Chapter VII: Act V

Does our feeling toward the conspirators change? Why? Compare the opening scene of this play with the corresponding ones in _The Merchant of Venice_, and _Macbeth_. Which seems to you the most interesting and the best, regarded as an introduction?

What gave rise to the quarrel in Act IV?

What are the steps in the reconciliation?

For what purpose is Caesar's ghost introduced in Act IV? What other instances of the use of the supernatural are there in this play? What purpose do they serve?

Should this play have been called _Marcus Brutus_? Why?

CHARACTERS.--What gave Brutus the great influence that he enjoyed? Could he think clearly and reason logically? Could he clearly discern facts in the life about him? Was he a man of sympathetic nature, or was he cold and unfeeling? Give proof in detail for each answer. What was his mistake? Is there any evidence that he regretted the part that he took? Do you think it was possible for him to be thoroughly honorable and yet not regret this part? What is the lesson of his life?

What acts and words of Caesar, with statements made about him, tend to belittle him in our eyes? What do Brutus and Antony say of Caesar when they are alone, speaking freely and without disguise? What words or acts of Caesar mentioned in the play are expressive of true nobility?

Why did Shakespeare present in one play two impressions of Caesar very different from each other? Are both correct, or only one, or neither? Give evidence.

Was Cassius a patriot or a self-seeking politician? Give evidence. How could he justify the means that he used to win Brutus? In what respect did he surpass Brutus? What case did he make against Caesar? How far was he right? What weakness and what strength does he show in Act IV?

How does Antony appear before the death of Caesar? (Note what he does and says and what others say of him.) What change comes over him after Caesar's death? Is his agreement with Brutus in regard to Caesar's funeral an honorable one? Give reasons.

How does he dare to speak so frankly and boldly in the presence of the conspirators as he does in III, 1, 184-210? Does he conduct himself throughout the rest of the play as a true patriot? Give evidence. What were his virtues? Wherein was he weak?

What characteristics of Portia do you discover in II, 1, 261-278, 291-302; IV, 3, 152-156? Compare her with Calpurnia as she appears in II, 2.

What are the characteristics of the Commoners? Compare them with a modern crowd such as might gather to see a parade or a celebration.

FORM.--What is the meter of this play? Where do we frequently find an additional syllable? Illustrate.

What other variations from the normal line help to keep the verse from becoming monotonous?

Explain the metrical difficulties of the following lines:

"'Speak, strike, redress.' Am I entreated" (II, 1, 55).

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" (III, 2, 78).

"As a sick girl. Ye gods! it doth amaze me"(I, 2, 128).

Why do you think we have both prose and verse in I, 1?

Why prose in Brutus's speech and verse in Antony's?

Find, if you can, passages that express true patriotism (like II, 1, 52-58), others that express hollow rhetoric (like I, 3, 91-100), and others that express true and beautiful sentiment.

THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR.--See outline for the study of _The Merchant of Venice_, p. 72.

OUTLINE FOR THE STUDY OF MACBETH

I. Preparation

A review of the facts about Shakespeare's work and the development of his art previously studied; a short explanation of the meaning and purpose of tragedy; and an account of the general belief in witchcraft in the early seventeenth century, will help to give the class the right attitude toward the play.

II. Reading and Study

The purpose of the first and second readings is the same as that already stated in the general plan and in the outline for the study of _The Merchant of Venice_. The large number of puzzling passages in _Macbeth_ makes the second reading unusually important.

III. Study of the Play as a Whole

SETTING.--Where and between whom were the battles fought in the beginning of the play?

Where are Inverness and Scone?

About how long a time is involved in the entire play? Which scenes follow one another without loss of time, and which do not?

From the various hints given, what impression do you get of the conditions of life in Scotland at the time of the play? (I, 2, 20-24; I, 4, 37-38; III, 2, 22-26.)

How is external nature used to heighten the effect made by the witches?

In what other instances is nature used to heighten the effect? (I, 5; II, 1, etc.)

PLOT.--What is the purpose of the introductory scene? Compare it with the opening scene in each of the other plays that you have studied.

At what point is the introduction of the plot, or the "exposition," complete?

What evidence is there that Macbeth had planned before the opening of the play for the murder of Duncan? (I, 3, 51-52; I, 7, 47-53.)

What three incidents help to his success? (I, 4, 42-43; II, 3, 112-113; II, 4, 25-26.)

By what means does Shakespeare make the murder of Duncan very effective in moving the audience, even though the actual deed is committed off the stage?

What facts necessary for the reader to know are brought out in the last scene of Act II?

What leads Macbeth to the murder of Banquo? (III, 1, 48-72.)

Where does Macduff first come in as a force in the action? (III, 4, 128-129.)

What hints of his part have we had before? (II, 4, 36-38.)

What double purpose had the author in having Macduff's family slain?

To what extent does Lady Macbeth influence action of the play? The weird sisters? Macduff? Banquo? Macbeth?

Note the steps by which Macbeth rose in fame.

What was the source of Shakespeare's material? Account for the most important changes that he made.

CHARACTERS.--What sort of man have we reason to believe Macbeth was at the opening of the play from the position that he held; from what his wife said of him; from what others said of him; and from his attitude in the face of his first crime?

What two contrasts are drawn between Macbeth and Duncan in scenes 2 and 4 of Act I? Is it strange that Macbeth had often wished that he might be king in place of Duncan? Why? Show how the prophecies of the witches became his temptations. From his soliloquies in Act I, scenes 3 and 4, what do you judge of his moral sense? What decision has he reached, if any, before he returns to his wife? In his soliloquy in Act I, scene 7, what two considerations are keeping him from the murder? What argument of Lady Macbeth was effective in bringing him to a decision? How do you account for the fact that he is extremely vacillating in Act I and fearful in the first part of Act II, while in the battle with the rebels he was the personification of bravery and decision? What is his state of mind as soon as the act is committed? What change takes place as soon as it is discovered? Is his fear of Banquo a reasonable one? What effect of his crime is apparent in Act III, scene 2? What, if any, further decline do you note in Act III, scene 4? In Act V how does Shakespeare contrive to represent Macbeth in a condition of brutality and yet to arouse a decided human interest in him, and even some sympathy for him? In Macbeth's several soliloquies throughout the play what mental characteristic is most prominent? Give examples. To what extent may Macbeth be taken as a type of ambition? to what extent the type of a noble soul led downward to destruction? What great truth does his life illustrate, a truth that we may call the central idea of the play?

What mental qualities does Lady Macbeth show in Act I, scene 5? Why does she not discuss with herself the pros and cons of the act to be committed? What fundamental difference does this illustrate between herself and her husband? Do you think Lady Macbeth's motive for the murder of Duncan was selfish or unselfish? Give reasons. What sort of woman do you suppose she was before the play opens? Why? What light does