Question

In Act II, Scene 2, after he murders Duncan, Macbeth asks, "Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood / Clean from my hand?" Neptune was the Roman god of the sea. How does this allusion to Neptune affect the play?
How does this allusion to Neptune affect the play?


It reveals the great depth of Macbeth's guilt, suggesting that all the water in the ocean cannot cleanse him of it.


It reveals that Macbeth is highly educated, a trait that will serve him well when he assumes the Scottish throne.


It suggests that Macbeth views Duncan as a figure of great power, one whose death he cannot comprehend.


It indicates that Macbeth is delusional, imagining blood on his hands where there is none.

Answer 1

It reveals the great depth of Macbeth's guilt, suggesting that all the water in the ocean cannot cleanse him of it

Answer 2

This allusion to Neptune reveals the great depth of Macbeth's guilt, suggesting that all the water in the ocean cannot cleanse him of it. Option A is correct.

When Macbeth talks about the blood on his hands in Act II, Scene II. He says, "Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red."

Macbeth is a tragedy by William Shakespeare which describes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.