English Literature Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama Macbeth by William Shakespeare Brief Questions

English Literature Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama Macbeth by William Shakespeare Brief Questions with Answers B.Q:1-54
Q.1. Who is Macbeth?
Ans. He is the evil King of Scotland. Being inspired by the Witches and his wife, he snatches away the throne from Duncan by murdering him and sinks into a state of chaos because of his greed and guilt; his evil acts lead to his ruin, and rebel forces lead an attack against him, and Macduff, in a personal battle, beheads him.

Q.2. Who is Lady Macbeth?

Ans. Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth. She is a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position.

Q.3. What is Lady Macbeth's name?

Ans. It is not mentioned in the play. But historical sources tell us that her name was Gruoch and that she had a son by a previous marriage, named Lulach.

Q.4. Who are the three Witches?

Ans. They are the three "black and midnight hags" who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies.

Q.5. Who is Banquo?

Ans. Banquo is a general in Duncan's army and a close friend of Macbeth prior to Macbeth's seizing the throne. Banquo is the brave, noble general who was brutally killed by the murders hired by Macbeth. The Witches prophesies that his children will inherit the Scottish throne.

Q.6. Who is Macduff?

Ans. Macduff is a general in Duncan's army who becomes suspicious of Macbeth's part in the king's murder. His son and wife were killed by Macbeth's men and eventually he became able to slain Macbeth.
Q.7. Who is Lady Macduff?

Ans. Lady Macduff is Macduff's wife who was murdered by the ruffians sent by Macbeth.

Q.8. Who is Hecate?
Ans. Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft. She helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth.

Q.9. Who is Fleance?
Ans. Fleance is Banquo's son, who survives Macbeth's attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance's whereabouts are unknown.
Q.10. Who is Lennox?

Ans. Lennox is one of Duncan's nobles. He accompanies Macbeth to Duncan's chamber after his murder. Lennox is suspicious of Macbeth and fearful for Scotland.

Q.11. Who is Ross?

Ans. Ross is a Scottish noble and cousin to Macduff. He brings the good news of Macbeth's military victory and the bad news about Macduff's murdered family.

Q.12. Who are the Murderers in Macbeth?

Ans. The Murderers are a group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo, Fleance (but they fail to kill Fleance), and Macduff's wife and children.

Q.13. Who is the Porter?

Ans. The Porter is the drunken doorman of Macbeth's castle.
Q.14. Who is Siward?

Ans. Siward is the Earl of Northumberland and veteran military officer. He becomes an ally of Malcolm and Macduff and leads the first attack against Macbeth's forces.

Q.15. Who was Young Siward?

Ans. He was the son of Siward. He follows his father to fight against Macbeth in Scotland; but is killed in battle.

Q.16. Who is Seyton?

Ans. Seyton is the only remaining officer in Macbeth's army that remains loyal to him.

Q.17. When was Macbeth written?

Ans. Macbeth was written in about 1606.

Q.18. What is the effect of the irony in Macbeth?

Ans. The irony in Macbeth creates a "vague fear of hidden forces operating on minds unconscious of their influence."
Q.19. Do the witches make Macbeth murder Duncan?

Ans. No. The witches do not make Macbeth murder Duncan.

Q.20. Are the witches just the symbols of Macbeth's own evil desires?

Ans. Witches are not just the symbols of Macbeth's own evil
desires.
Q.21. Can we see Macbeth as a "half-hearted cowardly criminal, and Lady Macbeth as a whole-hearted fiend"?
Ans. No, they are much more than that.

Q.22. What is Macbeth's tragic flaw?
Ans. Macbeth's tragic flaw was ambition. Q.23. Is Lady Macbeth responsible for Macbeth's crimes?

Ans. Lady Macbeth is responsible for Macbeth's murdering Duncan. But he plans the murder of Banquo without her knowledge.
Q.24. Why did Lady Macbeth go mad?

Ans. Lady Macbeth went mad because, before the murder of Duncan, she "hardly imagines the act, or at most imagines its outward show" and because she does not "foresee those inward consequences which reveal themselves immediately in her husband."
Q.25. What kind of man is Banquo?

Ans. Banquo is a good man.

Q.26. Is Porter in the play for comic relief?

Ans. Not really; his speeches are more grotesque than humorous.

Q.27. Did Lady Macbeth have any children?

Ans. It was not mentioned whether Lady Macbeth had any children or not.

Q.28. Is the Ghost of Banquo a hallucination?
Ans. Yes, but Shakespeare knew that most of his audience would think of it as a real ghost.

Q.29. What is the setting of the play Macbeth?

Ans. The setting of Macbeth is Ireland.

Q.30. Where did the three witches meet the first time?

Ans. The three witches meet on lonely heath in the midst of thunder and lightning the first time.
Q.31. What is the point of the first scene literally?

Ans. Literally, the witches are deciding their time of meeting again.