Act 5

Test out your knowledge of the events and characters in Act 5 by answering these questions:

• How does Lady Macbeth's behaviour in Act 5, scene 1 affect the way the audience sees her?
• Angus says that Macbeth's royal title is “...like a giant's robe/Upon a dwarfish thief” (Act 5, scene 2, lines 21-22). Explain, in your own words, what this means, and whether it is a fair description of Macbeth. Can you find other references in the play to the wearing of clothes, as a metaphor or simile (as here) for something else?
• Why does Macbeth say (Act 5, scene 3) “that he must not look to have...that which should accompany old age”? What are these things and what does he expect to have “in their stead”?
• Why does Malcolm order his soldiers to cut boughs from the trees of Birnam Wood? Explain the ways in which the audience and (later) Macbeth see more in this action than Malcolm has intended in giving the order.
• Macbeth claims that he has “almost forgot the taste of fears”. Is this a convincing claim? Give reasons for your answer.
• Perhaps the most famous speech in the play is the one that begins “Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow”. In your own words, summarise the main points that Macbeth makes in this speech.
• When Macbeth fights Young Siward he is very confident of the outcome? Why is this? Is he right to be so confident?
• Macduff believes that he alone should kill Macbeth. Why does he think this? What other reason emerges, when he speaks with Macbeth, for his being the only person who should do this?
• How does Macbeth feel about fighting Macduff? What makes up his mind to do so?
• How does Old Siward feel about the death of his son? He makes a joke at this point - does this suggest that he doesn't care, or that he is controlling his feelings?