Macbeth act iv reading questions
1. what literary device is used in lines 10-11 and 20-21? what effect does it have?
2. how is macbeth’s response to the witches different in this scene than his first meeting with them in act 1? what
does this shift tell you about his character and his mental state?
3. reread lines 79-81. note the prophecy’s apparent promise of safety. what effect do you think this prophecy will
have on macbeth?
4. after receiving all three of the demons’ prophecies, how is macbeth feeling? do you think it is wise for him to
feel this way? why or why not?
5. in lines 112-124, macbeth sees a line of eight kings and then many more reflected in the mirror that the eighth
holds in his hands—and all of them look like banquo. banquo himself even arrives, bloodied and ghostly, to claim these as his descendants. what do you think is going through macbeth’s mind as he witnesses this final vision?
6. in lines 144-156, macbeth expresses his frustration at being unable to kill macduff and blames his own hesitation as the reason why macduff was able to escape from his clutches. why do you think macbeth then impulsively decides to then murder macduff’s entire family line?
scene 2
7. in what sense are lady macduff’s comments about her husband’s cowardice ironic? what is the real reason that macduff has left?
8. why do you think lady macduff tells her son that his father is dead, even though the boy just overheard her conversation with ross?
9. reread lady macduff’s speech in lines 69-75. how have some of the characters in this play reflected her conclusions about “this earthly world” and what is rewarded?
scene 3
10. what is ironic about macduff’s speech in lines 2-8 and about malcolm’s statement to macduff in line 14 that “[macbeth] hath not touched [macduff] yet”?
11. what is the allusion in line 21 referring to? why is this allusion a particularly apt comparison for macbeth? (consider his traits and accomplishments in act
12. at this point in their discussion, do macduff’s responses to malcolm’s statements of his lack of virtue make macduff seem honorable and trustworthy—that is, someone whom malcolm can fully trust? why or why not?
13. why do you think malcolm pretends to be evil when he speaks to macduff?
14. reread lines 164-173, in which the audience learns that in macbeth’s bloody reign, screams go unnoticed (are
made, not marked) and violent sorrow has become commonplace (modern ecstasy). what emotions does
macbeth inspire in the audience as a tragic hero at this point of the play?
15. what literary device is used in line 189, and what is its effect on the audience?
16. how does macduff provide us with a different view of manhood than we have seen before? do you think his
idea of manhood is better than what we’ve seen before? why or why not?
17. what event does macduff’s speech in lines 233-238 foreshadow?
post reading
18. lady macduff and malcolm both question macduff’s reasons for fleeing scotland. think about the crimes macbeth has already committed; why might the nature and manner of these crimes have led macduff to believe that his family would be safe in his castle?
19. the witches show macbeth a series of three apparitions after he commands them to reveal his fate. draw an illustration of each apparition and briefly summarize what they say to macbeth.
20. according to some people, knowledge is power. when might this be true? when might it not be true? provide at least one concrete example from the play that prove and disprove this definition of ‘knowledge.’