After Macduff discovers that Duncan has been murdered, Macbeth pretends to be learning of the king’s death for the first time. H
e says, “Had I but died an hour before this chance, / I had lived a blessèd time,” and tells the others how, in a rage, he killed Duncan’s bodyguards. How do Macbeth’s words and behavior in this scene move the plot of the play forward?
1. Macbeth’s behavior causes Macduff to seek out Banquo and form an alliance with him.
2. They prevent others from suspecting that he is the murderer.
3. They lead to tension between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, who thought the guards should live.
4. Macbeth's actions lead Banquo to return to the witches to learn more about the prophesies.
2. They prevent others from suspecting that he is the murderer.
Explanation:
In this section, we learn that Macbeth is obsessed with having power due to the witches' prophecies. In order to ensure that this will come to happen, he kills Duncan. However, he does not want anyone to find out, so he pretends that he was unaware of the murder, and kills the guards. All of these is meant to prevent others from suspecting that he is the murderer.
