Form and Structure

• What type of text is Macbeth classified as?

  It is a dramatic play.
• How is Macbeth specifically categorized within dramatic plays?

  It is categorized as a tragedy.
• What is the simplest definition of a tragedy?

  A tragedy is a play with an unhappy ending.
• Who set out the key features of tragedy in the book Poetics?

  Aristotle.
• What does a tragic play typically involve according to Aristotle?

  It involves a protagonist who is usually of royal or noble birth.
• What is meant by a protagonist's fatal flaw in a tragedy?

  It refers to a defect in someone's character that leads to their downfall.
• What is the outcome of a protagonist's fatal flaw in a tragedy?

  It causes them to go from success and happiness to failure, misery, and often death.
• What emotional response does tragedy aim to evoke in the audience?

  It aims to stir up feelings of fear and pity, known as catharsis.
• Who is the protagonist in Macbeth?

  Macbeth himself.
• What is Macbeth's fatal flaw?

  His ambition.
• How does Macbeth's ambition affect the plot of the play?

  It drives the action forward and leads to his downfall.
• What does Macbeth feel he must do to maintain his power?

  He feels he must murder, lie, and behave brutally to others.
• What significant act does Macbeth commit that escalates the conflict in the play?

  He slaughters Macduff's family.
• What is the main purpose of understanding form, structure, and language in Shakespeare's plays?

  It helps identify the devices used to create tension and pace within the drama.
• Who becomes the antagonist in Macbeth?

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

  Macduff kills Macbeth in face-to-face combat.
• What feelings should the audience experience during the climax of Macbeth?

  Feelings of horror and regret.
• How is the structure of Macbeth organized?

  The structure is strictly chronological, revealing events in the order they happen.
• How many acts are the events of Macbeth organized into?

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

  This structure was likely added later during the editing process after Shakespeare's original performances.
• Who proposed the five-act structure model for tragic drama?

  Gustav Freytag.
• What are the five stages in Freytag's model of tragic dramatic structure?

  Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and catastrophe.
• What happens during the exposition stage in Macbeth?

  • Introduces characters, setting, events, and key ideas.
  • Act 1: Main characters are introduced; the Witches make predictions; thoughts of murder start to form.
• What defines the climax stage in Macbeth?

  • Marks the turning point of the play.
  • Act 3: Macbeth becomes King; Banquo is murdered; Fleance escapes; Macduff joins Malcolm in England.
• What happens during the falling action stage in Macbeth?

  • The main conflict between Macbeth (protagonist) and Macduff (antagonist) is established.
  • Act 4: Macbeth returns to the Witches; Macduff’s family is slaughtered; Malcolm and Macduff plan their invasion.
• What is the main purpose of understanding form, structure, and language in Shakespeare's plays?

  It helps identify the devices used to create tension and pace within the drama.
• What is the catastrophe stage in Macbeth?

  • The protagonist is defeated by the antagonist, returning events to a state of normality.
  • Act 5: The invasion occurs; Malcolm becomes King; the Witches' predictions come true; both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth die.
• What are the key aspects to consider when analyzing the language used by Shakespeare?

  • The playwright's choice of specific words
  • The use of literary devices
  • The effect on the reader
• What does the poetic structure in Macbeth primarily consist of?

  The majority of the writing is in poetic form, often in blank verse.
• What is a literary device?

  Any method an author uses to add meaning or interest to a text, such as metaphors, similes, or alliteration.
• How many words is Shakespeare estimated to have in his vocabulary?

  17,000 words.
• How many new words did Shakespeare bring to the English language?

  Over 1,700 new words.
• Name one phrase that first appeared in Macbeth.

  'At one fell swoop.'
• What are the three key words that are important in Macbeth?

  • Blood
  • Night
  • Time
• What is blank verse?

  Lines in a poem that don't rhyme, usually in iambic pentameter.
• What does the word 'blood' symbolize in Macbeth?

  It symbolizes guilt that runs through the play.
• How does the word 'blood' appear as a real substance in Macbeth?

  It appears in scenes of battle and murder, such as when Duncan, Banquo, and Lady Macduff are killed.
• What is iambic pentameter?

  A line of verse written in five pairs of syllables, each made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
• What does Macbeth see before he kills Duncan?

  A vision of a blood-stained dagger.
• What does Lady Macbeth try to do during her sleepwalking?

  She tries to wash away imaginary bloodstains.