ENGLISH NOTES – MACBETH

1. Who was Macbeth? Why was he treated in great esteem at court?

A: Macbeth was a great thane of Scotland. He was the Thane of Glamis in the beginning of the
story. He was a fierce warrior and a near kinsman to the king. He later became the Thane of Cawdor and
the King of Scotland.
He was treated in great esteem at court for his valour and conduct in the wars.
2. From which battle were Macbeth and Banquo returning? Where were they stopped?
A: Macbeth and Banquo were returning after defeating a rebel army assisted by the troops of
Norway in terrible numbers.
They were stopped over a blasted heath on their way back home.
3. How did the three figures look? What did they say to hail Macbeth and Banquo?
A: The three figures looked like women except that they had beards. They had withered skins and
wild attire which make them look like any earthly creatures.
They addressed Macbeth saying:
a) Thane of Glamis
b) Thane of Cawdor
c) The king of Scotland

They addressed Banquo saying:

a) He will be lesser than Macbeth and greater.

b) He will not be as happy but much happier.
c) He would never be the king himself but he will become the father to a line of kings.
4. Why did Macbeth stand amazed at the predictions of the three figures?
A: Macbeth wondered how the three figures knew him. He was surprised to hear them call him
‘Thane of Cawdor’ as he wasn’t so. The ‘Thane of Cawdor’ was alive. Again, he couldn’t be the king of
Scotland as King Duncan was ruling over the country and he had two sons, Malcolm and Donalbain.
5. Why did Banquo call the three figures ministers of darkness?
A: Banquo was not led into temptation as much as Macbeth. He realized that the witches often told
truth in little things, to betray into deeds of greatest consequence. He warned Macbeth of the deceptive
nature of the three witches and hence called them ‘ministers of darkness’.
6. What effect had the prediction on Macbeth’s wife when Macbeth told her of it?
A: Lady Macbeth was a bad and ambitious woman. When she heard of the prophesies of the three
witches, she at once, decided to make them true in whatever means possible. She even contrived to kill
King Duncan in order to help Macbeth ascend the throne.
7. Why was Macbeth reluctant and what made his wife encourage him to take steps for the fulfillment of
the prophecy?
A: Macbeth had multiple reasons for his unwillingness to commit Duncan’s murder. Some of them
are:
a) Macbeth was a brave general of Duncan’s army and his duty was to protect the king and
his kingdom.
b) Macbeth had been shown great favours by King Duncan.
 c) Macbeth was a near kinsman of Duncan.
d) Duncan was Macbeth’s guest that night. As a host, his duty was to close doors against all
dangers and not to kill Duncan himself.

Lady Macbeth was aware that Macbeth was too full of human kindness. However, she knew that
without Duncan’s murder, Macbeth could never become the king. So, she spurred him to take
steps for the fulfillment of the prophecy.

8. What made Duncan come to Macbeth’s house?

A: Duncan came to Macbeth’s house to honour Macbeth For the triumphal success of their wars
against the rebel army.
9. Why it is said that Lady Macbeth looked like the innocent flower while she was a serpent under her
look?
A: Lady Macbeth was a cunning ambitious woman. She could hide treacherous intentions behind
her pretentious smiles. She intended to murder King Duncan though her apparent hospitality towards him
was unquestioned. So, it is said that she looked like the innocent flower while she was a serpent under her
look.
10. Why did Lady Macbeth decide to murder the king herself?
A: Lady Macbeth feared her husband’s nature, which was too full of the milk of human kindness to
commit a crime. She knew that despite his ambition, Macbeth would not be prepared to kill King Duncan.
So, she decided to murder the king herself.
11. In what state did Lady Macbeth find the king when she approached him with a dagger?
A: Lady Macbeth entered King Duncan’s chamber where she found the king in a sound sleep after
the fatigues of his journey. As she approached him, she found a close resemblance of her own father in
the face of the sleeping Duncan.
12. What were the words with which Lady Macbeth chastised her husband?
A: Lady Macbeth assured Macbeth that the deed was very easy, that it would be over very soon and
that the deed of one short night would bring them peace and power for all the days and nights to come.
She, then, accused Macbeth of fickleness and cowardice. She went on to say that she would not even
deter to pluck her baby from her breast and dash its brains out, if she had sworn it. Thus, she chastised
her husband.
13. What did Macbeth see when he went to the bedroom of the king? Why did he see it?
A: Macbeth entered King Duncan’s chamber and thought he saw another dagger in the air, with the
handle towards him. There were drops of blood on the blade and at the point.
What Macbeth saw, was a mere hallucination, a phantasma that was born of a mind troubled
with the business at hand.
14. What did Lady Macbeth think when she found her husband coming back in a distracted state? Why did
she reproach him?
A: Lady Macbeth assumed that Macbeth had failed to murder King Duncan when she found him
coming back in a distracted state.
She reproached him for want of firmness and stability, which was essential for them to maintain
after the murder was committed.
15. In which circumstance was Macbeth crowned King of Scotland?
A: King Duncan was murdered. His two sons Malcolm and Donalbain were supposed to succeed him
to the throne. But, they fled in fear leaving the throne vacant. Macbeth, who was the next heir, was
crowned the king.
16. Which thought led Macbeth and his wife to decide that they must murder both Banquo and his son?
A: Macbeth and his wife remembered the prophecies the witches made to Banquo that the latter’s
children would succeed Macbeth as kings. They could not accept that they had done such vile a crime of
murdering the king only to place the posterity of Banquo on the throne. They were disturbed by such
thought and decided to murder both Banquo and his son.
17. How was Banquo murdered? Did the murderers succeed in murdering Banquo’s son as well?
A: Macbeth arranged a great supper and invited all the thanes. Banquo and his son, Fleance were
specially invited. The way by which Banquo was to pass to Macbeth’s palace was best by murderers
appointed by Macbeth. They stabbed Banquo.
No, the murderers failed to murder Fleance who escaped in the scuffle between his father and
the murderers.
18. How did Banquo’s ghost appear at the banquet? What was the effect of this appearance on Macbeth?
A: During the supper, Macbeth constantly expressed his wish to have his friend Banquo present and
chided the latter for neglect. At that very moment, Banquo’s ghost entered the hall and sat on the chair
Macbeth was to occupy.
Despite being a bold man, Macbeth’s cheeks turned white with fear at the sight of the ghost. He
was unmanned with his eyes fixed upon the ghost. However, it seemed to everyone that he was actually
staring at an empty seat.
19. Why did Macbeth want to meet the weird sisters again?
A: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth found no peace even after gaining royalty. They could not sleep and
their nights were haunted with terrible dreams. Their conscience constantly troubled them. So, Macbeth
wanted to meet the weird sisters again to know their future.
20. What did the witches tell Macbeth the second time?
A: The witches made three prophecies to Macbeth, once again. They were :
a) The first witch arose, like an armed head, and warned Macbeth of the Thane of Fife i.e.
Macduff.
b) The second witch rose like a bloody child and told Macbeth to laugh at the power of men as
none born of woman could hurt him.
c) The third witch was like a crowned child who assured Macbeth that he couldn’t be defeated
until the Birnam wood would come to Dunsinane Hill.
21. What did Macbeth do after getting out of the cave?
A: Macbeth heard that Macduff had fled to England to join Malcolm to build an army against
Macbeth. Angered at this, Macbeth surprised Macduff’s castle and killed his wife and son and all his
acquaintances.
22. How did the second prophecy come true?
A: Malcolm was a skilful general. On their way towards Macbeth’s castle, Malcolm ordered his
soldiers to cut down a tree and carry it with them so as to conceal their true numbers. It seemed from a
distance that the whole Birnam wood was walking or moving towards Dunsinane Hill.