what means does Shakespeare make the murder of Duncan very effective
in moving the audience, even though the actual deed is committed off the
stage?

What facts necessary for the reader to know are brought out in the last
scene of Act II?

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 de