Summary Study questions Macbeth Act 1

Macbeth Study Questions Act 1

Scene 1:

1. What mood does the weather create, and how does it reflect the
events to come?

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2. What is the meaning of the witches’ chant, “Fair is foul, and foul is
fair”?

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3. The Elizabethan audience actually believed in witches; a modern
audience does not. What difference could this make in the reactions
of the two groups to the prophecies of witches?

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Scene 2:

4. What news does the captain bring to King Duncan?

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5. What qualities of Macbeth are highlighted in the captain’s report?

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6. What reward does Duncan give Macbeth, and why?
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7. Why is Macbeth’s promotion to Thane of Cawdor significant?
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Scene 3:

8. Macbeth says “So foul and fair a day I have not seen” (p. 4). What
does this imply?

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9. What prophecy do the witches give to Banquo?

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10. What is the difference between Macbeth's and Banquo's
reactions to the witches?
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