Read the excerpt from act 1, scene 2 of The Tragedy of Macbeth . Sergeant: Doubtful it stood; As two spent swimmers, that do cling together And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald— Worthy to be a rebel, for to that The multiplying villanies of nature Do swarm upon him—from the western isles Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied; And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling, Show’d like a rebel’s whore: but all’s too weak; For brave Macbeth,—well he deserves that name,— Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, Which smok’d with bloody execution, Like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage Till he fac’d the slave; Which ne’er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseam’d him from the nave to the chaps, And fix’d his head upon our battlements. Which statement best describes the sergeant’s use of persuasion in his recounting of the battle to King Duncan?
Answer
A
He references notorious enemy leaders to show his authority over the situation.
B
He uses emotionally charged language to detail Macbeth’s heroic feats.
C
He uses reasoning and evidence to support his observations of the battle site.
D
He makes logical connections to explain how Macbeth is able to defeat the enemy.
Explanation
The sergeant uses vivid, emotionally charged words and images to make Macbeth’s actions sound heroic. He describes Macbeth’s sword as “smok’d with bloody execution” and says Macbeth “unseam’d” his enemy from the navel to the jaws. These details emphasize Macbeth’s bravery and ferocity, so the best choice is that he uses emotionally charged language to detail Macbeth’s heroic feats.
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