1. murdering a king was considered an especially heinous crime in the aftermath of the gunpowder plot in england in november 1605. what was the gunpowder plot? 2. did shakespeare intend the witches to be symbols of something everyone faces–temptation?   3. the word fear occurs 48 times in macbeth in noun and verb forms and as a root in words such as afeard and fearful. which characters exhibit the most fear? what causes their fear? how does fear differ from guilt?   4. lady macbeth repeatedly washes her hands to expiate her guilt. in modern psychology, what is the term used to describe lady macbeth's disorder? if you were a psychologist–or a priest–what would you advise lady macbeth to do to unburden her conscience? 5. read the following theme. list persons, places, things or ideas that appear "fair" when they are really "foul"–or appear "foul" when they are really "fair."  deceit macbeth, evil frequently wears a pretty cloak. early in the play, the three witches declare that  “fair is foul,” a paradox suggesting that whatever appears good is really bad. for example, murdering duncan appears to be a “fair” idea to macbeth and lady macbeth, for macbeth would accede to the throne. but the macbeths soon discover that only bad has come of their deed, and their very lives–and immortal souls–are in jeopardy. macbeth also perceives the prophecies made by the “armed head” and the “bloody child” as good omens; in fact, these prophecies are deceptive wordplays that foretell macbeth’s downfall. in a further exposition of the theme of deceptive appearances, king duncan speaks the following lines when arriving at macbeth’s castle: “this castle hath a pleasant seat; the air / nimbly and sweetly recommends itself / unto our gentle senses” (1. 6.3-5).  6. lady macbeth advises her husband to “look like the innocent flower, / but be the serpent under it” (act i, scene v, lines 66-67). what things in the modern world present themselves as "innocent flowers" even though they are really "serpents."