Question

Banquo and Macbeth, all hail!

MACBETH
Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more:
By Sinel's death I know I am thane of Glamis;
But how of Cawdor? the thane of Cawdor lives,
A prosperous gentleman; and to be king
Stands not within the prospect of belief,
No more than to be Cawdor. Say from whence
You owe this strange intelligence? or why
Upon this blasted heath you stop our way
With such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you.

Witches vanish

BANQUO
The earth hath bubbles, as the water has,
And these are of them. Whither are they vanish'd?

Question 1 (1 point)
What does Macbeth mean when he calls the three witches "imperfect speakers"? (ELA.10.V.1.3)

Question 1 options:

The witches confuse Macbeth with their poor speech.


Macbeth does not fully understand the prophecies.


Instead of answering Macbeth, the witches only repeat "All hail".


The witches appear almost human, but seem to come from an other-worldly place.

Answer 1

Macbeth refers to the witches as 'imperfect speakers' because their prophecies are ambiguous and perplexing, lacking full explanations about his future titles, including that of king.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Macbeth refers to the three witches as "imperfect speakers," he suggests that their prophecies are ambiguous and incomplete. Macbeth recognizes that he is the Thane of Glamis, but the title Thane of Cawdor is already held by a living nobleman, making the witches' proclamations seem unbelievable. Their talk of him becoming king is beyond his comprehension since it's not within his realistic expectations or societal norms. He demands further explanation about the origin of their strange intelligence and reasons for delivering such unsettling prophecies on the desolate heath.