Read the excerpt from act 1, scene 5 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that Duncan is coming to their castle tonight. Lady Macbeth hints at her plot to kill the king. Lady Macbeth: O! never Shall sun that morrow see. Your face, my thane, is as a book where men May read strange matters. To beguile the time, Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye, Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under ’t. He that’s coming Must be provided for; and you shall put This night’s great business into my dispatch; Which shall to all our nights and days to come Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom. This excerpt develops the universal theme "the conflict between loyalty and betrayal” by suggesting that betrayal
Answer
A
has greater results than loyalty.
B
can be disguised as loyalty.
C
can be similar to loyalty.
D
takes more planning than loyalty.
Explanation
Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to appear welcoming and innocent while hiding his deadly intentions, comparing him to an “innocent flower” with a “serpent” beneath it. This shows that betrayal can be disguised as loyalty: Macbeth is to act like a gracious host even as he plans to betray Duncan.
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