Question

Read the excerpt from act 5, scene 5 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth is in his castle, waiting to be surrounded by the enemy army. He suddenly hears women crying, and his servant Seyton goes to investigate.

Macbeth. I have almost forgot the taste of fears;
The time has been, my senses would have cool’d
To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair
Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
As life were in’t: I have supp’d full with horrors;
Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts
Cannot once start me.

How does Shakespeare develop the universal theme "the impact of the past on the present” in this excerpt?

by describing Macbeth’s fears of his bad dreams
by describing all the violence that Macbeth has forgotten
by showing how afraid of the world Macbeth has become
by showing that Macbeth has become numb to violence

Answer 1

JADED

1. Macbeth used to be very scared of things.

2. He would get scared even by loud noises at night.

3. His hair would stand up and he would feel like something bad was happening.

4. But now, he doesn't get scared easily anymore.

5. He has seen and done so many bad things that he doesn't feel fear like he used to.

6. The things he did in the past have made him not react to scary things in the present

chatgpt

Answer 2

Shakespeare conveys the effect of the past on the present by illustrating Macbeth's desensitization to violence, showing that his previous violent actions have made him numb to horror.

Step-by-step explanation:

Shakespeare develops the universal theme "the impact of the past on the present" in the excerpt from act 5, scene 5 of The Tragedy of Macbeth by showing that Macbeth has become numb to violence. The lines spoken by Macbeth reflect his desensitization to the horrors he has committed. Once susceptible to fear and terror, Macbeth narrates how he has been so steeped in violent deeds that even dire events do not faze him anymore. He indicates that his senses would have previously reacted to dreadful events, but now he is accustomed to horrors due to his past actions, and thus, they have no power to startle him.