Question

Sc. 2, Lines 16–23: Explain what the Captain says Macbeth has done to Macdonwald. Make inferences about Macbeth using details in the Captain’s description of the act. How does your inference compare to the description of a tragic hero in the introduction to Shakespearean tragedy that appears on pages 210–212?

Answer 1

He slit the throat. He wanted to become a war hero.

Explanation:

• Macbeth will try to get the power from Duncan. At a military camp near his palace at Forres, King Duncan of Scotland asks a wounded captain for news about the Scots’ battle with the Irish invaders. The captain, who was wounded helping Duncan’s son Malcolm escape capture by the Irish, replies that the Scottish generals Macbeth and Banquo fought with great courage and violence.

• Macbeth is a tragic hero because a grave error of judgment and his own ambition cause him to murder Duncan, leading to chaos, destruction, and eventually his own death.

• Macbeth is looked upon as a man of great ambition but soon he is tempted to make a terrible mistake that blinds his ambition. Macbeth, on the other hand, believes his ambition will not be checked by consequence. These delusions of grandeur are furthered by the witches.