Act I
1. List the character traits that influence Macbeth to become a criminal.
Anxiety
Weak personality
Manipulative
Wrong Ambitious
Dark desire
Invidious
Not loyal
Dishonest
Uncomfortable with the things he had
2. List events that lead him to commit his crime.
· The apparition of the witches and the predictions they made.
· The anxiety and wrong ambitious that he had in the moment that he heard about the predictions that the witches had.
· The persistence, manipulation and influence of Lady Macbeth on Macbeth about becoming king.
· The thoughts that Macbeth had about the good things that could happen to him as a king.
3. After a period of indecision, Macbeth confirms his intent to carry out his and Lady Macbeth’s plan. Write 5 paragraphs describing his thoughts as he makes his decision. What are the reasons for his hesitation? How does he rationalize his choice? Use at least two examples from the play to support your ideas.
Macbeth was a great person who attended t o his king very well. HE was loyal and he was gaining power as time passed. His life was great and one day he was going to become king because of his honest personality and loyalty to his country. Everything was great but one day everything changed because of the apparition of three witches who predicted the future of Macbeth.
When Macbeth heard the predictions of the witches, who said that he was going to become king, he felt enthusiasm and he wanted that time goes rapidly so the day that he was going to become king arrives. He told the idea to Lady Macbeth, who become really happy and she wanted that, that day arrives soon. She influences Macbeth about the idea of killing the king Duncan, so Macbeth could become king sooner.
Macbeth is weak in personality, he felt that what Lady Macbeth wanted was wrong but maybe he doesn’t know how to say no. Lady Macbeth makes a plan of how they were going to kill the king, so Macbeth could follow it. Macbeth is full of anxiety of becoming king and he feels that following the plan was right and his ambitious of becoming king is stronger.
Macbeth knows that following the plan is wrong because he would be dishonest to king Duncan and also is scared about the consequences of the murder. Lady Macbeth makes the plan for the murder, but Macbeth is the one that has to Murder him, so she would not be in trouble if the things go bad. Macbeth is scared but he loses his notion about what is right and wrong because of lots of influences that he received.
Finally Macbeth accepts to kill king Duncan and he knows that what he is doing is wrong but he let himself follow all the emotion that the murder will have. He is scare of doing that, but finally he knows that if the do it he would become king, but he doesn’t have a clear idea of the consequences that he would receive. This is what makes him lose the notion of the problem and situation.
Act II
4. Several times Lady Macbeth tries to ease Macbeth’s tormented remorse with comforting remarks. Describe some of these remarks and explain how they help her and Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth tells him that he doesn’t have to think a lot about the murder, because that would kill him. She also tells him that the murder had been done and that maybe the consequences will be positive. He is scared and even though he tries to stop thinking about the murder he knows that he would not sleep again and that his hand would be covered with blood forever. Lady Macbeth knows that what happened is wrong but she wants that Macbeth becomes king so she tries to convince Macbeth that the murder what a right think.
5. Write 2 paragraphs describing the mood in Act II. Explain why this mood is appropriate and discuss why it will likely prevail in the rest of the play. Use at least two examples from Act II to support your ideas.
The mood that is formed in act II is dark and silent, it is full of lies and mystery and it will prevail in the rest of the play because everything will be full of mystery because the murderer is there but the rest of the people don’t know about him.
The mood is represented when Macbeth acts as an hypocrite when the rest of the people talked about the murder of king Duncan, and also when Macbeth talked illogical things because he feels guilty.
Act II
6. Describe how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel about their activities in Acts I, II, and III. Briefly explain why you think both characters change in Act III.
In Act III Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change because both start feeling the guilty of the murder. Here is where Macbeth starts talking illogical things and also when both say that their hand will be covered with blood forever. They know that the murder they committed was not appropriate, it was wrong but now they have to suffer the consequences of the murder. They start feeling these way because they had been discovered by some of the characters.
7. If the ghost of Banquo could speak, what do you think he would say to Macbeth? Would Banquo care enough about his former friend to give him advice, or would he berate Macbeth for murdering him? How do you think Macbeth would react to Banquo’s words? Write an imaginary conversation between Banquo’s ghost and Macbeth.
If Banquo’s ghost could talk he would express his anger toward Macbeth and would make him know that what he had been doing is wrong. He wouldn’t advice him, but he would make him feel guilty about the acts he had done and the disloyalty he had over his friends and over king Duncan.
Macbeth: Who is there?
Banquo: It is me, Banquo. Have you notice what you have done to everybody, disloyal man?
Macbeth: I didn’t do it, I am here watching everything, but I didn’t do it.
Banquo: Yes you did it, you killed king Duncan and then killed me, and I was your friend and king Duncan was a great person with you. You had been dishonest and a bad person. Your dark desire of becoming king would not lead you to good things and your life will be a mess forever.
Macbeth: I know, I am guilty and I don’t know how to stop this. The mistakes have been worse and worse. My life has changed and now I don’t deserve anything, I’m sorry and believe in me, I will change everything and I also will suffer the consequences.
Act IV
8. Which of the following characters (Macbeth, Lady Macduff, son of Macduff or Macduff) arouses the most sympathy? Write which character you chose, the character’s situation in Act IV, and the reasons for your opinion. Use at least one example from the play to support your ideas.
I think that the characters that arouse the most sympathy are Lady Macduff and the son of Macduff, because they were killed and they were good persons who suffered because of the fight that Macduff had with Macbeth. I think that the problem was between Macbeth and Macduff, and Macduff was a great person and doesn’t have to suffer because of the death of his family. Lady Macduff and the son were killed after both didn’t do anything against Macbeth.
9. Write a few paragraphs describing how Macbeth changes from the beginning of the play to Act IV. Is he more good than evil in Act IV? More evil than good? Provide at least two examples of Macbeth’s words or deeds to support your answer.
In Act IV Macbeth loses more the notion of the situation and here he completely doesn’t know what is right and wrong, he becomes more evil than ever. The examples that represent this is when he send the Murderers to kill Lady Macbeth and the son of Macbeth and also when he shows that murdering people doesn’t makes any difference on him.
Macbeth is trying to avoid all the consequences that the murder of kind Duncan had, but in the wrong paths. He is not doing right things to accept the consequences, he is just avoiding it, so he can stay as a king and don’t suffer because of effects of the murder had.
Act V
10. Are the deathns in Act V of Lady Macbeth, Young Siward and Macbeth inevitable? For each of these three characters, write a paragraph describing the circumstances of his or her death, and explain whether you think the death was or was not inevitable and why.
Lady Macbeth
She was killed and we don’t know who killed her. Her death was inevitable because she was part of the situation and problems that Macbeth had. She was the one who made all the evil plans that showed dark desires and without her, Macbeth would not commit the murders.
Macbeth
His death was inevitable because he was he one who killed king Duncan, at the beginning of the story. Then he was the one who worked with the Murderers to kill another characters, He became disloyal to his country and also was a big liar.
Finally he received the consequences of the evil things he made.
Young Siward
I think that, he does not deserved to die, he was just fighting for his country, but if he would die, the truth of Macbeth would not reveled. His death was not inevitable, but he died and that helped the people to see that the initial killer was Macbeth.
