MCQ ON MACBETH BY SHAKESPEARE

1. Why does Macbeth become Thane of Cawdor?

a. He is the son of the last Thane of Cawdor.

b. He kills the last Thane of Cawdor.

c. Duncan rewards him for bravery and loyalty.

d. The witches predicted it.



2. What is Lady Macbeth’s attitude toward the murder of Duncan before it happens?

a. She encourages it.

b. She is torn between loyalty to the king and ambition for her husband.

c. She is worried about the consequences.

d. She urges Macbeth not to do it. 

3. Why do people suspect Malcolm and Donalbain of being behind Duncan’s murder?

a. Lady Macbeth smears blood on them.

b. Lady Macbeth hides the bloody daggers in their belongings.

c. They often fought with their father.

d. Their running away makes them look guilty. 

4. What is the main reason that Macbeth kills Banquo?

a. jealousy

b. fear that Banquo saw him kill Duncan

c. Banquo’s lack of loyalty

d. The witches’ prediction that Banquo’s sons and grandsons will be kings 

5. From Macbeth’s point of view, what goes wrong at Banquo’s murder?

a. Banquo escapes.

b. Fleance escapes.

c. A third murderer appears.

d. The guards cry “Murder!” 

6. After Banquo’s murder, who shows up at Macbeth’s palace and ruins the banquet?

a. Fleance

b. Macduff

c. Banquo’s ghost

d. Birnam Wood 

7. Why does Macduff go to England and join Malcolm?

a. to get revenge for the murder of his family

b. to fight the tyrant Macbeth with Malcolm

c. to find out if Malcolm killed Duncan

d. all of the above 

8. What are the main emotions that Lady Macbeth shows in her sleepwalking scene?

a. love and loyalty

b. love and grief

c. guilt and fear

d. anger and hatred 

9.  King Duncan rewarded Macbeth by dubbing him

a. the Earl of Sinel.

b. the Thane of Cawdor

c. Bellona's bridegroom. 

10. In addressing Banquo, the witches tell 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

c. I, II, and III 

11. 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."

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

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

a. get the chamberlains drunk.

b. smear Duncan's face with blood.

c. arrange an alibi for Macbeth. 

13. 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 

14. Shakespeare introduced the Porter in order to

a. allow Macduff to gain admission to the castle.

b. remind the audience of the Witches' prophecies.

c. provide comic relief. 

15. Malcolm and Donalbain flee after the murder

a. they “fear the daggers in men's smiles.” (are afraid for their own life)

b. in order to join Macduff in England.

c. because they are blamed for it. 

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

a. Banquo had runined their careers.

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

c. he will erase all records of their previous crimes. 

17. Macbeth startles his dinner guests by

a. conversing with the Ghost of Banquo

b. attempting to wash the blood from his hands

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

 

18. 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. 

19. Macbeth’s emotional state immediately after he kills Duncan (Act II, scene ii, lines 20-51) may best be described as

a. happy 

b. grateful

 

c. guilt-ridden 

d. tired



20. Macbeth’s conversation with the doctor reveals that he

a. Is deeply concerned about his wife’s well-being

b. Wishes he could be rid of his wife

c. Is much less concerned about his wife than he is about the ensuing battle 

21. As she reads her husband’s letter in the beginning, Lady Macbeth is

a. Worried because her husband is ill

b. Fearful because her husband has talked to witches

c. Determined to convince Macbeth to murder the king 

22. When Macbeth refuses to put the servants’ daggers back in the room, Lady Macbeth

a. Causes such an uproar that she wakes the porter

b. Takes the daggers back into the servants’ room ..

c. Buries the daggers under the steps.

 


23. According to evidence in Act V, Lady Macbeth died

a. at the hands of assassins

b. of a physical ailment

c. by her own hand ..

24. When the king learns of the treason of the Thane of Cawdor, he

a. Orders him killed ..

b. Realizes all is lost

c. Weeps bitter tears 

25. Duncan disturbs Macbeth by announcing that

a. Malcolm will be the future king of Scotland.. 

b. He will visit Macbeth at his castle .

c. He will make Banquo a prince .

26. In Act IV, Macduff wants to go to war against Macbeth because he

a. Wants the kingdom for himself

b. Wants to take revenge for his wife and son's murder.

c. Considers Macbeth a tyrant

27. Duncan’s sons are suspected of his murder because

a. Lady Macbeth accused them

c. They had the most to gain from the king’s death

d. they fled Inverness Castle without explanation 

28. Three apparitions appear to Macbeth in Act IV. What do they predict?

a. Banquo and Duncan will seek revenge on Macbeth

b. Birnam Wood will come to Dunsinane

c. Macbeth will lose the battle

29. Lady Macbeth becomes

a. a mute 

b. insane 

c. an insomniac

30. Which of these predictions come true in the end?

a. “None of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”

b. “Beware the Thane of Fife.”

c. “Macbeth shall never be conquered until the Forest of Birnam comes to Dunsinane Hill and fights against him.”

d. all of the above