Macbeth: Ambition

Question 1

What is the central theme of Macbeth?

Answer 1

Ambition

Question 2

What drives the plot of Macbeth forward?

Answer 2

The Macbeths’ manipulative ambition

Question 3

What is Macbeth’s tragic flaw (hamartia)?

Answer 3

His insatiable ambition

Question 4

How does Shakespeare portray ambition in Macbeth?

Answer 4

As corrupting and destructive

Question 5

What are the two key sources of Macbeth’s ambition?

Answer 5

The Witches’ prophecy and Lady Macbeth’s influence

Question 6

How was ambition viewed in Jacobean England?

Answer 6

As a dangerous quality and equated with sin

Question 7

What philosophical concept did Jacobeans believe in that made ambition sinful?

Answer 7

The Divine Order/Great Chain of Being

Question 8

What happens to characters who pursue their ambitions in the play?

Answer 8

They suffer, go mad with guilt, and ultimately die

Question 9

What does “black and deep desires” refer to in Act 1?

Answer 9

Macbeth’s ambitious thoughts of becoming king

Question 10

What is the result of ambition in the play?

Answer 10

Guilt that torments both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Question 11

What metaphor does Macbeth use to describe his ambition in Act 1 Scene 7?

Answer 11

Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other

Question 12

Complete: “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only…”

Answer 12

Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other

Question 13

What does Macbeth mean by his “vaulting ambition” metaphor?

Answer 13

His ambition is like a horse rider who jumps too far and falls

Question 14

What are Macbeth’s first thoughts after hearing the Witches’ prophecy?

Answer 14

Murder, though it’s “but fantastical”

Question 15

What does Lady Macbeth mean by Macbeth being “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness”?

Answer 15

He is too compassionate/moral to take the direct path to power (murder)

Question 16

What does Lady Macbeth say Macbeth lacks to fulfil his ambition?

Answer 16

“The illness should attend it” (the evil/ruthlessness needed)

Question 17

What does Ross call ambition after Duncan’s murder?

Answer 17

Thriftless ambition, that will ravin up thine own lives’ means!

Question 18

How does Macbeth justify his actions in Act 3?

Answer 18

For mine own good

Question 19

How does Lady Macbeth’s ambition differ from Macbeth’s initially?

Answer 19

She is more ruthless

Question 20

Why might Lady Macbeth have been particularly shocking to a Jacobean audience?

Answer 20

She defies accepted gender norms by being ambitious and controlling her husband

Question 21

What happens to Lady Macbeth as a result of her ambition?

Answer 21

She suffers guilt, goes mad, and commits suicide

Question 22

How does Macbeth’s character change throughout the play?

Answer 22

From “noble” warrior to “butcher” and “abhorred tyrant”

Question 23

What does Lady Macbeth do to manipulate Macbeth into fulfilling his ambition?

Answer 23

She persistently questions his manhood and uses gender norms to shame him

Question 24

What unusual power dynamic exists between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

Answer 24

She directs his actions rather than being submissive as expected of Jacobean wives

Question 25

How does the symbol of blood change in relation to Macbeth's ambition?

Answer 25

From representing valour and loyalty to symbolising guilt and sin

Question 26

What does Macbeth hallucinate that represents his guilt?

Answer 26

A bloody dagger and later Banquo's ghost

Question 27

What does Macbeth mean by "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?"

Answer 27

His guilt (symbolised by blood) is indelible and cannot be washed away

Question 28

What might Banquo's ghost represent to a modern audience?

Answer 28

A psychological manifestation of Macbeth's guilt-ridden mind

Question 29

When was Macbeth most likely written?

Answer 29

1606, at the start of the Jacobean period

Question 30

Why were titles and social status so important in the context of the play?

Answer 30

Society had a rigid class system and intricate social hierarchy

Question 31

How does modern Western society's view of ambition differ from Jacobean views?

Answer 31

Modern society sees ambition as positive; Jacobean society saw it as dangerous

Question 32

In the Great Chain of Being

Answer 32

who is the highest ranked earthly being?

Question 33

Why would ambition to rise above one's station be considered sinful in Jacobean times?

Answer 33

It violated the divinely ordained Great Chain of Being/Divine Order

Question 34

How do you spell the Greek term for a tragic flaw?

Answer 34

H-A-M-A-R-T-I-A

Question 35

How do you spell the term for the dramatic device where future events are hinted at?

Answer 35

F-O-R-E-S-H-A-D-O-W-S

Question 36

How do you spell the literary device where a character speaks their thoughts aloud?

Answer 36

S-O-L-I-L-O-Q-U-Y

Question 37

How do you spell the term for a recurring image or symbol in literature?

Answer 37

M-O-T-I-F

Question 38

How do you spell the term for the main character in a tragedy?

Answer 38

P-R-O-T-A-G-O-N-I-S-T

Question 39

How do you spell the term for something that cannot be removed or forgotten?

Answer 39

I-N-D-E-L-I-B-L-E

Question 40

How do you spell the term for a question asked for dramatic effect

Answer 40

not requiring an answer?

Question 41

How do you spell the adjective describing Latin-derived language?

Answer 41

L-A-T-I-N-A-T-E

Question 42

How do you spell the adjective describing the historical period when Macbeth was written?

Answer 42

J-A-C-O-B-E-A-N

Question 43

How do you spell the verb meaning to take the throne illegally?

Answer 43

U-S-U-R-P

Question 44

How might you compare Macbeth's ambition to that of a modern political figure?

Answer 44

[This is for student reflection - various answers possible]

Question 45

How does Shakespeare use the theme of ambition to explore human psychology?

Answer 45

Through showing its corrupting influence and the resulting guilt and madness

Question 46

In what ways might Lady Macbeth be considered a feminist character, despite her villainous role?

Answer 46

She defies gender expectations, shows agency, and controls her husband

Question 47

How might the play's treatment of ambition reflect James I's concerns about threats to his throne?

Answer 47

It shows the destructive consequences of ambition and reinforces the idea that usurping a king is against divine order

Question 48

What contemporary lessons about ambition can be drawn from Macbeth?

Answer 48

That unchecked ambition without moral boundaries leads to destruction