Macbeth Study Guide Act I, scene 1 1. How does the play Macbeth open up in the first scene? What tone/mood/atmosphere is created? 2. The last line “Fair is foul and, foul is fair” appears paradoxical.
Like a foul for one can be fair for the other. It is a paradox that signifies that there is no significant of good and bad things as their role can be reversed. This quote is predicting the evil that will cloud Macbeth’s judgements. 2. What is the significance of Shakespeare beginning the play with the witches?
Why is it both a “foul and fair” day? 6. What two new prophecies do the witches make for Macbeth? 7. What do they prophesize for Banquo?
“By Sinel’s death I know I am Thane of Glamis./ But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives” (Shakespeare 19). Through this quote near the beginning of the play, Shakespeare reveals the slight interest Macbeth has for the unexpected title that the witches called him. He goes on to say a short time later,”This is supernatural soliciting/ Cannot be ill, cannot be good. If ill/ Why hath it given me earnest of success/ Commencing in a truth?
In scene 1 act 7, Macbeth leaves the table and attempts to talk himself out of killing Duncan. Macbeth gives himself many logical reasons as why not to commit the murder, such as Duncan just gave him a promotion, why kill the man who just promoted you. But then Macbeth states that if he knew he wouldn’t get caught then he would do it. Then, Lady Macbeth enters the scene, and this is where the murder plan materializes. Lady Macbeth challenges him, saying that he is not a man.
The witches are possibly linked as the “charms” seem to influence Macbeth and he begins to echo “foul and fair”. Whenever Macbeth seems at his most inhumane he uses rhyming couplets for example, “knell that summons…to heaven…hell” is used before killing Duncan in act 2 and “fight…heaven…find it out to-night” before killing Banquo in act 3.
Discuss how the characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Duncan are established in Act I by using textual evidence to support your points. Macbeth: “return to plague the inventor” Macbeth is a person that knows what he must do but is doubtful of it. He is the war hero and got news of his promotion by the witches, who also said he would be promoted further. To make their prophecy come true he must kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth: “unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty” Lady Macbeth is the “true” evil.
Lady Macbeth has a plan to kill Duncan. In order for this plan to work Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had to be very deceitful. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into killing Duncan, when Macbeth had doubts. Lady Macbeth's criticised towards Macbeth: “that I may pour my sprits in thine ear”. (Macbeth I, v, 26) Lady Macbeth made Macbeth feel bad about himself, by lowering his manhood and bravery.
Outline. The written task is about “How could a text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers based on Act 5 Scene I of the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare”. This Scene shows the hallucinations Lady Macbeth has after influencing her husband Macbeth to kill the King, Duncan. This task corresponds to the part 4 of the course, which covers the detailed study of a text. I was interested in studying this because it caught my attention the way Lady Macbeth and her husband were punished for committing treason from Shakespeare point of view, but from a modern point of view we can read the scene differently.
Macbeth Analytical Essay Macbeth is portrayed in two different versions, in Polanski’s film version (1971) and in Shakespeare. In Shakespeare’s version Macbeth is depicted as a victim of his own actions, and in Polanski’s, Macbeth is characterized as a victim of fate. This is shown in Act Two, Scene Two and Act Three, Scene Six and Act Five, Scene Five. These scenes give a close analysis of Macbeth’s behaviour. Observing the juxtaposition in these two scenes with Polanski’s Macbeth with the influence of the witches, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s role of ambition and his weaknesses.