Macbeth, Part 5: Figurative Language and Mood (continued)
Question 10 • English 2 Sem 2 (10013400) BCPS 2025-26
Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 1 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth meets with the witches to ask about his future as king.Macbeth. I conjure you, by that which you profess,Howe’er you come to know it, answer me:Though you untie the winds and let them fightAgainst the churches; though the yesty wavesConfound and swallow navigation up;Though bladed corn be lodged and trees blown down;Though castles topple on their warders’ heads;Though palaces and pyramids do slopeTheir heads to their foundations; though the treasureOf nature’s germens tumble all together,Even till destruction sicken; answer meTo what I ask you.
Answer
A
by revealing the anxiousness Macbeth experiences when visiting the witches
B
by highlighting the apprehension Macbeth feels about the witches’ prophecies
C
by emphasizing Macbeth’s desperation to learn about his destiny
D
by showing Macbeth’s concern for nature’s destructive power
Explanation
Macbeth piles up images of disasters—winds fighting, waves swallowing ships, and castles falling—to show that nothing will stop him from getting an answer. His repeated command, “answer me,” emphasizes how urgently he wants to know what lies ahead. This supports “by emphasizing Macbeth’s desperation to learn about his destiny,” rather than suggesting that he is mainly worried about the disasters themselves.
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