44 practice questions with answers and explanations for Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
These questions come from LumLysia's study edition of Macbeth. Each one is written the way class quizzes ask it — plot detail, character motive, and the language that gets tested — and every answer includes the reasoning behind it. Work through them section by section, or jump to the part your class is on.
Reading the play or novel itself?
Read Macbeth in clear modern English on LumLysia — the full text side by side with the original, plus literary lens annotations already done for you.
Download the printable PDF
What primary motivation drives the Witches' decision to meet Macbeth?
Answer: C. To influence his destiny
The Witches' specific intent to meet Macbeth after a battle, combined with their ominous nature, strongly implies a desire to interfere with or shape his future, rather than merely observe or warn.
The Witches' final chant, 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair,' primarily reveals their:
Answer: C. Subversion of natural order and morality
This paradoxical statement directly expresses their inversion of conventional values, suggesting a world where good and evil are indistinguishable or even swapped, setting a tone of moral ambiguity for the play.
According to the Witches' plan, what must happen before their next meeting?
Answer: C. A battle must conclude
That's correct! The First Witch explicitly states, 'When the hurlyburly’s done, When the battle’s lost and won,' indicating the conclusion of a conflict is a prerequisite for their next gathering.
Where do the Witches specifically agree to meet Macbeth?
Answer: C. Upon the heath
You got it! The Second Witch clearly states, 'Upon the heath,' and then confirms, 'There to meet with Macbeth,' establishing the precise location for their future encounter.
What specific atmospheric conditions are present when the three Witches first appear?
Answer: B. Thunder and lightning
recall! The stage directions explicitly state 'Thunder and Lightning' at the very beginning of the scene, setting an immediate ominous tone.
The First Witch's familiar is named:
Answer: B. Graymalkin
The First Witch exclaims, 'I come, Graymalkin!', revealing the name of her spirit companion.
The Second Witch's familiar is named:
Answer: C. Paddock
That's right! The Second Witch announces, 'Paddock calls,' indicating her familiar is a toad.
The Witches plan to meet again at what specific time relative to the sun?
Answer: C. Before sunset
The First Witch states, 'That will be ere the set of sun,' specifying their meeting will occur before nightfall.
What specific type of location is chosen for the Witches' second meeting?
Answer: C. An open heath
You've got it! The Second Witch clearly states, 'Upon the heath,' as the designated meeting place.
The phrase 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' primarily serves to:
Answer: A. Establish the Witches' moral ambiguity and the play's central theme of deceptive appearances
analysis! This paradoxical statement immediately introduces the play's central theme of moral confusion and the deceptive nature of reality, setting a tone of uncertainty and subversion.
The dramatic purpose of opening the play with the Witches in a stormy, desolate setting is to:
Answer: B. Immediately establish an atmosphere of supernatural influence and moral disorder
The opening scene with the Witches and the turbulent weather instantly immerses the audience in a world governed by dark, supernatural forces and foreshadows the moral chaos that will unfold.
Which of the following best describes King Duncan's primary motivation in this scene?
Answer: B. To reward loyalty and punish treason within his realm.
Duncan's actions, such as ordering Cawdor's execution and bestowing his title upon Macbeth, clearly demonstrate his focus on upholding justice and rewarding valor.
Macbeth's actions against Macdonwald, as described by the bleeding Captain, primarily reveal his:
Answer: C. Brutal efficiency and disregard for conventional combat courtesies.
The Captain's vivid description of Macbeth 'unseam[ing] him from the nave to the chops' and fixing his head on the battlements highlights a savage, decisive, and almost ritualistic violence, far beyond mere strategic genius.
What is the chronological order of the threats faced by Scotland as reported in this scene?
Answer: C. Macdonwald's rebellion, then a fresh Norwegian assault.
The Captain first describes Macdonwald's rebellion, and then states that 'No sooner justice had... Compell'd these skipping kerns to trust their heels, But the Norweyan lord... Began a fresh assault.'
What is the immediate consequence of the Thane of Cawdor's disloyalty?
Answer: C. He is immediately ordered to be executed and his title given to Macbeth.
Duncan explicitly states, 'Go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth,' directly after hearing of Cawdor's betrayal.
From what specific body part to what other specific body part did Macbeth 'unseam' Macdonwald?
Answer: C. From the nave to the chops.
The Captain graphically describes Macbeth's action: 'Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chops.'
How much money did the King of Norway have to pay to bury his dead soldiers?
Answer: B. Ten thousand dollars.
Ross reports that Sweno would not be allowed burial 'Till he disbursed at Saint Colme’s Inch Ten thousand dollars to our general use.'
Upon what did Macbeth fix Macdonwald's severed head?
Answer: C. Our battlements.
The Captain states Macbeth 'fix'd his head upon our battlements.'
The bleeding Captain uses which animal comparison to illustrate Macbeth and Banquo's fearlessness against the renewed Norwegian assault?
Answer: C. Sparrows to eagles, or the hare to the lion.
The Captain sarcastically replies, 'Yes; As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion,' to Duncan's question about whether Macbeth and Banquo were dismayed.
From which specific region did Ross report coming?
Answer: B. Fife.
Ross tells Duncan, 'From Fife, great King, Where the Norweyan banners flout the sky.'
The repeated emphasis on Macbeth's extreme violence in battle, such as 'unseam'd him from the nave to the chops,' primarily serves to:
Answer: C. Highlight the brutal nature of warfare in 11th-century Scotland and Macbeth's effectiveness within it.
While Macbeth's violence is extreme, in this context, it is presented as heroic and necessary for victory, establishing his prowess as a warrior within the brutal realities of his time. It sets a baseline for his capacity for violence, which will later be turned to darker purposes.
King Duncan's immediate decision to strip Cawdor of his title and bestow it upon Macbeth underscores which thematic concept?
Answer: B. The swift and absolute nature of royal justice and reward.
Duncan's decree, 'Go pronounce his present death, And with his former title greet Macbeth,' demonstrates his power to instantly punish treason and reward loyalty, emphasizing the direct and absolute authority of the monarch.
Which of the following best describes Macbeth's initial reaction to the Witches' prophecies, particularly the prediction of him becoming king?
Answer: C. A mixture of fear and intense contemplation, leading to a 'rapt' state.
Macbeth is described as 'rapt' and later expresses internal conflict, noting how the 'horrid image' of regicide makes his 'seated heart knock at my ribs,' indicating a profound and unsettling impact.
Banquo's primary concern regarding the Witches' prophecies, as expressed in his dialogue with Macbeth, is that they might:
Answer: C. Be 'instruments of darkness' that 'win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence.'
Banquo explicitly warns Macbeth that 'oftentimes to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths; Win us with honest trifles, to betray's In deepest consequence,' highlighting his moral caution.
The immediate consequence of Ross and Angus's arrival on the heath is that it:
Answer: B. Confirms the Witches' prophecy that Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor.
Ross and Angus arrive specifically to inform Macbeth that King Duncan has bestowed upon him the title of Thane of Cawdor, directly fulfilling one of the Witches' predictions.
What causes Macbeth to enter a state of deep contemplation and internal conflict after encountering the Witches?
Answer: C. The confirmation of the Thane of Cawdor prophecy by Ross and Angus.
The confirmation of the Cawdor prophecy by Ross and Angus makes the Witches' words seem credible, triggering Macbeth's intense internal struggle about the possibility of becoming king.
What specific food item did the sailor's wife have in her lap, which angered the First Witch?
Answer: B. Chestnuts
The First Witch recounts, 'A sailor’s wife had chestnuts in her lap, And mounch’d, and mounch’d, and mounch’d.'
What object did the First Witch claim to possess, taken from a shipwrecked pilot?
Answer: C. A pilot's thumb
The First Witch displays, 'Here I have a pilot’s thumb, Wrack’d as homeward he did come.'
To what distant city had the sailor, whose wife angered the First Witch, sailed?
Answer: C. Aleppo
The First Witch states, 'Her husband’s to Aleppo gone, master o’ th’ Tiger.'
What unconventional vessel does the First Witch claim she will use to sail after the sailor?
Answer: B. A kitchen sieve
The First Witch declares, 'But in a sieve I’ll thither sail.'
How many times do the Weird Sisters circle, according to their chant, to 'make up nine' for their charm?
Answer: B. Three times
The Witches chant, 'Thrice to thine, and thrice to mine, And thrice again, to make up nine.'
Macbeth's opening line, 'So foul and fair a day I have not seen,' immediately after the Witches' departure, primarily serves to:
Answer: B. Establish a direct thematic link to the Witches' earlier paradoxical statement.
This line directly echoes the Witches' 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' from Scene I, immediately connecting Macbeth to their corrupting influence and the play's central theme of equivocation and moral ambiguity.
Banquo's observation that Macbeth's 'New honours come upon him, Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould But with the aid of use,' primarily employs which literary device?
Answer: C. A simile, comparing new honors to ill-fitting clothing, symbolizing usurped or unearned authority.
This is a classic simile that uses the motif of clothing to symbolize how Macbeth's newly acquired (and soon-to-be acquired) titles do not naturally fit him, suggesting they are not rightfully his and require effort to 'wear' comfortably.
What does Macbeth's aside reveal about his immediate reaction to Malcolm being named Prince of Cumberland?
Answer: C. He views Malcolm as a direct impediment to his own ambition.
Macbeth's aside 'That is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, / For in my way it lies' clearly indicates he perceives Malcolm as an obstacle to his own path to the throne.
King Duncan's statement, 'There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face,' primarily highlights his:
Answer: B. Naiveté and poor judgment of character.
Duncan makes this statement immediately after learning of the former Cawdor's treason, whom he had 'built / An absolute trust' upon. This demonstrates his inability to discern true intentions, making him vulnerable.
The primary consequence of Duncan naming Malcolm the Prince of Cumberland is that it:
Answer: C. Creates a new, unexpected obstacle for Macbeth's ambition.
Macbeth's aside explicitly states, 'The Prince of Cumberland!—That is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, / For in my way it lies,' indicating it's an impediment to his desires.
What action by Duncan directly precedes Macbeth's decision to invite the King to Inverness?
Answer: B. Duncan announces his intention to visit Macbeth's castle.
Duncan says, 'From hence to Inverness, / And bind us further to you.' Macbeth then responds with his aside about the Prince of Cumberland, and then exits, presumably to prepare for the King's arrival. Macbeth's line 'I’ll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful / The hearing of my wife with your approach' is his stated reason for leaving, which is a direct response to Duncan's plan to visit.
According to Malcolm, what did the former Thane of Cawdor confess before his execution?
Answer: B. His deep repentance and treasons.
Malcolm states, 'very frankly he confess’d his treasons, / Implor’d your Highness’ pardon, and set forth / A deep repentance.'
King Duncan uses a specific agricultural metaphor to describe his intention for Macbeth's future. What does he say he has begun to do with Macbeth?
Answer: C. To plant him.
Duncan says, 'I have begun to plant thee, and will labour / To make thee full of growing.'
What celestial bodies does Duncan compare 'signs of nobleness' to, which shall shine on all deservers?
Answer: C. Stars.
Duncan states, 'But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine / On all deservers.'
Where does King Duncan announce he will travel next, intending to 'bind us further' to Macbeth?
Answer: C. Inverness.
Duncan says, 'From hence to Inverness, / And bind us further to you.'
What specific title does King Duncan bestow upon his eldest son, Malcolm, in this scene?
Answer: C. Prince of Cumberland.
Duncan declares, 'whom we name hereafter / The Prince of Cumberland.'
Duncan's repeated expressions of trust and generosity towards Macbeth and the former Thane of Cawdor primarily serve to highlight which thematic concept?
Answer: C. The dramatic irony of appearance versus reality.
Duncan's trust in Cawdor, who betrayed him, and his subsequent trust in Macbeth, who is plotting against him, creates profound dramatic irony, emphasizing the theme that appearances can be deceiving.
Macbeth's soliloquy, 'Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires,' primarily reveals his:
Answer: B. Desire to conceal his murderous intentions.
The lines explicitly state his wish for darkness to hide his 'black and deep desires' and for his 'eye wink at the hand,' indicating a conscious effort to conceal his evil thoughts and impending actions.
Want the rest?
The full quiz bank, chapter recaps, timelines, and the complete modern translation are in the Macbeth reader. Browse every title in the LumLysia library.