AQA GCSE English Literature · 3.1.1

Shakespeare: Macbeth

50 revision questions with answers for 3.1.1 Shakespeare: Macbeth in AQA GCSE English Literature (spec 8702). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1
When was Macbeth written, and for which monarch?
Answer:
Around 1606, for King James I (also James VI of Scotland). The play flatters James by tracing his family back to Banquo.
Question 2
Why was James I's interest in witchcraft relevant to Macbeth?
Answer:
James wrote a book on witchcraft, Daemonologie (1597), and believed witches were real and dangerous. Shakespeare's audience would have taken the Weird Sisters seriously.
Question 3
How is the Gunpowder Plot (1605) relevant to Macbeth?
Answer:
The failed plot to kill James I and Parliament made regicide and treason a live fear. The play shows the horror of killing a king and the chaos that follows.
Question 4
What is the Divine Right of Kings, and how does Macbeth reflect it?
Answer:
The belief that a king is chosen by God, so killing him is a crime against God as well as the state. Duncan's murder is called 'most sacrilegious', and nature turns unnatural afterwards.
Question 5
What is the Great Chain of Being, and why does it matter in Macbeth?
Answer:
The Elizabethan and Jacobean idea that everything has a fixed place from God down to the lowest creature. Macbeth breaks the chain by killing the king, which causes disorder in nature and Scotland.
Question 6
What kind of play is Macbeth, and who is its tragic hero?
Answer:
A tragedy. Macbeth is the tragic hero: a brave, respected soldier brought down by his own ambition (his 'hamartia' or fatal flaw).
Question 7
Which source did Shakespeare mainly draw on for Macbeth?
Answer:
Holinshed's Chronicles, a history of Britain. Shakespeare changed details, for example making Duncan a gentler king and Banquo an innocent ancestor of James.
Question 8
What do the witches tell Macbeth and Banquo in Act 1 Scene 3?
Answer:
Macbeth will be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and king. Banquo will be 'lesser than Macbeth, and greater' and will father kings, though he will not be one.
Question 9
What does 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' mean?
Answer:
Good and evil, and appearance and reality, are confused. It sets the play's key themes of deception and moral inversion from the very first scene.
Question 10
How does Shakespeare make the witches sound different from other characters?
Answer:
They speak in short, chanting, rhyming lines (trochaic tetrameter) and in paradoxes and riddles. This makes them sound strange, unnatural and magical.
Question 11
What does Lady Macbeth do when she reads Macbeth's letter in Act 1 Scene 5?
Answer:
She worries he is 'too full o' the milk of human kindness' to seize the crown, then plans to push him towards murder. She calls on spirits to 'unsex' her and take away her compassion.
Question 12
What does Lady Macbeth mean by 'look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it'?
Answer:
She tells Macbeth to hide his guilt behind a welcoming face while planning betrayal. The serpent recalls the Garden of Eden and the idea of evil disguised as goodness.
Question 13
How does Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan in Act 1 Scene 7?
Answer:
She questions his manhood, calls him a coward, and says she would kill her own baby rather than break a promise as he has. She also gives a practical plan involving the drugged guards.
Question 14
What is 'vaulting ambition' and why is it important?
Answer:
Macbeth's image of ambition as a rider who leaps too far and falls on the other side. He admits that he has no reason to kill Duncan except ambition, which foreshadows his fall.
Question 15
Which famous soliloquy shows Macbeth hallucinating before he murders Duncan?
Answer:
The dagger soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 1: 'Is this a dagger which I see before me?' It shows his guilty imagination and his conflict between conscience and desire.
Question 16
What does Macbeth mean by 'Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?'
Answer:
He feels that his guilt is so great that even the whole sea could not wash it away. The blood becomes a symbol of permanent guilt.
Question 17
What is the role of the Porter's scene (Act 2 Scene 3)?
Answer:
It gives comic relief after the murder, but the Porter imagines himself the gatekeeper of Hell. The scene also makes the theme of equivocation and moral confusion clear.
Question 18
Who discovers Duncan's body, and who is blamed?
Answer:
Macduff discovers it. Macbeth kills the two guards, claiming loyalty, so the guards are blamed. Malcolm and Donalbain flee, which makes them look guilty.
Question 19
What is the effect of the unnatural events after Duncan's murder?
Answer:
The day stays dark, owls kill a falcon and Duncan's horses eat each other. Nature mirrors the disorder caused by killing a king (pathetic fallacy).
Question 20
Why does Macbeth have Banquo murdered?
Answer:
Banquo suspects him, and the witches prophesied that Banquo's descendants would be kings. Macbeth cannot bear being a 'barren sceptre' with no heirs of his own.
Question 21
What happens at the banquet in Act 3 Scene 4?
Answer:
Banquo's ghost appears and only Macbeth can see it. Macbeth's panicked reaction exposes him in front of his lords and Lady Macbeth has to end the feast.
Question 22
Which character escapes from the murder of Banquo?
Answer:
Fleance, Banquo's son. His escape keeps the witches' prophecy about Banquo's line alive and shows that Macbeth's control is limited.
Question 23
What happens in Act 4 Scene 1 when Macbeth visits the witches?
Answer:
They show him three apparitions: an armed head warning of Macduff, a bloody child saying none of woman born can harm him, and a crowned child holding a tree promising safety until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.
Question 24
What is the effect of the apparitions' prophecies?
Answer:
They give Macbeth a false sense of security, so he becomes overconfident. The riddles are technically true but misleading, showing the danger of equivocation.
Question 25
What is Macbeth's reaction to the news about Macduff's family?
Answer:
He orders the murder of Macduff's wife, children and servants, which shows he has become a tyrant. It is a pointless, brutal act and it turns the audience and Macduff against him.
Question 26
Why does Malcolm test Macduff in Act 4 Scene 3?
Answer:
To check whether Macduff is loyal or a spy for Macbeth. By claiming to be worse than Macbeth, Malcolm shows that a good king should have virtues such as honesty and compassion.
Question 27
How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking in Act 5 Scene 1?
Answer:
She speaks in prose, rubs her hands and cries 'Out, damned spot!' The broken, disordered speech shows her mind breaking down under guilt and supports the theme of conscience.
Question 28
What does 'Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow' show about Macbeth in Act 5?
Answer:
His despair after hearing of Lady Macbeth's death. He sees life as meaningless, a 'walking shadow' and a tale told by an idiot, which shows how hollow his ambition has become.
Question 29
How is 'Birnam Wood' used to fulfil the prophecy?
Answer:
Malcolm's army cut branches from Birnam Wood to hide their numbers, so the wood appears to move towards Dunsinane. It is an example of a prophecy that comes true in an unexpected way.
Question 30
What is the meaning of Macduff being 'from his mother's womb untimely ripped'?
Answer:
Macduff was born by caesarean, so he was not technically 'born of woman'. This makes Macbeth realise the witches have tricked him with riddles.
Question 31
How does Macbeth die, and how does Shakespeare present his death?
Answer:
Macduff kills him offstage, but Macbeth fights to the end despite his fear. Malcolm describes him as a 'dead butcher' and Lady Macbeth as a 'fiend-like queen', which restores moral order.
Question 32
Who becomes king at the end of the play?
Answer:
Malcolm, Duncan's eldest son. His final speech promises to restore order and reward his loyal thanes, which suggests a return to natural, legitimate rule.
Question 33
How does Macbeth change from the start of the play to the end?
Answer:
He begins as a brave and loyal soldier, becomes a murderer and tyrant, and ends isolated and despairing. His descent shows how ambition without morality destroys a person.
Question 34
How does Lady Macbeth change across the play?
Answer:
She begins as the strong, ruthless planner and ends consumed by guilt and sleepwalking, and probably dies by suicide. Her collapse contrasts with Macbeth's growing numbness.
Question 35
What is Banquo's role in the play?
Answer:
He acts as a foil to Macbeth: he hears the same prophecies but remains loyal and resists temptation. His ghost then becomes a symbol of Macbeth's guilt.
Question 36
How is Macduff presented?
Answer:
As a loyal patriot and the avenger of Duncan. His grief for his family ('He has no children') makes him human and gives his killing of Macbeth emotional weight.
Question 37
How is Duncan presented?
Answer:
As a good, trusting, saintly king, but also a little naive because he trusts people who betray him. His goodness makes Macbeth's crime seem even worse.
Question 38
What is the theme of ambition in Macbeth?
Answer:
Ambition is shown as a destructive force that drives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to murder and ends in ruin. Shakespeare shows that ambition without morality leads to suffering and loss of humanity.
Question 39
How does Shakespeare explore fate versus free will?
Answer:
The witches' prophecies suggest fate, but Macbeth chooses to act on them. The play suggests we are responsible for our choices even when tempted.
Question 40
How does Shakespeare use blood imagery?
Answer:
Blood stands for guilt, violence and murder. It appears in the dagger scene, the murders and Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking, and it grows from a symbol of battlefield honour to one of shame.
Question 41
How does Shakespeare use darkness and night?
Answer:
Characters call on night to hide their crimes ('Stars, hide your fires'). Darkness represents evil, secrecy and moral confusion, and light is associated with Duncan and goodness.
Question 42
How does Shakespeare use sleep as a motif?
Answer:
Macbeth hears a voice cry 'Macbeth does murder sleep', which shows he has lost peace of mind. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking shows guilt invading even her rest.
Question 43
What does clothing imagery show about Macbeth?
Answer:
He is described as wearing 'borrowed robes' and 'strange garments'. It suggests he is unfit to be king and is wearing a title that does not belong to him.
Question 44
How is masculinity presented in Macbeth?
Answer:
Lady Macbeth links manhood to violence and daring, and uses it to manipulate Macbeth. Macduff and Malcolm show another view: a real man can grieve and be compassionate.
Question 45
What is equivocation, and how is it used in the play?
Answer:
Speaking in a way that is deliberately misleading while technically true. The witches' prophecies and Macbeth's lies after the murder use equivocation to deceive.
Question 46
How does the supernatural affect the plot?
Answer:
The witches' prophecies tempt Macbeth, the dagger and ghost reveal his guilt, and the apparitions mislead him. The supernatural shows evil and temptation, but Macbeth still makes the choices.
Question 47
What does Macbeth's soliloquy form allow Shakespeare to show?
Answer:
It gives direct access to a character's thoughts and conflict, which creates sympathy even when Macbeth is a murderer. It also shows his changing state of mind.
Question 48
How does Shakespeare use verse and prose in Macbeth?
Answer:
Noble characters usually speak in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter), while witches use rhyming chants. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking is in prose, which shows her broken state of mind.
Question 49
How does the structure of Macbeth show Macbeth's rise and fall?
Answer:
The first half builds towards the murder and Macbeth's rise to the throne. After the murder of Banquo (the turning point), his control slips and the play moves towards defeat and Malcolm's return.
Question 50
What is dramatic irony in Macbeth?
Answer:
When the audience knows more than the characters, for example that Duncan will be murdered when he praises Macbeth's castle. It builds tension and makes the characters' trust painful to watch.

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