ISC Class 12 English Drama Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Important Question Answers
Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Question Answers: Looking for ISC Class 12 English Drama Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 question answers? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising ISC Class 12 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Our solutions provide a clear idea of how to write the answers effectively. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 now. The questions listed below are based on the latest ISC exam pattern.
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ISC Class 12 English Drama Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Textbook Questions
ASSIGNMENT
Question 1
Choose the correct options for the following questions:
1. Whom does Macbeth describe as ‘nonpareil?
(a) The murderer who was supposed to kill both Banquo and Fleance
(b) The Lord who brought gifts for him at the banquet
(c) Lady Macbeth who supported him.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a) The murderer who was supposed to kill both Banquo and Fleance
2. Who is T’ in the line_____________’But now I am cabin’d, cribb’d, confined…..?
(a) Banquo
(b) Lady Macbeth
(c) Macbeth
(d) Fleance
Ans. (c) Macbeth
3. What made Macbeth believe that he is a prisoner to all kinds of doubts and fears?
(a) Murder of Banquo
(b) Escape of Fleance
(c) The prophecy of witches about Banquo’s progeny
(d) Both (b) and (c)
Ans. (d) Both (b) and (c)
4. Who, according to Macbeth, can grow into a poisonous snake?
(a) Banquo
(b) Macduff
(c) Fleance
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (c) Fleance
5. According to Lady Macbeth, the feast seems to be ‘sold’ when________
(a) the host does not welcome the guests politely.
(b) the dishes are not prepared with love.
(c) the food is served reluctantly.
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a) the host does not welcome the guests politely.
6. Although the guests could not see the ghost of Banquo, they were surprised. Why?
(a) Macbeth’s strange appearance
(b) Lady Macbeth’s prattling
(c) Macbeth addressing the empty chair
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (c) Macbeth addressing the empty chair
7. Which characteristic trait of Lady Macbeth is revealed in this scene?
(a) Good host
(b) Presence of mind
(c) Sociable
(d) Courageous
Ans. (b) Presence of mind
8. Macbeth asks the guests who has ‘done this deed’? Which ‘deed’ is he referring to?
(a) Occupying his chair
(b) Inviting Banquo
(c) Removing his chair
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a) Occupying his chair
9. According to Macbeth, which sight would scare the devil?
(a) The fits he is having
(b) The appearance of the murderer
(c) The appearance of Banquo’s ghost
(d) None of the above
Ans. (c) The appearance of Banquo’s ghost
10. In this scene, the appearance of Banquo’s ghost is suggestive of which of the following?
(a) Witchcraft
(b) Macbeth’s wickedness
(c) change of regime
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (b) Macbeth’s wickedness
11. Which of following characteristic traits of Lady Macbeth is evident in this scene?
(a) Self-control
(b) Loyalty to her husband
(c) Organising skill
(d) All of the above.
Ans. (d) All of the above.
12. Who appears to be the next target of Macbeth in this scene?
(a) Macduff
(b) Fleance
(c) Malcolm
(d) Lennox
Ans. (a) Macduff
13. According to Macbeth, what happens to the men murdered in contrast to the past?
(a) They are murdered gruesomely
(b) They rise from the graves
(c) They take a long time to die
(d) They die after one hit only
Ans. (b) They rise from the graves
14. Which of the following is NOT an animal referred to by Macbeth against whom he can fight?
(a) Bear
(b) Rhinoceros
(c) Tiger
(d) Elephant
Ans. (d) Elephant
15. In contract to Lady Macbeth, who does not lose the red colour of her cheeks. Macbeth himself appears to be which of the following?
(a) Pale with fear
(b) Red with anger
(c) Black with evil
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (a) Pale with fear
16. According to Macbeth, a murdered person cries out in revenge for which of the following?
(a) Human body
(b) Justice
(c) Blood
(d) None of the above.
Ans. (c) Blood
Question 2
Complete the following sentences by providing a reason for each:
1. Macbeth says that his fears have returned because
Ans. Macbeth says that his fears have returned because Fleance has escaped, meaning the threat to his throne remains and the witches’ prophecy regarding Banquo’s descendants is still possible.
2. At the banquet scene, Macbeth could see Banquo’s ghost sitting on the chair while others could see the chair vacant because
Ans. At the banquet scene, Macbeth could see Banquo’s ghost sitting on the chair while others could see the chair vacant because the ghost is a hallucination or a supernatural manifestation visible only to Macbeth’s guilty conscience.
3. Lady Macbeth dismisses Macbeth’s view that he saw Banquo’s ghost because
Ans. Lady Macbeth dismisses Macbeth’s view that he saw Banquo’s ghost because she believes it is a mere trick of his imagination, much like the ‘air-drawn dagger’ he saw before killing Duncan.
4. When the ghost and the guests have gone, Macbeth’s mind is not restored to calmness or repentance because
Ans. When the ghost and the guests have gone, Macbeth’s mind is not restored to calmness or repentance because he realizes he has committed so many crimes and murder that it is easier to continue his violent path than to try to turn back.
5. Macbeth was deeply worried after meeting the murderers because
Ans. Macbeth was deeply worried after meeting the murderers because the perfect security he hoped for was ruined by Fleance’s escape, leaving him ‘cabin’d, cribb’d, and confin’d’ by doubt.
6. The supernatural element of the banquet scene is dramatically effective because
Ans. The supernatural element of the banquet scene is dramatically effective because it externalizes Macbeth’s internal guilt and marks the beginning of his public downfall as a king.
ISC Class 11 English Drama Macbeth Act 3 Scene 4 Extra Question and Answers
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Q1. Where does the banquet take place?
A. A cavern in the woods
B. A hall in the palace at Forres
C. Inverness Castle
D. Macduff’s castle at Fife
Ans. B. A hall in the palace at Forres
Q2. What news does the murderer bring that causes Macbeth to feel ‘cabin’d, cribb’d, confined’?
A. Banquo has escaped
B. The lords are planning a revolt
C. Fleance has escaped
D. Lady Macbeth is ill
Ans. C. Fleance has escaped
Q3. Macbeth refers to Banquo as a ‘grown serpent’. Who is the ‘worm’ that has fled?
A. Macduff
B. Fleance
C. Malcolm
D. Donalbain
Ans. B. Fleance
Q4. Why is Macbeth unable to sit at the banquet table initially?
A. There are no more chairs
B. He prefers to stand and mingle
C. He is too busy talking to the murderer
D. He sees Banquo’s ghost in his seat
Ans. D. He sees Banquo’s ghost in his seat
Q5. How does Lady Macbeth explain Macbeth’s strange behavior to the guests?
A. She says he is drunk on wine
B. She says he has had a fit since his childhood
C. She says he is mourning the death of Duncan
D. She says he is practicing a speech for the coronation
Ans. B. She says he has had a fit since his childhood
Q6. What does Macbeth mean when he says, “Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me”?
A. He is telling the Lords he didn’t kill Duncan
B. He is telling the ghost that he didn’t physically pull the trigger or swing the sword
C. He is telling Lady Macbeth to stop judging him
D. He is telling the murderer to leave the room
Ans. B. He is telling the ghost that he didn’t physically pull the trigger or swing the sword
Q7. Which three animals does Macbeth mention he would rather face than the ghost?
A. A lion, a wolf, and a bear
B. A dragon, a leopard, and a shark
C. An eagle, a serpent, and a goat
D. A Russian bear, an armed rhinoceros, and a Hyrcan tiger
Ans. D. A Russian bear, an armed rhinoceros, and a Hyrcan tiger
Q8. What does Lady Macbeth do when Macbeth’s behavior becomes too revealing and dangerous?
A. She faints to distract the guests
B. She calls for the guards to arrest the ghost
C. She tells the guests to leave immediately and ignore the order of rank
D. She joins Macbeth in shouting at the empty chair
Ans. C. She tells the guests to leave immediately and ignore the order of rank
Q9. After the guests leave, which character’s absence does Macbeth find suspicious?
A. Lennox
B. Ross
C. Macduff
D. Banquo
Ans. C. Macduff
Q10. Macbeth says, ‘I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far…’ What does this metaphor imply?
A. He is literally bleeding from a wound
B. He has committed so many crimes that it is just as hard to turn back as it is to keep going
C. He is planning to wash his hands in the blood of his enemies
D. He believes the blood on his hands will eventually disappear
Ans. B. He has committed so many crimes that it is just as hard to turn back as it is to keep going
Fill Up Sentences
1. Macbeth describes himself as being ‘cabin’d, cribb’d, confin’d’ because ______________.
Ans. Macbeth describes himself as being ‘cabin’d, cribb’d, confin’d’ because the escape of Fleance means the witches’ prophecy regarding Banquo’s descendants remains a threat to his throne.
2. Lady Macbeth tells the guests that Macbeth’s strange behavior is a customary fit because______________.
Ans. Lady Macbeth tells the guests that Macbeth’s strange behavior is a customary fit because she needs to provide a logical excuse to prevent the Lords from questioning Macbeth and discovering their guilt.
3. Macbeth calls Banquo a grown serpent because ______________.
Ans. Macbeth calls Banquo a grown serpent because he viewed Banquo as a dangerous, mature enemy who had the power and suspicion to overthrow him.
4. The Ghost of Banquo sits in Macbeth’s reserved seat because ______________.
Ans. The Ghost of Banquo sits in Macbeth’s reserved seat because this symbolically demonstrates that Macbeth is a usurper and that Banquo’s bloodline will eventually replace him.
5. Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth, ‘Are you a man?’ because ______________.
Ans. Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth, ‘Are you a man?’ because she believes his fear of the ghost is a sign of womanish cowardice that threatens to expose their crimes.
6. Macbeth is surprised that the dead ‘rise again’ because ______________.
Ans. Macbeth is surprised that the dead ‘rise again’ because in the past, a fatal head wound meant a man would stay dead, but his guilt has physically manifested as a haunting presence.
7. Lady Macbeth asks the Lords to stand not upon the order of your going because ______________.
Ans. Lady Macbeth asks the Lords to stand not upon the order of your going because Macbeth is on the verge of a total breakdown and might accidentally confess to the murders if the guests stay longer.
8. Macbeth decides to keep a spy in every noble’s house because ______________.
Ans. Macbeth decides to keep a spy in every noble’s house because he has become completely paranoid and no longer trusts the loyalty of the Scottish aristocracy.
9. Macbeth resolves to visit the weird sisters the next day because ______________.
Ans. Macbeth resolves to visit the weird sisters the next day because he is bent on knowing his future by any means possible, even if it involves the worst supernatural forces.
10. Macbeth remarks that sleep is the season of all natures because ______________.
Ans. Macbeth remarks that sleep is the season of all natures because both he and his wife are suffering from the physical and mental exhaustion of guilt, which has robbed them of natural rest.
Extra Questions
SHORT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q1. How does the news of Fleance’s escape affect Macbeth’s state of mind and his sense of security?
Ans. The news that Fleance has escaped is a pivotal moment for Macbeth, shattering the perfect security he hoped to achieve through Banquo’s murder. Initially, Macbeth feels successful when the murderer confirms Banquo is dead, but upon hearing Fleance is alive, he describes himself as being ‘cabin’d, cribb’d, confined, bound in to saucy doubts and fears’. This metaphor illustrates his intense paranoia and the feeling of being trapped by destiny. Macbeth realizes that while he has killed the grown serpent i.e. Banquo, the worm i.e. Fleance that fled still possesses the potential to fulfill the witches’ prophecy and seize the throne in the future. This escape signifies that Macbeth cannot control fate through violence. His anxiety immediately triggers the psychological instability that leads to his public breakdown when Banquo’s ghost appears, proving that his reign is built on a foundation of fear rather than true power.
Q2. Analyze the dramatic significance of Banquo’s Ghost appearing specifically during a royal banquet.
Ans. The banquet is intended to be a symbol of order, social hierarchy, and Macbeth’s legitimacy as the new King of Scotland. By inviting the lords to eat together, Macbeth is attempting to play the humble host and consolidate his power. However, the appearance of the Ghost dramatically subverts this intended order. The Ghost sits in Macbeth’s reserved seat, which is a powerful visual metaphor for the idea that Macbeth’s throne is stolen and that Banquo’s descendants are the rightful heirs. The intrusion of the supernatural into a highly structured social event causes disorder, as Lady Macbeth calls it. It forces the guests to witness the King’s madness, effectively ending the period of political stability Macbeth tried to project. The setting highlights the contrast between the outward mask of kingship and the inward reality of a conscience tormented by blood and betrayal.
Q3. How does Lady Macbeth attempt to manage the crisis during the banquet, and what does this reveal about her character?
Ans. Lady Macbeth displays remarkable presence of mind and tactical skill during the banquet. When Macbeth begins shouting at the empty chair, she immediately invents a cover story, telling the lords that Macbeth has suffered from similar fits since his youth. She attempts to shame Macbeth back into reality by questioning his manhood and comparing his vision to the ‘air-drawn dagger’ he saw before killing Duncan. Her actions reveal her roles as both a protector of their shared secret and a cold pragmatist who values social appearance over emotional truth. However, despite her strength, the scene also shows the limits of her influence. She is eventually forced to dismiss the guests in chaos, breaking the order of their going. This suggests that Macbeth’s growing madness is becoming too powerful for her to control, marking the beginning of her loss of authority.
Q4. What is the meaning and significance of Macbeth’s statement, ‘I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er’?
Ans. This line is one of the most significant in the play, marking Macbeth’s final acceptance of his role as a tyrant. He uses the metaphor of a river of blood to describe his moral situation. Having crossed the halfway point of this metaphorical river through multiple murders, he concludes that it would be just as difficult and exhausting to seek forgiveness or repent as it would be to continue committing crimes. This realization reveals a shift from guilt-ridden hesitation to a cold, desperate resolve. Macbeth decides that his only path to safety is through more violence. He abandons the hope of being a good man and instead embraces a life of constant bloodshed. This point of no return is crucial because it leads him to his next target, Macduff’s family, and his final visit to the witches, showing that he has completely surrendered his humanity.
Q5. Discuss the theme of Nature vs. The Unnatural as presented in this scene.
Ans. The theme of nature being unnatural is central to this scene. Macbeth remarks that in the ‘olden time’, when a man’s ‘brains were out’, he would stay dead, but now the dead rise again to push the living from their stools. This suggests that Macbeth’s crimes have violated the natural laws of life and death. The Ghost is an
unnatural sight that defies the physical laws of the world, appearing only to the murderer. Furthermore, the timing of the scene is described as ‘almost at odds with morning’ which reflects a world where the natural boundary between night and day is blurred, symbolizing moral confusion. Macbeth’s own ‘strange infirmity’ is an unnatural reaction to his unnatural deeds. Even his mention of ‘magpies and choughs’ i.e. birds of omen bringing forth the ‘secret’st man of blood’ suggests that the natural world itself will conspire to expose his crimes, as nature cannot tolerate the King’s murder.
LONG QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q1. Discuss the significance of the ‘Serpent and the Worm’ metaphor and how it illustrates Macbeth’s evolving view of his enemies.
Ans. When the murderer informs Macbeth that Banquo is dead but Fleance has escaped, Macbeth remarks, ‘There the grown serpent lies; the worm that’s fled / Hath nature that in time will venom breed’. This metaphor is rich in symbolic meaning. By calling Banquo a ‘grown serpent’, Macbeth dehumanizes his former friend, viewing him only as a dangerous predator that had to be eliminated to ensure his own safety. The serpent imagery also links back to Lady Macbeth’s earlier advice to “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’, suggesting that Macbeth now sees the world through a lens of treachery. However, his description of Fleance as a ‘worm’ reveals a condescending yet fearful perspective. While a worm is currently harmless and lacks ‘teeth for the present’, Macbeth recognizes the biological inevitability of growth. He understands that the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be kings is still alive within Fleance. This metaphor highlights Macbeth’s transition from a man who committed murder out of ambition to one who commits preventative murder out of deep-seated paranoia. He is no longer fighting men; he is fighting a perceived biological and destiny-driven threat. His inability to kill the worm means his crown remains fruitless, and his peace of mind is permanently poisoned by the knowledge that the lineage of his enemy survives to eventually strike back.
Q2. How does Macbeth’s use of animal imagery in his confrontation with the Ghost reveal his desperate need to reclaim his manhood?
Ans. When the Ghost of Banquo reappears, Macbeth is driven to a state of hysterical bravado, listing formidable predators he would rather face: ‘the rugged Russian bear, / The arm’d rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger’. This specific choice of imagery is crucial to understanding Macbeth’s internal crisis. To Macbeth, these animals represent physical, tangible threats that can be fought with a sword and traditional manly courage. By claiming he would never tremble if the Ghost took any of these shapes, he is trying to convince himself and the watching lords that his fear is not a result of cowardice, but a reaction to the unreal mockery of the supernatural. In the Jacobean era, manhood was defined by physical valor on the battlefield; by challenging the Ghost to ‘dare me to the desert with thy sword’, Macbeth is attempting to drag the conflict back to a realm where he feels superior. The tragedy of this moment lies in the fact that Macbeth cannot fight a ghost with a blade. His insistence on these fierce animals proves that he is struggling to reconcile his identity as a bold warrior with his new reality as a guilt-ridden murderer. He equates being a man with the ability to face physical death, yet he is completely undone by the spiritual manifestation of his own sin, which no animal strength can overcome.
Q3. Analyze the significance of Macbeth’s realization that ‘blood will have blood’ and its implications for the rest of the play.
Ans. After the guests depart, the atmosphere shifts from chaotic public spectacle to a somber, private reflection. Macbeth’s line, ‘It will have blood; they say blood will have blood’, serves as a moment of chilling clarity. This proverb reflects the law of retaliation, the idea that a murder will eventually be avenged by another murder. Macbeth begins to list how nature itself reveals the ‘secret’st man of blood’ through omens like maggot-pies and choughs. This marks a shift in Macbeth’s psychology; he no longer believes he can hide his crimes or escape their consequences. This realization does not lead to repentance, however, but to a dark fatalism. He accepts that he is trapped in a cycle of violence. This line foreshadows the inevitable end of the play, where Macbeth’s own blood must be shed to purge the ‘gentle weal’ of Scotland. It also explains his subsequent actions: if “blood will have blood,” then his only defense is to be the one who sheds it first. This logic leads him to hire spies in every house and to plan the massacre of Macduff’s family. The phrase encapsulates the central tragedy of Macbeth’s reign—the futility of trying to build a stable life upon a foundation of slaughter. He understands the moral universe is balanced against him, yet he continues to fight it with further atrocities.
Q4. How does the departure of the guests ‘without the order of their going’ symbolize the total collapse of Macbeth’s social and political order?
Ans. In the beginning of the scene, Macbeth tells the lords, ‘You know your own degrees, sit down’. This emphasizes the importance of social hierarchy and the Great Chain of Being. In Shakespearean society, the order in which people sat and moved reflected the stability of the state. However, after Macbeth’s repeated outbursts, Lady Macbeth is forced to dismiss the company by saying, ‘Stand not upon the order of your going, / But go at once’. This abandonment of protocol is a powerful symbol of the anarchy that Macbeth’s regicide has released. The banquet, which was supposed to be a ceremony of communion and loyalty, ends in a fragmented, hurried retreat. This ‘admired disorder’ mirrors the state of Scotland itself; under a rightful king, there is order and degree, but under a tyrant, the social fabric unravels. The fact that the nobles leave in a chaotic rush suggests that they are no longer a unified body supporting their king, but a group of frightened individuals fleeing a source of contagion. This moment marks the point where Macbeth loses the respect and trust of his peers. The broken ceremony serves as a visual and social metaphor for the broken country. From this point forward, Macbeth will no longer rule through the ceremony and love he mentioned earlier, but through pure, unadulterated fear, as the formal bonds between the king and his subjects have been permanently severed.
Q5. Compare and contrast the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in this scene, particularly regarding their shifting power dynamic.
Ans. This scene represents the final moment of collaborative effort between Macbeth and his wife, yet it also highlights the growing distance between them. Lady Macbeth remains the pragmatic manager of the crisis, using her traditional tactics of questioning Macbeth’s manhood and creating distractions. She is the one who maintains the facade of the humble host while Macbeth is lost in his hallucinations. However, her power is clearly waning. In the earlier acts, she was the architect of the plan, but in this scene, she is reactive, struggling to contain the flaws and fits of a husband who no longer consults her. Macbeth has moved beyond her influence; he has arranged Banquo’s murder without her knowledge and is now obsessed with supernatural threats she cannot see. By the end of the scene, Lady Macbeth’s dialogue becomes much shorter and more weary. Her final suggestion that Macbeth simply ‘lacks the season of all natures, sleep’ is a simplistic diagnosis for a man who has just seen a ghost. While she tries to reduce his horror to a lack of rest, Macbeth is already looking toward the weird sisters and his next targets. The scene ends with a sense of isolation for both. Lady Macbeth is losing her grip on her husband’s mind, and Macbeth is withdrawing into a private world of paranoia and bloodlust where she can no longer follow or protect him.