This GCSE English Literature quiz tests your knowledge of setting in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. A text's setting includes the location and the time in which events take place, in addition to atmosphere. In a play, events which occur offstage also affect the plot and the characters. Such offstage events represent a key component of a play’s setting, and are known as context (bear in mind that “context” in this sense differs from the author’s real-life context). A play’s setting is enhanced by the decisions a director makes when staging, although some aspects of setting are made clear by the playwright. The sinister atmosphere of Macbeth is created through language and events, as well as the inclusion of the supernatural witches.
Think carefully about the setting of the text you are studying.
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This is an important step in your analysis. How does setting affect the decisions which characters take? In some of the scenes of Macbeth the private, secretive atmosphere becomes almost claustrophobic and in other scenes the natural or supernatural world begins to advance upon or intervene in human affairs. Think about the various places of the text: the heath, the battlefield, private rooms within fortified castles. Which of these places are wild and violent? Are any safe?
Geographical setting includes the country, region or city; any buildings or other places where events occur; and also the weather, season or time of day. Which events occur in the same place and which occur elsewhere? Is the time in which the text set made clear? How? Do any characters travel to or from other places? What is the effect created by this travel? Are different settings contrasted with one another?
Whenever you read a text which is set in a different time and place to when and where it was written, it is a good idea to think of the reasons which might be behind the author’s choices. What reasons might Shakespeare have had for not setting his play in seventeenth-century England? How is our understanding of the play affected by comparing its setting with its context?
Answer the questions below on setting in Macbeth.
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1.
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Where is Macbeth set? |
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[ ] |
Wales |
[ ] |
Norway |
[ ] |
Scotland |
[ ] |
The Isle of Man |
|
|
2.
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When is Macbeth set? |
|
[ ] |
The 11th century |
[ ] |
The 13th century |
[ ] |
The 15th century |
[ ] |
The 17th century |
|
|
3.
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Where does Macbeth encounter the weïrd sisters? |
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[ ] |
In the castle dungeon |
[ ] |
On the battlefield |
[ ] |
In the swamps |
[ ] |
On the heath |
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|
4.
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Where does Macbeth send the murderers to find Lady Macduff? |
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[ ] |
Fife |
[ ] |
Ireland |
[ ] |
Orkney |
[ ] |
Northumbria |
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5.
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Which of the following settings does NOT appear on stage? |
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[ ] |
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 |
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6.
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Most of Act Two takes place when? |
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[ ] |
At night |
[ ] |
In the afternoon |
[ ] |
Late morning |
[ ] |
The time is not specified |
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|
7.
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Who is associated with the sound of thunder in the play? |
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[ ] |
Duncan |
[ ] |
Macbeth |
[ ] |
Macduff |
[ ] |
The witches |
|
|
8.
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Where is Macbeth finally defeated? |
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[ ] |
In Northumberland |
[ ] |
In Edinburgh |
[ ] |
On Dunsinane Hill |
[ ] |
In Fife |
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9.
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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? |
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[ ] |
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 |
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|
10.
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Where is Banquo murdered? |
|
[ ] |
Near Macbeth's castle |
[ ] |
On the battlefield |
[ ] |
On the heath |
[ ] |
Within the walls of Macbeth's castle |
|
|
1.
|
Where is Macbeth set? |
|
[ ] |
Wales |
[ ] |
Norway |
[x] |
Scotland |
[ ] |
The Isle of Man |
|
|
2.
|
When is Macbeth set? |
|
[x] |
The 11th century |
[ ] |
The 13th century |
[ ] |
The 15th century |
[ ] |
The 17th century |
|
|
3.
|
Where does Macbeth encounter the weïrd sisters? |
|
[ ] |
In the castle dungeon |
[ ] |
On the battlefield |
[ ] |
In the swamps |
[x] |
On the heath |
|
|
4.
|
Where does Macbeth send the murderers to find Lady Macduff? |
|
[x] |
Fife |
[ ] |
Ireland |
[ ] |
Orkney |
[ ] |
Northumbria |
|
|
5.
|
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 |
|
|
6.
|
Most of Act Two takes place when? |
|
[x] |
At night |
[ ] |
In the afternoon |
[ ] |
Late morning |
[ ] |
The time is not specified |
|
|
7.
|
Who is associated with the sound of thunder in the play? |
|
[ ] |
Duncan |
[ ] |
Macbeth |
[ ] |
Macduff |
[x] |
The witches |
|
|
8.
|
Where is Macbeth finally defeated? |
|
[ ] |
In Northumberland |
[ ] |
In Edinburgh |
[x] |
On Dunsinane Hill |
[ ] |
In Fife |
|
|
9.
|
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 |
[x] |
All of the above |
|
|
10.
|
Where is Banquo murdered? |
|
[x] |
Near Macbeth's castle |
[ ] |
On the battlefield |
[ ] |
On the heath |
[ ] |
Within the walls of Macbeth's castle |
|
|