Macbeth Comprehension Questions: Act 1 Scene 5

1. Who wrote the letter to Lady Macbeth? What does the fact that he wrote it indicate about their relationship?

• It was Macbeth who wrote the letter to Lady Macbeth, and this indicates that they have a close relationship.

2. Whom does the letter not mention? What does this suggest?

• The letter does not mention Banquo, and this can have many implications. For example, it may suggest that Macbeth does not care about Banquo; that in Macbeth's mind, Banquo is not important

3. What does Lady Macbeth almost immediately start to plan?

• She immediately starts planning the killing of Duncan.

4. What does Lady Macbeth criticize about her husband?

• She criticizes that her husband is too nice, that he is often too afraid to achieve what he wants.

5. What does Lady Macbeth reveal about her own character and personality?

• She is evil, ambitious, cunning, and cold-hearted

6. Where do things stand at the end of the scene?

• Lady Macbeth is ready to kill the king at night, whereas Macbeth is still wavering. 

Macbeth Comprehension Questions: Act 1 Scene 2

1. Who is Macdonwald? What happened to him?

• He was the former Thane of Cawdor, who betrayed the Scotland. He was killed by Macbeth, sliced open from his navel to his jaw.

2. What does the description of Macbeth's action emphasize?

• It emphasizes on his courage and bravery; how valiant he is

3. What other captain is fighting alongside Macbeth?

• Banquo

4. Point out the irony in the captain's response to the king's question about whether Macbeth became dismayed by the army from Norway

• The captain first responded that Macbeth was as afraid of the new troops as sparrows are afraid of eagles and as rabbits are afraid of lions. However, Macbeth was not scared at all, and he fought valiantly against the Norwegians and won. Therefore, the captain's first line of response was ironic. 

5. Who's the thane of Cawdor? What does the king say about him? How is the king going to reward Macbeth?

• The thane of Cawdor is MacDonwald, and the king wants him executed. Macbeth is going to be awarded with the title thane of Cawdor

6. Based on what you've read, what are some of Macbeth's personal qualities?

• He is brave, courageous, loyal, and merciless.

Different From vs. Different Than

Once I read in a grammar book that "different from" was more grammatically correct than "different than," and since then I have always been using "different from" in my sentences.

However, I have noticed that many people around me—including my English teacher—prefer to use "different than, " and this has led to me wanting to find out what is actually correct. ---

From what I have read in the Internet, some people think that both usages are fine, while most of the others agree that "different from" is the grammatically correct way, and that "different than" is less formal or is improper.

I will post the clearest explanation that I have found:

"Differ" takes the preposition from (exclusively), for the simple and logical reason that, as the verb "to defer" implies, it sets apart by exclusion rather than by degree of comparison. As in – This is different from that. When something differs, it implies another, from which it is distinguished. 

The fundamental question: How does something, be it a state of being, a quality, a quantity, an action,…differ from another thing? Answer, comparatively, by contrast. The contrast is either by degree, or by total exclusion; if one thing is excluded (outside the set which includes another) from, it is different. The preposition "than" is used with greater or less; the preposition, "from" is used with different.

Taken from a comment in: http://data.grammarbook.com/blog/adjectives-adverbs/different-from-vs-different-than/

Yay, another question solved. :)