Question 12 • English 2 Sem 2 (10013400) BCPS 2025-26
Read the excerpt from act 1, scene 7 of The Tragedy of Macbeth.Macbeth. If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere wellIt were done quickly; if the assassinationCould trammel up the consequence, and catchWith his surcease success; that but this blowMight be the be-all and the end-all here,But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,We’d jump the life to come. But in these casesWe still have judgment here; that we but teachBloody instructions, which, being taught, returnTo plague the inventor; this even-handed justiceCommends the ingredients of our poison’d chaliceTo our own lips. He’s here in double trust:First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,Who should against his murderer shut the door,Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this DuncanHath borne his faculties so meek, hath beenSo clear in his great office, that his virtuesWill plead like angels trumpet-tongu’d againstThe deep damnation of his taking-off
Answer
A
to discourage Lady Macbeth from carrying out her plot to assassinate the king
B
to contemplate the choices Lady Macbeth makes and the possible consequences
C
to convince himself that he is deserving of the crown
D
to analyze his arguments for opposing Duncan’s murder
Explanation
Macbeth weighs reasons not to kill Duncan: he is Duncan’s kinsman, subject, and host, and Duncan has ruled with virtue. He also fears that violent deeds bring consequences back on the person who commits them. This makes the soliloquy an analysis of his arguments for opposing Duncan’s murder, rather than an attempt to discourage Lady Macbeth, who is not the focus here.
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