Question

Read this passage from Act V.

From The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare

MACBETH.
Accursèd be that tongue that tells me so,
For it hath cowed my better part of man!
And be these juggling fiends no more believed,
That palter with us in a double sense;
That keep the word of promise to our ear,
And break it to our hope. I’ll not fight with thee.
What do these lines suggest about the beliefs of the time in which The Tragedy of Macbeth was written?


People believed in the power of curses.


People were afraid of witches.


People believed in the power of prophecies.


People had respect for their king.



People were afraid of witches.


People believed in the power of prophecies.


People had respect for their king.

Answer 1

People believed in the power of prophecies

Answer 2

People believed in the power of prophecies.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the beginning of the play, a group of witches tell Macbeth that he is a "charmed" person, and that no person born from a woman can hurt him. This makes him ambitious, and feeling blessed, Macbeth commits all the crimes of the subsequent scenes. However, when he is about to face Macduff, he learns that he is not "born" from woman, as he was born by C-section. Macbeth believes in the power of prophecies, as was common during this time period. Therefore, he becomes extremely scared at hearing this, curses the witches and refuses to fight Macduff.