1) What do you think of Macbeth’s reaction to the news of his wife’s death?
2) Look back to Act 1, Scene 5, and the letter Macbeth sends; find a
phrase in this to describe how he felt about Lady Macbeth then. How has
this changed?
3) Identify the personification and discuss the effect.
4) Discuss and comment on Macbeth’s view of time.
5) What is this “brief candle”Macbeth refers to? What figurative technique is used here?
6) Why compare life to a “shadow”? What elements of a shadow is life like?
7) Comment on the effect of the words “struts” and “frets” – what tone do these words create?
8) What does Macbeth mean when he says that the tale of life is “full of sound and fury”?
9) What is the effect of the length of the last line here?
10) What sort of state of mind is Macbeth in at this point? How has he come to this point?
