GCSE William Shakespeare | Setting Revision in Macbeth

English Literature Quiz - Macbeth - Setting (Questions)

This GCSE English Literature quiz explores the setting of Macbeth, from wild Scottish landscapes to dark castles, and how places reflect power, fear and moral chaos.

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Fascinating Fact:

The “blasted heath” where Macbeth meets the Witches is a bleak, open space that suits their unnatural presence and the atmosphere of uncertainty.

In GCSE English Literature, you are expected to explore how setting in Macbeth supports character and theme. Stormy weather, lonely heaths and shadowy castles all help create tension and moral unease.

Key Terms

Setting: Where and when a story or play takes place, including locations, time period and atmosphere.
Atmosphere: The mood or feeling created by the setting, such as eerie, tense or hopeful.
Stage directions: Instructions in the script that tell actors how to move, speak or react, often linked to changes of place or mood.

Frequently Asked Questions (click to see answers)

What is the main setting of Macbeth for GCSE English?

Macbeth is mainly set in Scotland, with scenes in battlefields, on the heath and in castles such as Inverness and Dunsinane. These locations help show power struggles and growing disorder.

Why is the heath setting important in Macbeth?

The heath is wild, empty and exposed, making it a fitting place for the Witches. Its bleakness reflects the unnatural events of the play and the uncertainty Macbeth will face.

How do I write about setting in a Macbeth GCSE essay?

Choose a specific moment, name the place, quote a key word or phrase, then explain how it creates atmosphere or reveals themes like ambition, guilt, kingship or the supernatural.

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Where is Macbeth set?

[ ]	Wales
[ ]	Norway
[ ]	Scotland
[ ]	The Isle of Man

When is Macbeth set?

[ ]	The 11th century
[ ]	The 13th century
[ ]	The 15th century
[ ]	The 17th century

Where does Macbeth encounter the weïrd sisters?

[ ]	In the castle dungeon
[ ]	On the battlefield
[ ]	In the swamps
[ ]	On the heath

Where does Macbeth send the murderers to find Lady Macduff?

[ ]	Fife
[ ]	Ireland
[ ]	Orkney
[ ]	Northumbria

Which of the following settings does NOT appear on stage?

[ ]	Macbeth's table, where he entertains guests at supper
[ ]	The bedchamber where Duncan is murdered
[ ]	The castle entrance, where travellers are admitted by the porter
[ ]	Just outside the castle, where the final battle takes place

Most of Act Two takes place when?

[ ]	At night
[ ]	In the afternoon
[ ]	Late morning
[ ]	The time is not specified

Who is associated with the sound of thunder in the play?

[ ]	Duncan
[ ]	Macbeth
[ ]	Macduff
[ ]	The witches

Where is Macbeth finally defeated?

[ ]	In Northumberland
[ ]	In Edinburgh
[ ]	On Dunsinane Hill
[ ]	In Fife

Scenes which take place in the interior often present Macbeth plotting with one or two other characters. What is the effect of setting in these scenes?

[ ]	The interior setting creates a sense of isolation
[ ]	The interior setting creates a sense of entrapment
[ ]	The interior setting creates a sense of darkness
[ ]	All of the above

10.

Where is Banquo murdered?

[ ]	Near Macbeth's castle
[ ]	On the battlefield
[ ]	On the heath
[ ]	Within the walls of Macbeth's castle

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Macbeth

English Literature Quiz - Macbeth - Setting (Answers)

Where is Macbeth set?

[ ]	Wales
[ ]	Norway
[x]	Scotland
[ ]	The Isle of Man

Other places mentioned include Northumbria and Ireland (Duncan's sons flee to these two) and Norway, whose King has invaded Scotland at the beginning of the play

When is Macbeth set?

[x]	The 11th century
[ ]	The 13th century
[ ]	The 15th century
[ ]	The 17th century

Macbeth ruled Scotland between 1040 and 1057

Where does Macbeth encounter the weïrd sisters?

[ ]	In the castle dungeon
[ ]	On the battlefield
[ ]	In the swamps
[x]	On the heath

The word "heath" means a large space of open ground, wild rather than cultivated

Where does Macbeth send the murderers to find Lady Macduff?

[x]	Fife
[ ]	Ireland
[ ]	Orkney
[ ]	Northumbria

Macbeth tells Lennox: "The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife, give to th'edge o'th'sword / His wife, his babes and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line." The scene in Macduff's castle is one of the few which takes place outside Macbeth's own castles

Which of the following settings does NOT appear on stage?

[ ]	Macbeth's table, where he entertains guests at supper
[x]	The bedchamber where Duncan is murdered
[ ]	The castle entrance, where travellers are admitted by the porter
[ ]	Just outside the castle, where the final battle takes place

The murder of the King and his two men takes place off stage; characters come and go, describing the scene which they experience, but the audience only experiences through their reactions

Most of Act Two takes place when?

[x]	At night
[ ]	In the afternoon
[ ]	Late morning
[ ]	The time is not specified

Most of Act Two takes place during the night, ending in the morning discovery of the King's body and in the fleeing of his sons. The fact that it is night is mentioned often by the characters

Who is associated with the sound of thunder in the play?

[ ]	Duncan
[ ]	Macbeth
[ ]	Macduff
[x]	The witches

In Act One, Scenes One and Three, and again in Act Three, Scene Five, and Act Four, Scene One, the witches' appearance is marked by thunder

Where is Macbeth finally defeated?

[ ]	In Northumberland
[ ]	In Edinburgh
[x]	On Dunsinane Hill
[ ]	In Fife

The witches' prophecy in which Macbeth places great faith promises that he cannot be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. Siward, Earl of Northumberland, refers to Macbeth keeping still in Dunsinane, not fearing a siege