CMLIT 153

Reading Questions

MacBeth, Act V

1. What does the doctor believe about Lady MacBeth's sleepwalking? What does she do and say in her sleep? What eventually happens to Lady MacBeth?

2. Why does MacBeth believe he is virtually invinceable in Dunsinane castle? What happens to trouble his faith?

3. Who is the man of no woman born who slays MacBeth? What is MacBeth's reaction to the real meaning of the witches' prophecies?

4. "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing." (Act 5, Sc.5 lines 27-31)

What is the context for these lines? How do you interpret them?

Questions for William Dement's The Promise of Sleep, Ch. 8

1. What is REM behavior disorder? How does it differ from sleepwalking and night terrors?

2. What is dangerous about REM behavior disorder? What are typical characteristics of someone who suffers from it? What are some hypotheses about its cause?

3. Which factors seem to contribute to sleepwalking and night terrors?

4. What is the state of the sleepwalker's brain?

5. Does Dement believe that a sleepwalker is responsible for his or her actions while asleep?