Macbeth Content Flashcards
What drives the motivation of Macbeth
The possibility of ascending to the throne
What does Duncan possess
All the qualities of a great king e.g. benevolence and nurturing
What quotation shows Duncans benevolence
‘ signs of nobleness like stars shall shine on all deservers’
What quotation shows how Duncan is invested in his followers 
‘I have began to plant the thee and will labour to make thee full of grown’
What quotation shows Duncan rewarding Macbeth
‘More is thy due than more than all can pay’
What’s the significance of Duncan providing the country with an heir
An heir provides a country with political stability and the security of the country
What quotation shows that it is impossible to see through someone’s deception
‘There is no art to find the minds construction in the face
At the start how is Macbeth presented
With the ideal qualities of a noble king as he is called ‘brave Macbeth’
When does Macbeth lose his noble traits
When he gets closer to the throne
What does Shakespeare portray the witches as
Supernatural beings
What did the witches give to Macbeth
Cryptic prophecies
When Macbeth first meets the witches what do they prophesice
Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor
Macbeth will become king
What is the paradoxical statement the witches say at the beginning of the play
‘ fair is foul and foul is fair’
What technique does Shakespeare use in the paradoxical phrase ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’
Foreshadowing and parallelism
What are the witches described as by Shakespeare
‘Weird sisters’
What did a witches plant in Macbeth
 The seed of ambition which Lady Macbeth waters
What do the witches subvert
Holiness
What do you do the witches speak in
Trochaic tetrameter
What is the importance of the witches speaking in trochaic tetrameter
It contrasts to the normal form of speech which is iambic pentameter
What is Macbeth a symbol of in preference to gender
Macbeth is a symbol for toxic and repressive masculinity
What are examples of when Macbeth doesn’t succumb to societies expectation of men
Being manipulated by Lady Macbeth and the witches
Committing regicide by killing Duncan
What does Lady Macbeth subvert
Societies expectations of woman
What is the importance of Macbeth wanting to jump ‘the life to come’
It implies he is sacrificing an eternal life in heaven so we can enjoy the power and status during his finite life on Earth
Which characters are able to restrain themselves from their ambition
Banquo Malcolm
