Introduction to Macbeth

Why did Shakespeare write Macbeth?

• He had nothing better to do

• He wanted to impress Queen Elizabeth I

• For a royal celebration for King James I

• He wanted to gain Lady Macbeth's attention

Macbeth took characters and plotlines from Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland (1587), so many of the characters are real people.

• True

• False

King James I descended from the following characters in Macbeth.

• Lady Macbeth, Horatio

• Malcolm, Donalbain

• Duncan, Banquo

• Macbeth, Lennox

Which of the following is NOT a theme of Macbeth?

• Ambition

• Power

• Happiness

• Fate vs. Free Will

Why is the line "So foul and fair a day I have not seen" said by Macbeth in Act I Scene III an example of dramatic irony?

• Macbeth quotes the evil witches, fulfilling their prophecy without even knowing it, although the readers/audience do

• Macbeth is saying that things are good and bad at the same time.

• Macbeth is making Duncan angry by saying this.

• It is not an example of dramatic irony.

What events influenced the inclusion of the supernatural/witches Shakespeare's Macbeth?

• Shakespeare's wife, Anne, was executed for being a witch

• Shakespeare went on witch hunts

• King James I believed in witchcraft and ghosts

• No particular reason

Macbeth is a play set in...

• Scotland

• Ireland

• England

• France

Which monarch reigned in England when Shakespeare wrote Macbeth?

• Elizabeth I

• James I

• Henry VIII

• Mary, Queen of Scots

True or False:

Shakespeare made up the characters in Macbeth.

• True

• False

Which of the following is NOT a theme in Macbeth?

• Ambition

• Power

• Fate and free will

• Finding true love