Ambition

• What drives the plot of Macbeth forward?

  The manipulative ambition of the Macbeths
• How do the Macbeths exploit those around them?

  To improve their position in the social hierarchy
• What role do the prophecies of the three Witches play in Macbeth's ambition?

  They spur on the Macbeths' ambition
• What is the consequence of ambition for Macbeth?

  It causes him to lose his nobility and become violent
• What psychological effects do Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience due to their actions?

  They suffer deep remorse and guilt
• What ultimately happens to Lady Macbeth as a result of her guilt?

  She ultimately kills herself
• How does Macbeth serve as a representation of ambition's consequences?

  He illustrates the devastating psychological effects of pursuing ambition without morality
• When was Macbeth most likely written?

  In 1606
• What societal structure existed during the Jacobean period?

  A rigid class system and intricate social hierarchy
• Why does Macbeth take the Witches' prophecies seriously?

  Because societal status was intensely important at the time
• What causes tension in the play Macbeth?

  A battle over names and titles among ambitious characters
• How is ambition viewed in modern Western society compared to Jacobean England?

  It is treated as a good quality in modern society
• What is the Great Chain of Being?

  A hierarchical structure of all beings in the universe, believed to be divinely ordained
• What happens to those who try to rise above their rank according to the Great Chain of Being?

  They are believed to be going against God
• What does Macbeth describe his ambitions as?

  "Black and deep desires"
• What are the two key sources of Macbeth's ambition?

  The Witches' prophecy and Lady Macbeth
• What does Macbeth's thought process reveal after meeting the Witches?

  He immediately considers the possibility of murdering the King
• What is Macbeth's tragic flaw?

  His insatiable ambition
• How does Macbeth's ambition lead to his madness?

  It causes him to experience visions and mental distress
• What does Macbeth compare his ambition to in Act One, Scene Seven?

  A horse rider using a spur to motivate his horse
• What does Macbeth's admission about his ambition foreshadow?

  His tragic end
• What does Ross imply about ambition when he exclaims about Duncan's children?

  That ambition can lead one to act against nature
• How does Lady Macbeth influence Macbeth's actions?

  She criticizes his masculinity and pushes him to commit murder
• What does Lady Macbeth fear about Macbeth's nature?

  That he is too kind to seize power
• What does Lady Macbeth's soliloquy reveal about her character?

  Her defining trait is her ambition
• How does Lady Macbeth's ambition compare to Macbeth's?

  She is more ruthless and single-minded in her ambition
• How does Lady Macbeth's character challenge gender norms of the Jacobean period?

  She wields power over Macbeth and directs his actions
• What does Shakespeare suggest about ambition through the fates of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

  That overwhelming ambition leads to loss and suffering
• What is the central theme of Macbeth?

  Ambition
• How does guilt manifest in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

  It torments them and undermines their sanity
• How might a modern audience interpret the apparition of Banquo's ghost?

  As a psychological phenomenon reflecting Macbeth's guilt
• What does blood symbolize in Macbeth?

  Sin and guilt
• How does Macbeth's perception of blood change throughout the play?

  It shifts from representing loyalty to symbolizing guilt
• What does Macbeth predict about his guilt after murdering Duncan?

  That it will grow and cannot be washed away
• How is Macbeth introduced in the play?

  As a brave and noble soldier
• How does the captain's description of Macbeth contrast with his later actions?

  He shifts from being described as "brave" to being called a "butcher"
• What does the hallucination of blood represent for Macbeth?

  His guilt and mental distress
• How does blood's symbolism evolve from the beginning to the end of the play?

  It transitions from loyalty and bravery to guilt and sin
• What does the phrase "a dagger of the mind" signify in Macbeth?

  It reflects Macbeth's mental distress and guilt
• How does the audience's perception of blood differ between Macbeth's introduction and later in the play?

  Initially, it symbolizes bravery, but later it symbolizes guilt