Macbeth Test (questions and answers)

. Macbeth won the respect of King Duncan by

A. slaying the traitor Macdonwald. (Act I scene II)

B. serving as a gracious host for his king.

C. not pleading for advancement.

2. King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him

A. the Earl of Sinel.

B. the Thane of Cawdor him. . (act I scene II)

C. Bellona's bridegroom

3. In addressing Banquo, the witches called him which of these?

"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I)

"Not so happy as Macbeth, yet much happier." (II)

"A future father of kings." (III)

A. I and II

B. I and III (act I scene III)

C. I, II, and III

4. When Macbeth said, "Two truths are told / As happy prologues" he was referring to

A. his titles of Glamis and Cawdor.

B. the victories against the kerns and gallowglasses.

C. the predictions made to Banquo and to himself. (act I scene III)

5. "Nothing in his life / Became him like the leaving it" is a reference to

A. the traitorous Thane of Cawdor.  (act I scene IV)

B. Banquo's son, Fleance.

C. Duncan's son, Donalbain.

6. Duncan's statement, "I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing" is an example of

A. a simile.

B. a metaphor.  (Act I scene IV)

C. personification.

7. Lady Macbeth characterizes her husband as being

A. "the glass of fashion and the mould of form."

B. "too full of the milk of human kindness." (act I scene V)

C. "a cannon overcharg'd with a double crack."

8. When Macbeth agonizes over the possible killing of the king, which of these does he say?

"He is my house guest; I should protect him." (I)

"Duncan's virtues will "plead like angels" " (II)

"I am his kinsman and his subject" (III)

A. I and III

B. II and III

C. I, II, and III (Act I Scene VII)

9. Macbeth's statement to his wife, "Bring forth men-children only" signifies that he

A. is proud of his wife's transformation. ( act I scene VII)

B. is concerned over the succession to the throne.

C. has accepted the challenge to slay the king.

10. As part of the plan to kill the king, Lady Macbeth would

A. get the chamberlains drunk. (act II scene II)

B. smear Duncan's face with blood.

C. arrange an alibi for Macbeth.

11. Trace Macbeth's transformation from a good man to an evil man.

·         Macbeth begins as a hero. He is given a title, and the glory of heroism. He meets witches that foretell of his assent to the throne, and begins to have thoughts. He is pushed even further down the path of destruction by his wife who hears of the potential crown. As the thoughts continue to circle in Macbeth’s head, he further develops the idea of betrayal  of those to whom he was once loyal. When the opportunity presents itself, he cannot help but take it.

12. What motivates Macbeth to take the evil path he chooses?

·         Macbeth is motivated by the idea of glory. He is also motivated by his dominate wife, who pushes him to pursue a higher title than the one that he possesses. Because of his love for her, and his desire to please her as well as fulfill his deeper, darker desire, he takes steps that lead him down a darker path.   

13. What influence do the witches have on Macbeth?

·         The witches tell Macbeth that he can obtain what he desires. They tell him of a reality that his darkest self wishes to possess. They appeal, and fuel the repressed desires of a loyal, faithful man, and introduce him to another life.

14. Contrast Macbeth's response to the witches' predictions with Banquo's.

·         Macbeth inquires how to obtain the predictions. He questions the validity, and wishes to explore his options in relation to the procurement of the prophesies. Banquo listens to the ideas presented to him, and questions no further. He is honored by the thought of his descendants obtaining the throne, but does not question how or when it will come to pass.

15. Describe the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Trace how it changes over the course of the play.

·         At the outset of the play, Macbeth is ruled by the desires of Lady Macbeth. What she wants, she obtains through the manipulation of her husband. (while he is an honorable man) After she has convinced her husband to commit treason, he becomes more distant, and consumed by guilt, and must face the horror of what he has done. She has an equal part in guilt, but is not plagued by the feelings of remorse, or by the visions that her husband is, until it consumes her. Because Macbeth has become more distant, he becomes a more independent thinker, acting for himself, instead of falling prey to his wife’s desires and manipulations.  

PART 2

1. "Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible / To feeling as to sight?" is a reference to the

A. ghost of Banquo.

B. dagger.

C. bubbling cauldron.

2. Lady Macbeth confessed that she would have killed King Duncan herself except for the fact that

A. she couldn't gain easy access to his bedchamber

B. he looked like her father

C. one of Duncan's guards spied her on the to stairway

3. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to

A. allow Macduff to gain admission to the castle.  (Act II scene III)

B. remind the audience of the Witches' prophecies.

C. provide comic relief.

4. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder

A. because they fear the daggers in men's smiles. (act II scene III)

B. in order to join Macduff in England.

C. lest they be blamed for it.

5. Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death by telling the hired killers that

A. Banquo had thwarted their careers. (act III scene I)

B. if they fail, they will pay with their own lives.

C. he will eradicate all records of their previous crimes.

6. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by

A. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo (act III scene III)

B. attempting to wash the blood from his hands

C. saying to Lady Macbeth that, "Murder will out."

7. The Witches threw into the cauldron

"Eye of newt and tongue of frog"(I)

"Wool of bat and tongue of dog" (II)

"Fang of snake and eagle's glare" (III)

A. I and II (act IV scene I)

B. I and III

C. II and III

8. The three apparitions which appeared to Macbeth were

An armed head. (I)

A child with a crown. (II)

A bloody child (III)

A. I and II

B. II and III

C. I, II, and III (act IV scene I)

9. In Act IV, Malcolm is at first lukewarm toward Macduff because he

A. wasn't prepared to overthrow Macbeth.

B. suspects a trick.

C. wasn't worthy of becoming king, in his opinion. (act IV scene III)

10. Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane when

A. the witches rendezvous with Macbeth.

B. the camouflaged soldiers make their advance.

C. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to stand and fight.  (act V scene III)

11. What is the significance of the line "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (I, i, 10)?

·         In omniscient point of view that is possessed by the audience, the topsy-turvy morality of the actions performed by the characters is visible. “Fair is foul, and foul is fair,”  makes reference to all of the otherwise treacherous and backwards actions that are being taken in the betrayal of the king, and the plotting that is done by the parties whom Macbeth has wronged.

12. How does Macbeth function as a morality play?

·         Macbeth serves to illustrate the morality that had existed in the past in Scotland and to serve the superstitious beliefs of the day. Macbeth showed the faulty processes of the former monarchs in Scotland, while entertaining with witches that were dark, powerful entertaining Shakespeare’s audience. He made the characters examples of the most extreme changes in character, and the most horrific acts that could be committed for the possession of power, relief of paranoia, and to ease the conscience. Shakespeare also showed the dangers of rationalization of our actions through his main character. Macbeth rationalized away the murders of those that trusted him, while becoming calloused to the other events taking place around him and stepping further and further down a dark and dangerous path (from which there was no return).

13. How does Shakespeare use the technique of dramatic irony in Macbeth?

·         Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to show the darkness of the characters, and to show the stages of guilt, and the changing of Macbeth from honorable man to traitor. In the end, everything that Macbeth had fought for had turned on him. He was haunted by his actions. Finally, the punishments that he had ordered for others were doled out to him in return for his horrific deeds because of his shift to a more evil version of what he had been.

14. How does Lady Macbeth overcome her husband's resistance to the idea of killing King Duncan?

·         Lady Macbeth uses manipulation and guilt trips to persuade her husband that he should fulfill a promise that he made to her. She tells him of the perfect opportunity that has presented itself, and then proceeds to tell her husband the upside, rather than focusing on the dark, treacherous side.

15. Contrast Macduff's response to the news of his wife's and children's deaths with Macbeth's response to being told Lady Macbeth is dead.

·         Macduff was heart-broken by the news of his wife and children. He was hurt by the pain he had caused them, and took the blame for their deaths upon himself because of his abandonment. Macbeth simply recognized the fragility of life, and failed to come to terms with the ideas that Macduff grasped. Macbeth did not take responsibility, or even recognize the gravity of the situation. He was distracted by the threat on his own life. 

Poetry Remix

She Walks in Beauty byGeorge Gordon, Lord Byron
Dramatic Situation: Seeing a beautiful woman from a distance.
Speaker: a distant obserber.
Context/Setting: A place where an onlooker can look, with no inturruption.
Structure:ABABAB, CDCDCD, EFEFEF- (with 8 syllable lines)
Three paragraphs: Paragraph 1 describes beauty, states a fact. Paragraph 2 tells how she is beautiful. Paragraph 3 tells why she is beautiful.
Theme: She is beautiful because of everything about here. Not only a physical appearence.
Diction: mends words to fit the 8 syllable lines. Innocent, beauty, eloquent. adjectives used to describe beauty.
Grammar and Meaning: colons and semi-colons are used to separate ideas withing the poem.
Images and Figures of Speech: Similes: "she walks in beauty, like the night"
Tone: In awe of the woman and her beauty.
Lit Devices: Personification- gives traits to the woman's beauty, rather than the woman.

She Walks in Beauty

By Lord Byron (George Gordon) 1788–1824 Lord Byron (George Gordon)

She walks in beauty, like the night

   Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that’s best of dark and bright

   Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

   Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

   Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven tress,

   Or softly lightens o’er her face;

Where thoughts serenely sweet express,

   How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

   So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,

   But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

   A heart whose love is innocent!



A week in Rewind

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities is exactly that. It follows parallel stories that take place in two cities (London and Paris) before and during the French Revolution.

     I first read this poem in Miss Reineke's English class my freshman year. This was my introduction to poetry. It caused me to think. What do I want, sitting in my small classroom without windows, reading poetry about people who have influenced people in amazing ways. What do I matter? How do I compare to Langston Hughes writing for his English teacher. This poem still echoes in everything that I do. "Let it come out of you, and then it will be true."
   I'm very glad this was my introduction to poetry, and that now I have the opportunity to share it with others. I learned an awful lot about myself from a poem written for someone else's class.

THEME FOR ENGLISH B

By Langston Hughes

The instructor said,

Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you---
Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it's that simple? 
I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. 
I went to school there, then Durham, then here 
to this college on the hill above Harlem. 
I am the only colored student in my class. 
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem 
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas, 
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y, 
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator 
up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

It's not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me---we two---you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York too.) Me---who?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records---Bessie, bop, or Bach.
I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT like
the same things other folks like who are other races.
So will my page be colored that I write?
Being me, it will not be white.
But it will be
a part of you, instructor.
You are white---
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That's American.
Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that's true!
As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me---
although you're older---and white---
and somewhat more free.

This is my page for English B.

1951

Big Question: Abstract

The purpose of this inquiry is to determine whether fictional stories that focus on love and interpersonal relationships create a skewed view of the realistic expectations for long- term happiness.  Literature defines the stories to which I refer as romance novels and in television, romantic comedies, and even some dramas, fairy tales too fall into the category to which I refer. In these novels, or narratives that have been passed through generations, good characters after some trouble, come to good ends. Meanwhile, their “evil” counterparts are defeated and become miserable.   I intend to investigate the impact that “romance” novels have on the relationships, and the expectations that occur due to the avid belief in the ideas portrayed in the novels.  I intend to focus especially on the expectations that occur in the current generation. I hope to see a coloration in changes in the psychological and anthropological trends, due to the relevance of romance stories in the media.

"By their deeds shall ye know them." We often judge people by what they do; therefore, we consider people who commit cruel or reprehensible acts corrupt, base or amoral. In literature, however, authors often introduce us to characters whom we learn to like or even respect, despite their deeds.

Write an essay about one such character for whom you developed admiration or compassion. Briefly explain why you felt his or her behavior to be condemnable or contemptible, and how the author's techniques influenced you to admire that person. Do not summarize the plot. (40 minutes)"

In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we find ourselves in the middle of a story in Puritan Massachusetts. A married woman was found to be pregnant, with a child that was not her husband’s, as he had not been seen in years. Hester Prynne was branded with a scarlet A, and forced to live outside the small community.  The community watched and judged as the woman raised her daughter without her unknown lover. The authorities condemned her, and called all others to see her as an example.  The ailing Reverend Dimmsdale was among the judges who watched as Hester and her unborn child were sentenced. We come to find out that Dimmsdale was the unnamed partner, and had been suffering inwardly as he watched the events unfold.

                Dimmsdale allows the guilt of his actions to consume him. He creates a hell for himself because of his great sins. As a devoted minister, he taught the value of living a chaste and moral life, while he himself had committed a sin of the highest degree. In the Puritan community, Dimmsdale was revered for his morality, and his ability to preach the correct principles for the dogmatic congregation. Despite his age, he was seen as an authority on maintaining the laws and statues expected of those in the settlement. He was ailing, all around him could see. He had a mystery illness, and looked to be much older than his actual age. Reverend Dimmsdale had created a personal punishment for himself, because his actions were not known to those around him. He did not confess to being a party in the adultery, but he suffered more because of the inward guilt he felt for Hester’s public suffering.  

                The Reverend’s health continued to suffer. He became friends with a mysterious doctor who moved into the small community. The doctor was Hester Prynne’s husband, Roger Chilingsworth. He suspected that the Reverend had been the man with which his wife had an affair. He made it his mission to cause more suffering to the worsening condition of Dimmsdale.  As his suspicions were confirmed, Chilingsworth did his best to ruin the life of the already guilt ridden man with whom he lived.  Dimmsdale’s life became consumed with the guilt he felt for abandoning his child, and leaving his lover to suffer alone in silence.

Dimmsdale’s actions in the public were self-preserving, and cowardly.  Nathaniel Hawthore, however allowed the reader to see the suffering that was actually felt by a man who to others seemed to be pure. The suffering caused by the guilt, and by the infliction of a scorned husband, allows compassion to be felt. It is felt even more strongly when, at the conclusion of the novel, we see the scarlet “A” branded into the flesh of the dead Reverend in the center of the town, for everyone to see.  We see, through his death by self-inflicted guilt, that the child, and the lover were never far from his mind, and that the unnamed man suffered more than the publicly condemned woman.