Understanding themes, characters and plot in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' | English

Starter quiz

True or false? Shakespeare's works often have recurring ideas or concepts.
- True ✓
- False
What abstract noun would best fit the blank in the following sentence? 'Macbeth’s overwhelming desire for __________ leads him to commit terrible acts.'
- love
- community
- power ✓
- belonging
What is the year of William Shakespeare's birth?
- 1564 ✓
- 1589
- 1606
- 1623
Where did William Shakespeare spend most of his professional career?
- Edinburgh
- London ✓
- Oxford
- Stratford-upon-Avon
Which monarch was ruling England during most of Shakespeare's lifetime?
- King Charles I
- King James I
- Queen Elizabeth I ✓
- Queen Elizabeth II
What was the Globe Theatre mainly used for?
- staging the performances of young children's plays
- staging the performances of William Shakespeare's plays ✓
- staging the performances of tragedies only
- staging the performances of orchestras

What adjectives are appropriate to describe the character of Macbeth?
- ambitious ✓
- innocent
- content
- guilty ✓
- tyrannical ✓
How does Macbeth feel after the death of Duncan?
- relaxed
- guilty ✓
- content
- paranoid ✓
- fearful ✓
What are the causes of Macbeth’s tragic downfall?
- witches' prophecies ✓
- kindness and compassion
- impulsive decisions ✓
- considered choices
- Lady Macbeth's manipulation ✓
What is the prophecy that drives Macbeth to kill Duncan?
- Macbeth will have a child soon with Lady Macbeth.
- Macbeth will become the King of Scotland. ✓
- Macbeth will become the King of England.
- Macbeth will never become the King of Scotland.
Order the key themes as they unfold in 'Macbeth' in chronological order.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  prophecy and ambition
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  guilt and paranoia
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  Lady Macbeth's decline
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  Macbeth's downfall
Match the key events to their brief descriptions.
- prophecy and ambition
  
  ⇔
  
  Macbeth becomes fixated on becoming king. ✓
- guilt and paranoia
  
  ⇔
  
  Macbeth attempts to eliminate threats to his reign. ✓
- Lady Macbeth’s decline
  
  ⇔
  
  Lady Macbeth begins to suffer from guilt-induced madness. ✓
- Macbeth’s downfall
  
  ⇔
  
  Macbeth is ultimately killed by Macduff. ✓

The play ‘Macbeth’ is a tragedy set in Scotland during the medieval period.
A theme is a central idea that the writer intends the audience to engage deeply with.
The key themes in ‘Macbeth’ are ambition, power, manipulation, betrayal and guilt.
The plot tells of Macbeth, a Scottish general, and his bid to kill others in order to become the King of Scotland.

'Macbeth' solely depicts the triumph of evil.

Shakespeare depicts the intricacies of the human condition and the multifaceted motivations behind characters' actions.

Theme - a central idea that the writer intends the audience to engage deeply with
Play - a dramatic work originally intended for the stage
General - a senior officer in an army
Monarch - a ruler who holds supreme and hereditary power over a state or territory, often referred to as a king or queen