Drama: Act I - Macbeth Answers

Sample answer: After the previous Thane of Cawdor is found guilty of treason, Duncan bequeaths his title on Macbeth in gratitude for Macbeth’s courage in battle.

b, Explanation: The answer is supported by the opening setting label, the characters (and the real-life historical figures on which some are based), and such details as the castles, swords, and armor. Choices a, c, and d are not supported by the details in the selection.

Sample answer: She begins planning Duncan’s murder. Supporting details include her many about catching “the nearest way” in line 18 of Scene v, as well as the speeches in Scene v beginning “The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements” and “O, never / Shall sun that morrow see!”

a, Explanation: In Shakespeare’s day plays were performed in daylight because their was no artificial lighting, and sets were kept to a bare minimum. Choice b is incorrect because most performers clearly had to be able to read to learn their roles. Choice c is incorrect. No such section of stage directions exists. Choice d is incorrect. Shakespeare wrote his plays for performance in his own time and would not have omitted valuable instructions for some future generations’ benefit.

Students should select several stage directions and explain what they mean and how they help the reader understand the play. For example, they might say that the stage direction [Aside] means that the actor is to speak the character’s words aloud to the audience, but not to any other character. Lines introduced by [Aside] express the character’s inner thoughts and are unheard by others in the scene. Students might suggest that this device allows the audience or reader to understand a character’s motives. They may refer to Macbeth’s lines “If chance will have me King, why, / Chance may crown me, / Without my stir,” and “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap. . . .”

Examples of dramatic irony that students may mention include: Duncan’s elevating Macbeth to Thane of Cawdor as a reward for his loyalty and bravery when, unbeknownst to him, Macbeth soon seems willing to betray and murder Duncan; the fact that the previous Thane of Cawdor was guilty of treason but Macbeth is actually planning treason too; Duncan’s remarks about the lovely Macbeth castle when in fact it may be the site of Duncan’s murder; and Duncan’s remarks showing his love for and trust in the Macbeths when in fact the Macbeths are planning to kill him. In discussing how the dramatic irony adds to the play’s effectiveness, they may say that it underscores the innocence and goodness of Duncan and builds suspense for the audience.

Students’ essays might focus on such qualities in Lady Macbeth as her ambition, manipulative nature, firmness of purpose, inability to foresee consequences, love for her husband, and seeming willingness to abandon the softer feminine virtues associated with women in her day. Students should cite details from the play to illustrate each quality they name.

Students should recognize that the remark indicates that things are not what they seem and sets the stage for the Macbeths’ disloyalty and other actions that contradict what they pretend to be and what Duncan and others think they are. Students may also feel that the comment underscores the eerie supernatural flavor that runs through the play, owing to the witches’ predictions. Students should cite examples from the play to support their ideas.

Students should recognize that Macbeth’s discovery that he is indeed Thane of Cawdor makes him believe that the witches’ other predictions must also be accurate. Students may also feel that Macbeth accepts the witches’ predictions because he is a superstitious man in a superstitious age and/or because the predictions give him a pretext for doing what he already was wont to do (because of his excessive ambition). Students should support their ideas with details from the play as well as logical reasons.