Question

excerpt 1: read the excerpt from act 1, scene 3 of the tragedy of macbeth. banquo says that macbeth should be careful with the information he has received from the witches.

banquo. that, trusted home,
might yet enkindle you unto the crown,
besides the thane of cawdor. but tis strange:
and oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
the instruments of darkness tell us truths,
win us with honest trifles, to betrays
in deepest consequence.

excerpt 2: read the excerpt from act 3, scene 5 of the tragedy of macbeth. hecate is telling the three witches about her plan for macbeth.

hecate i am for the air, this night ill spend
unto a dismal and a fatal end:
great business must be wrought ere noon.

how does shakespeare most develop the universal themes \the search for knowledge\ and \the tension between truth and illusion\ in these excerpts?

○ through references to trust and betrayal
○ through macbeths internal conflict
○ through macbeths conflict with banquo
○ through references to the supernatural

Explanation:

To determine how Shakespeare develops the themes, we analyze each option:

• "through references to trust and betrayal": The excerpts focus on supernatural influence, not trust/betrayal dynamics as the main development for these themes.
• "through Macbeth’s internal conflict": The excerpts show Banquo's warning and Hecate's plan, not Macbeth's internal struggle as the primary method.
• "through Macbeth’s conflict with Banquo": The excerpts don't highlight a conflict between Macbeth and Banquo as the way to develop these themes.
• "through references to the supernatural": In Excerpt 1, the witches (supernatural) give truths that lead to harm. In Excerpt 2, Hecate (supernatural) has a plan for Macbeth. The supernatural elements relate to the search for knowledge (from witches) and truth vs. illusion (witches' truths leading to betrayal/illusion of good fortune). This matches the themes.

Answer:

D. through references to the supernatural