video notes

• What is the setting of Act 1, Scene 1 of Macbeth?

  A heath, an empty and exposed land
• Who are the three witches in Macbeth referred to as?

  The weird sisters
• What do the witches mean by "fair is foul, and foul is fair"?

  Good is bad and bad is good
• What literary device does Shakespeare use with the phrase "fair is foul, and foul is fair"?

  A paradox
• What does the paradox in the witches' lines suggest?

  Strange and supernatural events will occur
• Who are Scotland's enemies in Act 1, Scene 2?

  Rebels from the Western Isles and Norway
• Who leads the army of rebels against Scotland?

  McDonald
• Who leads the invading army from Norway?

  King Sweno
• What news does the captain bring to King Duncan?

  Macbeth and Banquo's victory in battle
• What significant actions did Macbeth perform in battle?

  Executed McDonald and defeated Norway
• What does King Duncan order at the end of Act 1, Scene 2?

  The execution of the Thane of Cawdor
• What does the captain's description of Macbeth foreshadow?

  Macbeth's potential for brutal murder
• What theme does Shakespeare introduce through Macbeth's disdain for Fortune?

  The theme of fate and free will
• What do the witches do before Macbeth and Banquo enter in Act 1, Scene 3?

  Discuss a curse they performed on a sailor
• How does Macbeth's line "so foul and fair a day I have not seen" relate to the witches?

  It mirrors their paradoxical language
• What prophecies do the witches give to Macbeth?

  Thane of Cawdor and future king
• What does Banquo's prophecy imply about his future?

  His children will inherit the throne
• What title is Macbeth given after the witches' prophecy is confirmed?

  Thane of Cawdor
• What does Macbeth question in his aside after hearing the prophecies?

  If the prophecies are for good or ill
• What does Macbeth mean by "if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir"?

  He considers letting fate decide his future
• Who informs Duncan about the execution of the Thane of Cawdor?

  Malcolm, Duncan's oldest son
• What does Duncan's trust in the former Thane of Cawdor suggest?

  He lacks wisdom
• Who is named Prince of Cumberland by Duncan?

  Malcolm
• What does Macbeth's aside reveal about his feelings towards Malcolm?

  Malcolm is an obstacle to his ambition
• What does Macbeth mean by "Stars, hide your fires; let not light see my black and deep desires"?

  He wishes to conceal his dark ambitions
• What does Lady Macbeth do upon reading Macbeth's letter?

  She believes the witches' words
• How does Lady Macbeth view Macbeth's character?

  He is ambitious but lacks strength
• What does Lady Macbeth call upon the spirits to do?

  To fill her with direst cruelty
• What does Lady Macbeth mean by "unsex me here"?

  She wants to remove her femininity
• What does Duncan comment on when he arrives at Macbeth's castle?

  On the beautiful setting and weather
• What is the dramatic irony in Duncan's comments about the castle?

  The audience knows it will be his death place
• What does Lady Macbeth do when she greets Duncan?

  Welcomes him into the castle
• How does the tone of Act 1, Scene 6 contrast with the previous scene?

  It is joyful and positive
• What does Macbeth's internal conflict reveal in Act 1, Scene 7?

  His worry about killing Duncan
• What does Macbeth criticize about his ambition?

  It is vaulting ambition that overleaps itself
• What does Lady Macbeth call Macbeth when he hesitates to proceed with their plan?

  A coward
• How does Lady Macbeth manipulate Macbeth into reconsidering?

  By taunting his masculinity
• What is Lady Macbeth's plan for the murder of Duncan?

  Drug the servants and frame them
• What violent imagery does Lady Macbeth use to demonstrate her ambition?

  She would dash a baby's brains out
• What does Lady Macbeth's ambition reveal about her character?

  She is more ambitious than Macbeth