ISC CLASS 11_GIVE REASONS—LOGIC BASED ACT 1 SCENE

3_MACBETH TEMPTATION SCENE SOLUTIONS

1. The first witch wanted to punish the sailor because his wife, who had chestnuts in her lap and was
munching them, refused to give her some and even insulted her, thereby making her angry.

2. The second witch would raise a favorable wind to help the first witch because the former knew that
the latter was definitely going to take revenge on the sailor’s wife by harming the sailor and making
his voyage one long torture.

3. The sailor will live like a man under a curse , ‘ a man forbid ’ because the first witch will make his
voyage one long torture, torment him with acute thirst and sleepless nights and thereby take revenge
on his wife.

4. The three witches hear the sound of a drum because Macbeth is coming after crushing the rebellion
of Macdonwald and defeating the king of Norway.

5. According to Macbeth, the day is both foul and fair at once because of the fog and of the victory
respectively, metaphorically suggesting a premonition of strange happenings and also a sort of
spiritual affinity between Macbeth and the witches.

6. The witches dance round in a ring holding one another’s hand and singing their incantation and this
is repeated nine times, three times for each witch because they want to cast a magic spell and make
the ground whereon Macbeth will tread enchanted and ‘nine’,’ three’ are mystic numbers in magic
lore, supposedly having supernatural powers.

7. Banquo is unable to conclude that the three witches are women because their beards prevent him
from coming to such a conclusion.

OR,

These strange creatures look like women by their appearance but they have beards.

8. Banquo feels that the strange creatures (witches) understand him because the manner in which
each one of them has placed her chapped finger upon her pale, shrunken lips gives him this
impression.

9. The ‘ Good sir ’ was startled on hearing the pleasant tidings because the prophecy of kingship is an
echo of Macbeth’s secret ambitions, thoughts of murder and guilt and confirm his innermost thoughts.

10. Banquo does not see any evil suggestion in the prophecy that Macbeth will be king in future
because as one of royal blood and a brave and successful general, Macbeth may in the natural course
of events and without any crime on his part, succeed Duncan, his cousin.

11. According to Banquo, his noble partner seems rapt withal because the three witches have greeted
Macbeth with the present title of the Thane of Glamis, a greater honour of the thane ship of Cawdor is
to come and also with the hope of nobility.
12. Although Banquo wants the witches to foretell his future, he neither begs any favour of them nor
fear their displeasure because his curiosity is honest , his wonder rational , guilty reflections do not
disturb him and he assumes that if the prophecies are to be fulfilled, the fulfilment will come as a
matter of course.

13. Macbeth asks the witches to stay because the witches are about to depart, who by not completing
their speech have so much unsaid and Macbeth is curious to know more about his future.

14. Macbeth is not surprised to know about the fulfilment of the prophecy of the first witch because
after the death of his father, since , he is now rightfully the Thane of Glamis.

15. Macbeth wonders how he can be the Thane of Cawdor because the Thane of Cawdor is still alive,
enjoying his favour at court and Macbeth seems to be unaware of the treachery of the Thane of
Cawdor.

16. Macbeth seems to be ignorant of Cawdor’s treachery because Angus confirmed that the help
Cawdor gave to the Norwegians was secret.

17. Macbeth wished the three witches stayed a longer because he is excited, enthralled, is curious to
know more from them and is unable to dismiss the witches from his thoughts as Banquo has done.

18. Macbeth addresses the three witches as ‘imperfect speakers’ because they have made prophecies
regarding Macbeth and Banquo but Macbeth is not satisfied and wants them to speak completely to
give him more information.

19. Banquo concludes that the three witches must be phantoms of the earth because they have
disappeared just as the water has bubbles, so the earth may have phantoms ( fantastical illusions).

20. Banquo wonders if Macbeth and he had eaten ‘on the insane root’ because he is unable to figure
out if the three witches were real living entities or mere figments of imagination, thinking that they
had taken a drug that has paralyzed their senses.

21. Macbeth tells Banquo that his children shall be kings because he is jealous and cannot forget that
though he will be king , Banquo’s descendants are promised future sovereignty.

21. According to Ross, King Duncan is left speechless because the latter is torn between two conflicting
emotions — he is lost in wonder at Macbeth’s heroism and he is anxious to give adequate expression
to his appreciation of Macbeth’s heroism.

22. Several messengers came to the king in quick succession because they wanted to narrate the
events from the battlefield, the way Macbeth defended the country against the enemy, thereby
praising Macbeth’s bravery.

22. The messengers are compared to drops of hail by Ross because messenger after messenger came
in quick succession, one messenger on the heels of another to rapidly narrate Macbeth’s bravery to
king Duncan.

23. Angus and Ross have come to Macbeth because king Duncan sent them to convey his gratitude to
Macbeth, escort him into the king’s presence so that the king himself will reward him for his service.
24. Ross addresses Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor because this is the wish and command of king
Duncan and the title is also a token of a greater honour which the king himself will bestow on
Macbeth for his bravery.

25. Macbeth asks Ross the reason for being addressed as the Thane of Cawdor, a title which belongs to
another man because he is still unaware of the treachery of the Thane of Cawdor, who is still alive and
rightfully the title belongs to him.

26. Macbeth calls the title Thane of Cawdor as ‘ borrowed ’ garments because the Thane of Cawdor is
still alive and hence it is quite improbable for him to attain the thane ship.

27. The Thane of Cawdor is sentenced to death because he has been charged with treason, which has
been proved and confessed by him, thereby leading to his downfall.

28. Macbeth asks Banquo if he is hopeful that his ‘ children shall be kings ’ because he tries to find out
Banquo’s thoughts and read his mind , himself feeling impatient, inwardly toying with sinful thoughts,
after the fulfilment of the second prophecy ( thane ship of Cawdor).

29. Banquo calls the three witches ‘ instruments of Darkness’ because unlike Macbeth, he takes a
common – sense view of the witches greetings, tries to dissuade Macbeth from paying any heed to
them and calls them deceptive, leading one to ruin and downfall.

30. In his aside, Macbeth calls the ‘Two truths’ as ‘ happy prologues’ because just as a good prologue
introduces a play , so the fulfilment of two prophecies ( that Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis and the
Thane of Cawdor) have introduced him to the theme of his future kingship.

31. The asides of Macbeth are significant because they allow the audience a glimpse into Macbeth’s
mind.

32. According to Macbeth, the supernatural soliciting can not be ill because it has given him an augury
of good luck with such a fair beginning as he is already the Thane of Cawdor, fulfilling the prophecy of
the second witch.

33. Macbeth’s imagination prevented him from taking action because the contemplation of murder
unnerves and upsets him (through fear) very much and his power of action is paralyzed by a crowd of
ghostly fancies.

34. The devil sends his messengers to deliver half – truths so that they can win the confidence of
Banquo and Macbeth only to betray them in most important things , leading to their downfall.

35. Banquo calls Macbeth ‘ our partner’s rapt’ because Macbeth has not noticed the return of Banquo,
Ross and Angus and Banquo sees into Macbeth’s soul, thereby seeking to explain Macbeth’s absent
mindedness, which might seem strange to Ross and Angus.

36. Banquo is at last forced to interrupt Macbeth because the latter is absent minded and preoccupied
with sinful thoughts and the former , along with Ross and Angus , are waiting for Macbeth to resume
their journey.
37. Macbeth wants to speak to Banquo and discuss with ‘ our true hearts ’ because he intends to find
out if Banquo, like him, is toying with sinful thoughts after the fulfilment of the two prophecies of the
witches.

38. Banquo calls the new honours that come upon Macbeth as ill-fitted strange garments because he
rightly observes how Macbeth is perturbed by the partial fulfillment of the prophecies, which the
message of Ross announces, and how he is feeling uncomfortable.