Reading Warm-up Macbeth Act I Scene 4 & 5

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Reading Warm-Up Macbeth Act I Scene 4 & 5

Everything most people know about the historical Scottish leader Macbeth they learned from William Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth and his queen are ruthless murderers eager for power and driven by ambition. The fictional Macbeth is introduced as a hero, but he soon becomes a desperate character. He listens to witches and plots to take the Scottish crown. His first victim is King Duncan. Many others follow, as Macbeth uses murder to clear a path to the throne. Macbeth's descent into evil and his plight as one crime forces him to commit another make great drama. However, most of the story is not historically accurate.

Records kept by 11th-century monks report that the real King Duncan died in battle with Macbeth. Macbeth may have been a rebel, challenging the king's authority, but he certainly was not a secretly scheming traitor who murdered his sleeping king. In addition, Macbeth's loyal wife was innocent of any wrongdoing.

Macbeth became king after Duncan, but there are no reports of King Macbeth wiping out families who might challenge his claim to the crown. By all accounts, he ruled a united Scotland for 17 years. In fact, his kingdom was so stable, he left the country to visit Rome without fear of an uprising or a revolt.

Any assault against Macbeth came from without, not from within. During his reign, a swarm of invaders attacked Scotland, making it the center of an ongoing battle for control of Britain. Norse, Danes, Romans, English Saxons, and others struggled to take over the country, but their campaigns were not successful.

Macbeth was hailed as a great king at the time of his death, but his reputation for peace and prosperity has almost completely vanished. Thanks to the vivid portrait created by Shakespeare. Macbeth is remembered not as a popular monarch, but as a warrior corrupted by his desire for power.

1. Highlight the phrase that is a clue to the meaning of ambition. Then, tell what the word ambition means.

2. Highlight the words that describe Macbeth's plight. Then, use plight in a sentence of your own.

3. Highlight the words that help define the word rebel. Then, explain what a rebel is.

4. Highlight the words that describe the way a traitor might act. Why might Macbeth seem like a traitor in the play?

5. Highlight the phrase that suggest the opposite of revolt. Then, give an example of a revolt.

6. Highlight the word that is a clue to the meaning of assault. Then, rewrite the sentence using a synonym for assault.

7. Highlight the words that name the peoples making up the swarm. Then, explain what the word swarm means.

8. Highlight the words that that tell what vanished means. Then, give a synonym for vanished.