Question

macbeth
by william shakespeare
shakespeare’s play macbeth is one of his most famous tragedies. through his characters of macbeth and lady macbeth, shakespeare explores the psychological effects on th
who seek power for power’s sake. in this scene, macbeth has returned to his castle after learning of the prophecy that he will one day be king. but to do so means he must kill t
sitting king, duncan. macbeth is facing a difficult decision—to kill for the throne or not.
macbeth’s castle.
(hautboys and torches. enter a sewer, and divers servants with dishes and service, and pass over the stage. then enter macbeth)
macbeth: if it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well
it were done quickly. if the assassination
could trammel up the consequence, and catch
with his surcease success, that but this blow
(5) might be the be-all and the end-all here,
but here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
we’d jump the life to come. but in these cases
we still have judgment here, that we but teach
bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
(10) to plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
commends the ingredients of our poison’d chalice
to our own lips. he’s here in double trust;
first, as i am his kinsman and his subject,
strong both against the deed, then, as his host,
(15) who should against his murderer shut the door,

5
select the correct answer.
read the excerpt from act 1, scene 7 of macbeth.
macbeth: if we should fail?
lady macbeth: we fail?
(70) but screw your courage to the sticking - place,
and we’ll not fail.
what does lady macbeth’s use of the metaphor \screw your courage to the sticking - place\ reveal about her character?
∘ a. lady macbeth has no doubts or misgivings about killing duncan to get power.
∘ b. lady macbeth doesn’t want macbeth to feel guilty for what he is about to do.
∘ c. lady macbeth believes that they cannot fail if they have the courage to kill duncan.
∘ d. lady macbeth is as uncertain as macbeth about their plan to kill duncan.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The metaphor "screw your courage to the sticking place" shows Lady Macbeth's resolve. She urges Macbeth to be resolute, indicating she has no doubts about killing Duncan for power.
• Option B: The metaphor is about courage, not alleviating guilt.
• Option C: The metaphor focuses on mustering courage, not the belief that courage guarantees success (the line "And we'll not fail" is separate, but the metaphor itself is about courage, not the outcome of success).
• Option D: Lady Macbeth is more resolute, not as uncertain as Macbeth.

So the correct option is A.

Answer:

A. Lady Macbeth has no doubts or misgivings about killing Duncan to get power.