond
Q.48. Where did the three witches meet?
Ans. The three witches meet on lonely heath in the midst of thunder and lightning,
Q.49 What is Macbeth’s tragic flaw?
Ans. Macbeth’s tragic flaw was ambition.
Q.50. “All the perfumes of Arabia
Will not sweeten this little hand”-Who is the speaker?
Ans. Lady Macbeth is the speaker.
Q.51. Who is the peerless dame of Greece?
Ans. peerless dame of Greece is Helen, wife of Menelaus who lived in Greece, but ran away with Paris.
Q.52. Who utters the statements Fair is foul and foul is fair?
Ans. The Witches utter the statement Fair is foul and foul is fair.
Q.53. Who kills Macbeth?
Ans. Macduff kills Macbeth
Q.54. Name the sons of King Duncan.
Ans. Malcolm and Donalbain were the sons of Duncan.
