Act II Center Activities

Comprehension Questions Scene 1: Why does Banquo prefer not to sleep? What offer does Macbeth make to Banquo? What feelings does Macbeth reveal in his soliloquy at the conclusion of the scene?

Comprehension Questions Scene 2: 1. What feat has lady Macbeth accomplished? 2. Lady Macbeth said she would have killed Duncan herself except for what? What does this tell you about her character? 3. What does Macbeth hear, or imagine he heard, while he was in Duncan’s chamber? Why does he “hear” these things? 4. In what ways does Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s reaction to the murder differ?

Comprehension Questions Scene 3: Why does Shakespeare add the porter and his long speech? What is ironic about the porters speech? How does Macduff’s treatment of Lady Macbeth seem interesting? How does she respond? What was Macbeth’s reaction to the discovery? What wise decision do Malcolm and Donalbain make? Why?

Comprehension Questions Scene 4 Shakespeare often uses references to the weather and strange occurrences to create an ominous mood. Give examples of this from scene 4. Who is under suspicion for Duncan’s murder? Who will be King now!? Explain the line, Lest our old robes sit easier than our new!”

Activity 2: Evaluate the murder scene 1. Build a 2D or 3D crime scene. ______15 2. Utilize post-it notes or small slips of paper to include clues from the text that describe the crime scene. Think of sensory details. ______5 3. Finally, act as a detective. Compose a paragraph that explains and identifies any mistakes, evidence, or signals that point to the criminal. Remember the more concrete evidence you have the closer you get to the main suspect. _____15

Activity 1: Confront the Macbeths Be not afraid of the confrontation to come. Choose one character to confront Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. Develop a clever plan to get him/her to confess ____5 Engage the character in meaningful dialogue leading to a confession _____10 Show the mind’s construction that arises from the conversation. ______10

Activity 3: Concept Web Create a word web or other graphic organizer that explores one or more of the following concepts: fate, honor, ambition, guilt. 1. Define the concept ____5 2. Give examples that illustrate it ______5 3. List some of the consequences associated with each word. ______5 4. Show the reaction of the characters to the concept. ______5