Question

Read the excerpt from act 1, scene 2, of The Tragedy of Macbeth.

Sergeant.
Yes;
As sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.
If I say sooth, I must report they were
As cannons overcharg'd with double cracks;
So they
Doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe:
Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds,
Or memorize another Golgotha,
I cannot tell-
But I am faint, my gashes cry for help.


Based on the line breaks and punctuation, where should a person pause while reading the excerpt?

A- after "eagles" in the second line ("As sparrows
eagles,")
B- after "were" in the third line ("I must report they
were")
C- after "they" in the fifth line ("So they")
D- after "gashes" in the last line ("my gashes cry for
help.")

Answer 1

Based on the line breaks and punctuation, a person should pause after "they" in the fifth line in the excerpt from act 1, scene 2, of The Tragedy of Macbeth, as indicated by the colon.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt from act 1, scene 2, of The Tragedy of Macbeth features line breaks and punctuation that indicate where one should pause while reading the lines aloud. Based on the line breaks and punctuation in the given excerpt, a person should pause:

• after "eagles," indicating a comparison as dramatic as sparrows to eagles,
• after "were," as it concludes the clause describing the fighters,
• after "they," which prefaced a description of their doubled efforts against the foe,
• after "gashes," where the speaker indicates his need for help due to his wounds.

However, the correct answer to the question, based on the excerpt, is C- after "they" in the fifth line ("So they"). This is where the punctuation (specifically the colon) indicates the strongest natural pause for a reader to take.