Across
- 3. The act of killing a king — central to Macbeth’s crime and moral downfall.
- 4. Emotional release experienced by the audience of a tragedy.
- 5. Cruel and oppressive rule — what Macbeth’s kingship becomes.
- 9. A retributive force or agent of justice — often fate or karma.
- 11. A predestined course of events, contrasted with free will.
- 12. Pertaining to forces beyond the natural world — witches, apparitions, visions.
- 14. A pervasive psychological burden leading to madness and paranoia.
- 16. Deceptive ambiguity in speech; used by the Witches and explored through themes of truth and deceit
- 18. A prediction that drives the plot and manipulates characters.
- 19. The belief that life is meaningless — reflected in Macbeth’s despair near the play’s end.
- 20. Excessive pride or self-confidence — a classic trait of a tragic hero.
Down
- 1. The male-dominated social system challenged and reinforced through gender roles.
- 2. A driving and corrupting force, propelling Macbeth’s tragic trajectory.
- 6. The possibility (or impossibility) of moral salvation in tragedy.
- 7. A statement that contradicts itself, like “fair is foul and foul is fair.”
- 8. Betrayal of trust — political, personal, or moral.
- 10. Cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics or power.
- 13. Taking power or position unlawfully — Macbeth’s seizing of the throne.
- 15. A speech expressing a character’s inner thoughts, crucial for revealing Macbeth’s psyche.
- 17. Deceit or double-dealing — seen in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s actions.
