Introduction to Macbeth : Act I

Question 1

macbeth’s reputation….

Answer 1

precedes him as we learn about him first through others’ descriptions of him

Question 2

macbeth’s reputation in act 1 scene 2

Answer 2

• establishes him as a respected figure to emphasise his FALL FROM GRACE - meaning the descent from an reputable character to one that is abhorred, a key aspect of a dramatic tragedy - which makes him a TRAGIC HERO

Question 3

what is macbeth described as in act 1 scene 2?

Answer 3

• ‘valour’s minion’
• ‘disdaining fortune…smok’d with bloody execution’

Question 4

‘valour’s minion’

Answer 4

• suggests he strongly abides to codes of honour
• alternatively, the noun ‘minion’ could foreshadow his susceptibility to manipulation and how he will soon be a marionette of the witches

Question 5

‘disdaining fortune’
‘smok’d with bloody execution’

Answer 5

• he is violent
• suggests he is a relentless force in battle, so skilled that his sword did not have time to cool
• alternatively ‘smok’d’ could connote to heat and hell, foreshadowing his evil
• ‘disdaining fortune’ - shows a disregard for his fate and his attempt to manipulate the natural order
• later becomes evident in his disruption of the Divine Right of Kings (the belief that kings were chosen by God)

Question 6

in what two ways does macbeth show signs of influence?

Answer 6

• physically
• orally

Question 7

macbeth’s initial words in the play

Answer 7

‘so foul and fair a day I have not seen’

Question 8

what do macbeth’s initial words in the play echo?

Answer 8

the witches’ paradox as he says ‘so foul and fair a day I have not seen’ which shows that he is slowly becoming a mouthpiece for the witches’ evil - he is a vessel for their misconduct

Question 9

how does macbeth describe his reaction to the witches’ prophecies?

Answer 9

‘doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs’

Question 10

‘doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs’

Answer 10

both externally and viscerally the witches have rattled him - the phrase ‘doth unfix my hair’ - could relate to the subtle motif of clothes as a symbol of power, deception and identity

Question 11

what does macbeth question when he is crowned ‘thane of cawdor’?

Answer 11

‘why do you dress me in borrow’d robes?’

Question 12

‘why do you dress me in borrow’d robes?’

Answer 12

• macbeth has been awarded a title that does not belong to him
• it shows that throughout the play, as he moves through a hierarchal ranking, it is superficial and transient (much like clothes) rather than being an intrinsic role that he was destined to have

Question 13

macbeth essay introductory sentence

Answer 13

• macbeth’s reputation precedes him to set up a noble notoriety which we expect him to live up to
• throughout the play, he falls short of this expected virtue to become tyrannical and mentally perturbed
• this characterises the play as a tragedy as macbeth falls from a position of honour to become abominable