Question

multiple choice 2 points
in act ii of the tragedy of macbeth, why does lady macbeth drug the servants?
○ to erase their memory of the night’s events
○ to make them sleep through king duncan’s murder
○ to kill them for their knowledge of the crime
○ to overpower their reluctance to assassinate king duncan

multiple choice 2 points
which of the following best states the central idea of the tragedy of macbeth, act ii?
which of the following best states the central idea of the tragedy of macbeth, act ii?
it is important to learn from one’s own mistakes.
a murderer must live with his or her conscience.
tragedy befalls even honest people.

Explanation:

First Question (Central Idea of Macbeth, Act III)

To determine the central idea of The Tragedy of Macbeth, Act III, we analyze each option:

• "It is important to learn from one’s own mistakes": Act III focuses on guilt and consequences of murder, not learning from mistakes.
• "A murderer must live with his or her conscience": Act III shows Macbeth and Lady Macbeth struggling with guilt (e.g., Banquo’s ghost, Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking), emphasizing the psychological burden of murder.
• "Tragedy befalls even honest people": Act III’s characters (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth) are not portrayed as honest; the tragedy stems from their immoral actions, not inherent honesty.
• "Which of the following best states...": This is a distractor (not a statement of theme).

The option "A murderer must live with his or her conscience" aligns with the guilt and psychological turmoil faced by the murderers (Macbeth, Lady Macbeth) in Act III.

In Act II of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth drugs the servants to ensure they are unconscious during King Duncan’s murder, allowing the crime to occur without interference. Let’s analyze the options:

• "to erase their memory of the night’s events": The drug is for sedation, not memory erasure.
• "to make them sleep through King Duncan’s murder": This matches her goal—drugging them to keep them asleep so Macbeth can kill Duncan without the servants waking or intervening.
• "to kill them for their knowledge of the crime": She does not intend to kill them (she frames them later, but the drug is for sleep).
• "to overpower their reluctance to assassinate King Duncan": The servants are not reluctant to assassinate; they are innocent and unaware of the plot.

Thus, the correct reason is to make them sleep through the murder.

Answer:

A. A murderer must live with his or her conscience

Second Question (Lady Macbeth Drugging Servants in Act II)