Macbeth: Act 5 – Reasoning Q&A (20+ Questions)

Complete the following sentences by providing a brief reason. Do not repeat the question.

1. Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking and hand-washing scenes show that __________

2. Lady Macbeth's descent into madness contrasts dramatically with her earlier character because __________

3. Macbeth remains emotionally cold when told of Lady Macbeth's death because __________

4. Macbeth's "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" soliloquy reveals that __________

5. Macbeth still feels confident despite news of enemy armies because __________

6. Malcolm's soldiers carry branches from Birnam Wood because __________

7. Macbeth becomes terrified when told Birnam Wood is moving toward Dunsinane because __________

8. Macbeth refuses to surrender to Malcolm even after learning the prophecy will fail because __________

9. Macduff is able to kill Macbeth in combat because __________

10. Young Siward's death is presented as honorable despite his loss because __________

11. Macduff carries Macbeth's severed head because __________

12. The witches' prophecies come true in ways Macbeth does not anticipate because __________

13. Act 5 moves much more rapidly than previous acts because __________

14. Malcolm promises to make Scottish nobles earls because __________

15. The play ends with Malcolm's coronation at Scone because __________

16. Macbeth's emotional numbness at Lady Macbeth's death shows his __________

17. The witches manipulate the meaning of their prophecies through language because __________

18. Macduff's personal motivation for revenge is more powerful than Malcolm's political ambition because __________

19. Lady Macbeth's attempt to wash imaginary blood from her hands represents __________

20. The image of Birnam Wood moving symbolizes that __________

21. Macbeth becomes isolated and vulnerable in Act 5 because __________

Answer Key

i) She cannot escape the psychological consequences of murder; guilt manifests as sleepwalking and hallucinations, showing that moral conscience cannot be suppressed through violence or denial.

ii) She was once the strong, ambitious mastermind who questioned Macbeth's manhood and pushed him toward evil; now guilt has broken her mind and destroyed her will to live, showing guilt's devastating psychological power.

iii) Macbeth has become emotionally numb from committing so many murders; he has separated himself from his human emotions to survive as a tyrant, making him cold even to his wife's death.

iv) He has lost faith in the meaning and value of his life; he sees human existence as futile and purposeless, suggesting that his ambition and murders have left him with an empty life despite achieving power.

v) He believes the witches' prophecies guarantee his safety until Birnam Wood moves and he faces someone not born of woman; he interprets the prophecies literally and believes them impossible to fulfill.

vi) They serve as camouflage to disguise their army's true size and approach; this allows them to fulfill the prophecy about Birnam Wood moving to Dunsinane in a literal but unexpected way.

vii) He realizes that the prophecy he believed guaranteed his safety is actually coming true in an unforeseen way; he understands that the witches' words contained meanings he did not understand.

viii) He refuses to surrender to Malcolm because he would be forced to kiss the ground and face mocking from common soldiers; he chooses to die fighting to preserve his dignity rather than live humiliated.

ix) He was born by caesarean section and thus was not technically "born of a woman" in the natural way; Macduff's manner of birth fulfills the prophecy that he alone can defeat Macbeth.

x) He died fighting bravely for his cause in honorable combat; his father recognizes that his son died heroically, which is more important than surviving in dishonor or cowardice.