What leads Macbeth to the murder of Banquo? (III, 1, 48-72.)
Where does Macduff first come in as a force in the action? (III, 4, 128-129.)
What hints of his part have we had before? (II, 4, 36-38.)
What double purpose had the author in having Macduff's family slain?
To what extent does Lady Macbeth influence action of the play? The weird sisters? Macduff? Banquo? Macbeth?
Note the steps by which Macbeth rose in fame.
What was the source of Shakespeare's material? Account for the most important changes that he made.
Characters.—What sort of man have we reason to believe Macbeth was at the opening of the play from the position that he held; from what his wife said of him; from what others said of him; and from his attitude in the face of his first crime?
What two contrasts are drawn between Macbeth and Duncan in scenes 2 and 4 of Act I? Is it strange that Macbeth had often wished that he might be king in place of Duncan? Why? Show how the prophecies of the witches became his temptations. From his soliloquies in Act I, scenes 3 and 4, what do you judge of his moral sense? What decision has he reached, if any, before he returns to his wife? In his soliloquy in Act I, scene 7, what two considerations are keeping him from the murder? What argument of Lady Macbeth was effective in bringing him to a decision? How do you account for the fact that he is extremely vacillating in Act I and fearful in the first part of Act II, while in the battle with the rebels he was the personification of bravery and decision? What is his state of mind as soon as the act is committed? What change takes place as soon as it is discovered? Is his fear of Banquo a reasonable one? What effect of his crime is apparent in Act III, scene 2? What, if any, further decline do you note in Act III, scene 4? In Act V how does Shakespeare contrive to represent Macbeth in a condition of brutality and yet to arouse a decided human interest in him, and even some sympathy for him? In Macbeth's several soliloquies throughout the play what mental characteristic is most prominent? Give examples. To what extent may Macbeth be taken as a type of ambition? to what extent the type of a noble soul led downward to destruction? What great truth does his life illustrate, a truth that we may call the central idea of the play?
What mental qualities does Lady Macbeth show in Act I, scene 5? Why does she not discuss with herself the pros and cons of the act to be committed? What fundamental difference does this illustrate between herself and her husband? Do you think Lady Macbeth's motive for the murder of Duncan was selfish or unselfish? Give reasons. What sort of woman do you suppose she was before the play opens? Why? What light does Act III, scene 2, throw on her character? Does her calmness and tenderness with her husband after the guests have left the banquet indicate her wisdom in dealing with him, or the pathetic weakening of her strong character, or a natural tenderness? Give reasons. What makes the sleep-walking scene so pathetic? How has the dramatist prepared us for her breakdown? What, if anything, do you find in her to admire?