Macbeth, Part 6: Figurative Language and Rhetoric — Quiz
Question 5 • English 2
Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 3 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Ross is describing the situation in Scotland to Macduff. Macduff: Stands Scotland where it did? Ross: Alas! poor country! Almost afraid to know itself. It cannot Be call’d our mother, but our grave; where nothing, But who knows nothing, is once seen to smile; Where sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air Are made, not mark’d; where violent sorrow seems A modern ecstasy; the dead man’s knell Is there scarce ask’d for who; and good men’s lives Expire before the flowers in their caps, Dying or ere they sicken. What does Ross mean when he says, "and good men’s lives / Expire before the flowers in their caps, / Dying or ere they sicken”?
Answer
A
Men are dying without anyone knowing they are sick.
B
Men are dying before they are able to grow old.
C
Men are being killed for wearing flowers in their hats.
D
Men are becoming sick from all of the fighting.
Explanation
Ross says good men’s lives end before the flowers in their caps do, and that they die before they even become sick. The comparison emphasizes how suddenly and prematurely good men are dying in Scotland, before they can grow old. So the best answer is “Men are dying before they are able to grow old.”
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