Macbeth

Question

by William Shakespeare



LADY MACBETH.

That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold.

What hath quenched them hath given me fire.

Hark! Peace!

It was the owl that shrieked, the fatal bellman,

Which gives the stern’st good night. He is about it.

The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms

Do mock their charge with snores. I have drugged their possets,

That death and nature do contend about them,

Whether they live or die.



From Macbeth by William Shakespeare



Question
What interpretation could be made about the owl that Lady Macbeth claims to hear?(1 point)
Responses

Lady Macbeth actually hears Duncan shriek as her husband approaches him with his dagger.
Lady Macbeth actually hears Duncan shriek as her husband approaches him with his dagger.

Lady Macbeth hears her husband shriek in terror when he has a vision of a dagger.
Lady Macbeth hears her husband shriek in terror when he has a vision of a dagger.

Lady Macbeth is beginning to lose her sanity and only thinks she hears an owl shrieking.
Lady Macbeth is beginning to lose her sanity and only thinks she hears an owl shrieking.

Lady Macbeth is trying to convince her husband that the murder never actually occurred.
Lady Macbeth is trying to convince her husband that the murder never actually occurred.

Answer 1

The interpretation that could be made about the owl that Lady Macbeth claims to hear is:

Lady Macbeth is beginning to lose her sanity and only thinks she hears an owl shrieking.

This interpretation aligns with the overall themes of guilt and madness in the play as Lady Macbeth is deeply involved in the plot to murder King Duncan, and the reference to the owl, often seen as an omen of death, reinforces her growing unease and the psychological turmoil that follows their heinous act. The owl's shriek symbolizes the foreboding nature of their actions, indicating a shift in her mental state as the gravity of their plan weighs heavily upon her.