Form, Structure and Language

• What type of text is Macbeth?

  It is a dramatic play.
• How is a tragedy defined?

  A play with an unhappy ending.
• Who set out the key features of tragedy?

  Aristotle
• What does a tragic protagonist usually possess?

  A fatal flaw that leads to their downfall.
• What is the role of the antagonist in a tragedy?

  To oppose the protagonist's goals.
• What is catharsis in the context of tragedy?

  Stirring feelings of fear and pity in the audience.
• Who is the protagonist in Macbeth?

  Macbeth himself
• What is Macbeth's fatal flaw?

  His ambition
• How does Macbeth's ambition affect his character?

  It drives him to his own destruction.
• What does Macbeth feel he must do to maintain power?

  Murder, lie, and behave brutally.
• What extreme action does Macbeth take against Macduff's family?

  He slaughters them.
• Who becomes the antagonist in Macbeth?

  Macduff
• What is the outcome of the conflict between Macbeth and Macduff?

  Macduff kills Macbeth in combat.
• What feelings does the audience experience during Macbeth's downfall?

  Horror and regret
• Why is understanding form, structure, and language important in Macbeth?

  It helps identify devices creating tension and pace
• What is the structure of Macbeth?

  • Organized into five acts
  • Each act contains multiple scenes
  • Events are presented in chronological order
• What does the term 'chronological structure' refer to in Macbeth?

  Events are revealed in the order they happen
• How many acts are in Macbeth?

  Five acts
• Who likely organized the play into five acts?

  Editors during the publishing process
• Who proposed the five-act structure model?

  Gustav Freytag
• What are the five stages of Freytag's pyramid?

  Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, catastrophe
• How does Freytag's pyramid apply to Macbeth?

  • Exposition: Act 1 introduces characters and predictions
  • Rising action: Act 2 shows Macbeth's conflict and murder
  • Climax: Act 3 marks Macbeth becoming King and Banquo's murder
  • Falling action: Act 4 establishes conflict with Macduff
  • Catastrophe: Act 5 concludes with Macbeth's defeat and death
• What happens during the exposition stage in Macbeth?

  Main characters and key ideas are introduced
• What key moment occurs during the rising action in Macbeth?

  King Duncan's murder
• What marks the climax of Macbeth?

  Macbeth becomes King and Banquo is murdered
• What is established during the falling action of Macbeth?

  The main conflict between Macbeth and Macduff
• What occurs during the catastrophe of Macbeth?

  Macbeth is defeated and dies
• What is the poetic structure used in Macbeth?

  • Majority in poetic form
  • Often uses blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)
  • Prose used for common characters or emotional states
• What is blank verse?

  Unrhymed lines in iambic pentameter
• How many beats are in a line of iambic pentameter?

  Five beats
• What is a half line in poetry?

  An unfinished line of verse
• What is the effect of shared lines in Macbeth?

  It quickens the pace of speeches
• How do the Witches' lines differ from other characters' lines?

  They often have a four-beat rhythm
• What type of speech is used for common characters in Macbeth?

  Prose
• Why does Shakespeare use prose for Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking scene?

  To indicate her extreme emotional state
• Why is it important to analyze the use of form, structure, and language in Macbeth?

  It helps identify devices creating tension and pace
• What does the term 'language' refer to in the context of Shakespeare's plays?

  • Choices of style and vocabulary
  • Specific words and literary devices
• What is a literary device?

  A method to add meaning or interest
• What should you consider when analyzing Shakespeare's language?

  What, where/how, and why of word choices
• How many words is Shakespeare estimated to have in his vocabulary?

  17,000 words