Predictions
Choose one set of interpretive questions and answer them. You get no credit for copying others’ answers. Good luck!
MACBETH: Some Interpretative Questions
• What are the Weird Sisters?
What do they want? What is their dramatic function in the play? Are they real or just in Macbeth’s mind?
• Who is Macbeth?
- a noble statesman?
- a brave warrior with hubris?
- a psychopath?
- a weak man led by the ambition of his wife?
• What is Macbeth’s relationship with his wife?
Have they talked before about ruling Scotland?
Would Macbeth have killed Duncan without her?
Which is the stronger of the two?
• What kind of a king is Duncan?
Is he a tough soldier or a kindly father-figure?
What is the state of Scotland at the start of the play?
• Who is Banquo?
Is he ambitious?
What is his relationship with Macbeth?
What is his ghost? A revenging spirit – or Macbeth’s imagination? .
• What is the significance of children in the play?
• Who are Malcolm and Donalbain? What kind of future does Scotland have under Malcolm?
• Who is Macduff?
Is he brave and loyal or cowardly deserting his family?
Why does he defeat Macbeth rather than Malcolm?
• What is Macbeth’s journey though the play?
What does he feel when he speaks: ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow . . .’
What is Lady M’s journey? Compare the two.
