Read the passage from act 2, scene 3 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth: Who can be wise, amaz’d, temperate and furious Loyal and neutral, in a moment? No man: The expedition of my violent love Outran the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan, His silver skin lac’d with his golden blood; And his gash’d stabs look’d like a breach in nature For ruin’s wasteful entrance: there, the murderers, Steep’d in the colours of their trade, their daggers Unmannerly breech’d with gore: who could refrain, That had a heart to love, and in that heart Courage to make ’s love known? The rhetorical questions in this passage make the point that
Answer
A
Macbeth could not help killing the men who murdered the king.
B
it is shocking that anyone could have killed the king.
C
many people will mourn Duncan when they learn that he is dead.
D
people should love the king who serves as their ruler.
Explanation
Macbeth says his love for Duncan acted faster than reason, and asks who could have restrained themselves if they loved the king and had the courage to show it. He uses the rhetorical questions to make his killing of the supposed murderers seem unavoidable, so the answer is “Macbeth could not help killing the men who murdered the king.”
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.