An exploration of Act 1, Scenes 1-4 | Starter Quiz | Oak National Academy

'Macbeth' is a play. Which of the following are features of plays?

• dialogue

• designed to be performed

• divided into chapters

• divided into acts

• stage directions

Answer explanation

Plays are designed to be performed on stage in front of an audience. They comprise of dialogue and stage directions; the stage directions might explain the setting, or how the characters should behave.

What was William Shakespeare famous for writing?

• sonnets (poems)

• plays

• narrative poems

• pamphlets

• articles

Answer explanation

That we know of, Shakespeare wrote 37 plays, 154 sonnets and 2 narrative poems.

Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616. He experienced life under two monarchs. Which monarchs?

• Queen Victoria

• King Edward VII

• Queen Elizabeth I

• King James I

• Queen Anne

Answer explanation

Elizabeth I was on the throne from 1533-1603. She was followed by James I from 1603-1624.

'Macbeth' is a tragedy. Which of the below are also considered Shakespearean tragedies?

• A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Othello

• Hamlet

• The Tempest

• Romeo and Juliet

Answer explanation

Shakespeare's tragedies all share common features, one of the most significant being the fall of a great hero owing to a fatal flaw.

'Macbeth' is a tragedy. Which of the following are features of Shakespearean tragedies?

• the supernatural

• the death of the hero

• marriage

• the rise and fall of a character

• mistaken identity

Answer explanation

Whilst 'Macbeth' does include the supernatural, this is not an essential feature of Shakespearean tragedy. Mistaken identity is a feature of comedy, not tragedy.

'Macbeth' starts with terrible weather - thunder and lightening - and three witches. What inferences could we make about this opening?

• It is designed to make us laugh

• It is designed to make us think

• It is designed to scare us

• It is designed to signal the supernatural themes

• It is designed to signal it is a play about a hero

Answer explanation

The opening of 'Macbeth' is short, but memorable: three witches chant on a heath, and describe the world in which they live as deceptive. The bad weather increases the ominous atmosphere.