Act 1, Scenes 5 and 7 (Soliloquies)

Macbeth Questions
The kind of questions that come up fall into three broad categories:
• Character questions
• Theme questions
• Style questions
1. Characters:
The main aspects of Macbeth’s character you need to know are:
• External factors that lead to his downfall –Lady Macbeth & Witches.
• Internal factors that lead to his downfall – ambition & self-interest.
• Macbeth’s soliloquies
• The audience‘s reaction to and levels of sympathy for Macbeth.
• His relationship with his wife Lady Macbeth.
• His behaviour as King / tyrant!
You must also be able to discuss the following characters:
• Lady Macbeth – as a person in her own right, her relationship with her husband & our reaction to & levels of
sympathy for her.
• Duncan – as a King & as one of the “good” characters in the play.
• Banquo – as a person in his own right and as a “foil” to Macbeth.
• The Witches – their role in the play & influence over Macbeth.
• Minor characters – Macduff, Malcolm, Edward (Kings/good guys!)
You can be asked a general question in which you’d discuss several characters. For example: “The play presents a dark and
pessimistic view of humanity”.
2. Themes:
• Kingship & power
• Good vs. Evil
• Justice vs Injustice
• Appearance vs. Reality
• Supernatural
Macbeth
Short Answer Questions ( for complete the sentence exercise)
Act One
1. What is the point of the first scene literally and in reference to the whole play?
Literally, the witches are deciding when they shall meet again. This scene sets the mood for the entire play, and introduces
several major motifs: the witches (supernatural influences in the play), the idea of fair being foul, and the stormy fate of
Scotland. The main character, Macbeth, is also introduced by name.
2. What does Duncan call Macbeth when he hears Macbeth has defeated Macdonwald?
He calls him "valiant Cousin! Worthy gentleman!" which is ironic, being said to the man who will be his murderer.
3. Who is sentenced to death?
The Thane of Cawdor is sentenced to death.
4. What do the witches predict in I.iii for Macbeth? For Banquo?
They predict Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and eventually the king. They predict that Banquo will be "lesser than
Macbeth, and greater, Not so happy, and yet happier" and that his descendants will be kings although he will not be one.
5. What news does Ross bring Macbeth?
Ross tells Macbeth that Macbeth now holds the title of the Thane of Cawdor.
6. Banquo, like Macbeth, is surprised that the witches have predicted Macbeth's new title. He is,
however, leery. What does he say about the motives of the "instruments of darkness"?
He says they often tell of good things which may happen without telling the bad consequences.
7. Malcolm describes Cawdor's last moments before execution. What is Duncan's reply?
You can't tell what is in a person's heart by looking at his face.
8. Macbeth says, "Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires." What are Macbeth's desires?
He now desires to be the king, and he realizes that something will have to be done with the present king (and his sons)
before his desires can become reality.
9. After Lady Macbeth reads the letter, what does she tell us is her opinion of Macbeth, and how does she plan to help him?
In short, Lady Macbeth thinks Macbeth could be a king, but he lacks the hard- heartedness which would allow him to get to
the position. She'll talk him into it.
10. What is Lady Macbeth's "prayer" to the spirits after she learns Duncan is coming"?
She wants to be filled with cruelty, given a hard heart and the thick blood necessary to do what has to be done in order to
make Macbeth king.
11. What advice does Lady Macbeth give Macbeth when he arrives home?
She tells him he must learn to look innocent even when his heart is full of evil. He has to learn to hide his true feelings.
12. What are Macbeth's arguments to himself against killing Duncan?
Macbeth is Duncan's kinsman and his subject. Duncan is a good king and virtuous man; he has done no particular evil.
Duncan is a popular king, and his death would bring sorrow and unrest upon Scotland.
13. What arguments does Lady Macbeth use to convince Macbeth to commit the murder?
She tells him not to be a coward, not to say later that he "could have been" when he could "be" king. She tells him to be a
man and go get what he wants. She says if she had made the promise to do this, that she would have killed her own baby to
carry forth with her promise.
14. What is Lady Macbeth's plan?
She will drug the kings grooms (guards). Macbeth will then go into the king's room and murder him in his sleep.
Act II
1. What is Macbeth's lie to Banquo about the witches' predictions?
He says he doesn't even think about them.
2. What is the signal Lady Macbeth is to give Macbeth to let him know that she has taken care of
the guards (grooms)?
She will ring a bell.
3. What excuse does Lady Macbeth give for not killing Duncan herself?
He looked like her father sleeping there.
4. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he goes to Lady Macbeth and is concerned about not being able to say "Amen." What is her
advice to him?
She tells him not to think about it so much, or it will make them crazy.
5. Then, Macbeth is worried about hearing a voice saying, "Macbeth does murder sleep." What
does Lady Macbeth then tell him to do?
She tells him to go get some water and wash "this filthy witness" from his hands. In other words, get cleaned up and forget
about it.
6. Why won't Macbeth take the daggers back to the scene of the crime?
He can't bear to look at Duncan again.
7. Who was knocking?
Macduff and Lennox were knocking at the gate.
8. What three things does drinking provoke?
It provokes "nose-painting, sleep, and urine."
9. How does Lennox describe the night, and what is Macbeth's response?
Lennox goes through a great description of the terrible night, saying it predicted terrible, confusing times ahead. Macbeth
brushes it off by saying it was a "rough night."
10. What did Macduff discover?
Macduff discovered Duncan's body.
11. Macduff says, "Oh, gentle lady, 'Tis not for you to hear what I can speak. The repetition, in a
woman's ear, Would murder as it fell." What is ironic about this?
Lady Macbeth was a determining force in the death of Duncan. She is no "lady."
12. What excuse or explanation did Macbeth give for killing the guards (grooms)? What is his real reason?
He did it out of pain and rage, but he actually wanted to be rid of any possible witnesses to the murder.
13. Why do Malcolm and Donalbain leave?
They fear that the king's murderer will be after them, too.
14. Why does Ross not believe Malcolm and Donalbain were responsible for Duncan's murder?
He says it is against nature -- both their personal natures and nature as the ruling force in the universe.
Act 1, Scenes 5 and 7 are dominated by Lady Macbeth, who is portrayed as a memorable character with a strong will. In her
soliloquies, Lady Macbeth reveals her ambition and willingness to do whatever it takes to help Macbeth become king.
Lady Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5
Lady Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5 demonstrates her desire to abandon her feminine qualities in favour of ruthless
cruelty. She says, "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe
top-full / Of direst cruelty"1. She believes that manhood is defined by murder, and she wishes to be filled with "gall" instead
of motherly milk so that she could commit the murder of King Duncan herself.
At Inverness, Lady Macbeth reads a letter in which Macbeth tells her of the witches' prophecy. Lady Macbeth worries
Macbeth is too kind and honourable to fulfill his ambition and the prophecy. She decides to question his manhood to make
him act.
Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5 reveals her ruthless ambition and desire for power.
45-46: "The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements."
Lady Macbeth uses the image of a raven, traditionally associated with death, to foreshadow Duncan's impending doom as he
enters their castle.
47-49: "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of
direst cruelty."
She calls upon evil spirits to remove her feminine qualities and fill her with cruelty, believing that her womanhood might
make her too weak for the task ahead.
49-52: "Make thick my blood. / Stop up the access and passage to remorse, / That no compunctious visitings of nature /
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between / The effect and it!"
Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to thicken her blood, blocking any feelings of remorse or natural compassion that might
hinder her murderous plan.
53-55: "Come to my woman's breasts, / And take my milk for gall, you murd'ring ministers, / Wherever in your sightless
substances / You wait on nature's mischief."
She invites the spirits to replace her nurturing breast milk with bitter gall, symbolizing her rejection of motherhood and
embracing of evil.
56-60: "Come, thick night, / And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, / That my keen knife see not the wound it makes, /
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark / To cry 'Hold, hold!'"
Lady Macbeth calls for darkness to conceal her actions, hoping that even heaven won't be able to witness or stop the murder
she plans to commit.
This soliloquy showcases Lady Macbeth's determination to set aside her humanity and femininity to achieve her ambitions,
highlighting themes of gender roles, ambition, and the supernatural in the play.
How does Lady Macbeth's soliloquy challenge traditional gender roles?
Lady Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5 challenges traditional gender roles in several ways:
 Lady Macbeth explicitly rejects her femininity, calling on spirits to "unsex me here"She asks to be filled with
"direst cruelty" instead
 Desire for Masculine Traits: She desires traits associated with masculinity, such as strength, violence, and
ruthlessness.
 Rejection of Motherhood: Lady Macbeth rejects her duty to be a mother, asking spirits to "take my milk for gall".
Motherhood was historically seen as a key aspect of femininity.
 Association with Witchcraft: By summoning evil spirits, Lady Macbeth aligns herself with witchcraft, which was
often associated with women who challenged male superiority.
 Dominance over Macbeth: Lady Macbeth dominates her husband, which subverts traditional gender roles where
men are typically in control. She manipulates and coerces him to achieve her ambitions.
 Ambition and Power: Lady Macbeth displays ambition and a hunger for power, traits that were not typically
associated with women in that era.
 Challenges Social Constraints: Lady Macbeth is unable to pursue her ambitions because of the social constraints
on women during that time. Lady Macbeth goes against the social norms and adjusts to more of a male persona.
How does Lady Macbeth's language reflect her desire for ruthlessness?
Lady Macbeth's language reflects her desire for ruthlessness through:
 She calls upon spirits to "unsex me here," signaling her desire to shed feminine traits.She asks to be filled with
"direst cruelty," directly stating her need for ruthlessness.
 She uses violent imagery. Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to "take my milk for gall," replacing nurturing qualities
with bitterness. She wishes to "make thick my blood," blocking remorse.
 Lady Macbeth's language leaves no room for debate. She takes initiative in planning Duncan’s murder, showing
ruthless character while concealing the murder.
 She dismisses moral concerns, seeking darkness to hide her actions.
 Lady Macbeth shakes Macbeth out of his frenzy and orders him to put the daggers back. By contrasting Lady
Macbeth’s composed state with Macbeth’s delirious state, Shakespeare helps to convey her ruthlessness.
 Lady Macbeth scolds Macbeth when he changes his mind about killing Duncan, and insults his masculinity and
persuades him by saying that he owes it to her to kill Duncan
 Macbeth Act 1, Scene 7
In Act 1, Scene 7, Macbeth contemplates the potential consequences of murdering King Duncan. He expresses his internal
conflict, recognizing that as Duncan's kinsman and host, he should be protecting him, not plotting his demise.
However, Lady Macbeth uses sharp language to challenge Macbeth's manhood and push him toward murder. She calls him
a coward and questions his love, manipulating him by preying on his insecurities. Lady Macbeth declares that Macbeth
would "be so much more the man" if he commits the murder.
She contrasts her own maternal tenderness with violent imagery, communicating the extent of her ambition and her
villainous nature, which influences Macbeth's decision.
Macbeth’s soliloquy from Act 1, Scene 7( line by line analysis )
This soliloquy from Act 1, Scene 7 of Macbeth reveals Macbeth's internal struggle as he contemplates assassinating King
Duncan.
1-3: "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly. If the assassination / Could trammel up the
consequence, and catch"
Macbeth wishes the act of murder could be done swiftly and without consequences. He hopes that the assassination could
"trammel up" (trap or contain) its own aftermath.
4-7: "With his surcease success; that but this blow / Might be the be-all and the end-all here, / But here, upon this bank and
shoal of time, / We'd jump the life to come."
He desires that Duncan's death ("surcease") would bring immediate success, and that this single act would be the "be-all and
end-all." However, Macbeth recognizes that actions in this life ("bank and shoal of time") have consequences in the
afterlife.
8-11: "But in these cases / We still have judgment here, that we but teach / Bloody instructions, which, being taught,
return / To plague th' inventor:"
Macbeth acknowledges that violent acts often return to haunt their perpetrators. He fears that by committing murder, he
would be teaching others to do the same, potentially leading to his own downfall.
12-13: "this even-handed justice / Commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice / To our own lips."
He recognizes that justice is impartial and that his evil deed might ultimately poison him.
14-16: "He's here in double trust: / First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then, as his
host,"
Macbeth acknowledges his dual obligation to Duncan: as a relative and subject, and as a host.
17-20: "Who should against his murderer shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan / Hath borne his
faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues"
He reflects on his duty to protect Duncan as his host, not to murder him. Macbeth also praises Duncan's virtues and gentle
rule.
21-25: "Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off; / And pity, like a naked
newborn babe, / Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed / Upon the sightless couriers of the air,"
Macbeth imagines Duncan's virtues personified as angels, loudly condemning his murder. He uses vivid imagery of a
newborn baby and heavenly cherubs to emphasize the innocence that would be destroyed.
26-29: "Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye, / That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur / To prick the sides of my
intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself / And falls on th' other."
He fears the murder will be so horrific that it will cause universal grief. Macbeth concludes by admitting that he has no
justification for the murder except his own ambition, which he likens to a horse vaulting over itself and falling

Macbeth's first soliloquy reaffirms that the Witches, by informing him that he will be "king hereafter" (1.3.50), have merely
kindled his own innermost desire to obtain the throne. Their prediction may encourage Macbeth to act upon his secret
thoughts, as does the prodding of Lady Macbeth, but it does not dictate Macbeth's course of action.

Macbeth makes a conscious choice to forsake morality and pursue his "Vaulting ambition" (28). This soliloquy exposes
Macbeth's conflicting feelings about the murder. His first thoughts revolve around the consequences of committing the
crime. In lines 1-12 his primary concern and reason for hesitation is the possibility that someone will exact that "even-
handed Justice" (10) upon him. Once Macbeth usurps the throne there will be others who will plot to steal it from him.
Macbeth "wishes intensely the death of Duncan" (driven by his own ambition to be the king) and that only his fear of
potential ramifications is a deterrent. However, the second half of the soliloquy supports the fact that Macbeth is deeply
troubled by the horror of killing Duncan, who is a benevolent ruler, honest man, and good friend. It is guilt and not fear of
the consequences that is Macbeth's greatest obstacle.
Questions for Review
1. What is Macbeth's motive for hesitation, as he discusses in lines 1-12? Is his reason different in lines 12-25? How does he
feel about King Duncan?
2. Lady Macbeth enters immediately after Mabeth's soliloquy to provoke him. To what extent do you think Lady Macbeth's
presence influences Macbeth's decision to proceed with the murder?/How does Lady Macbeth manipulate Macbeth in Act 1,
Scene 7
 What does Lady Macbeth's use of "unsex me here" signify about her character
 How does Lady Macbeth's motherly experience contrast with her desire for violence