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QuizMultiple Choice

Macbeth, Part 7: Analyzing a Production — Quiz

Question 3 • English 2

Read the excerpt from act 5, scene 8 of The Tragedy of Macbeth . Macbeth and Macduff are fighting each other. At another location, the leaders of the rebel army are evaluating the progress of the battling forces at the castle. A stage direction has been added in the middle of the excerpt. Retreat. Flourish. Enter, with drum and colours, MALCOLM , SIWARD , ROSS , the other Thanes , and Soldiers . Malcolm: I would the friends we miss were safe arrived. Siward: Some must go off: and yet, by these I see, So great a day as this is cheaply bought. Malcolm: Macduff is missing, and your noble son. [ ROSS approaches SIWARD with head slightly bowed and a somber expression . ] Ross: [ To SIWARD.] Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier’s debt: He only lived but till he was a man; The which no sooner had his prowess confirm’d In the unshrinking station where he fought, But like a man he died. Siward: Then he is dead? Ross: Ay, and brought off the field: your cause of sorrow Must not be measured by his worth, for then It hath no end. What does Ross’s added stage direction most contribute to the scene?

Answer
A
a feeling of anticipation
B
a sense of uncertainty
C
a tone of longing
D
a mood of respect

Explanation

Ross approaches with his head bowed and a somber expression, signaling grief and respect before he tells Siward that his son has died. This stage direction deepens the scene’s respectful, mournful mood. It does not mainly create anticipation or uncertainty, since Ross is delivering definite news.

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.

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