ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

FAMOUS PLAYWRIGHT POET AND OTHERS

MACBETH

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What disturbance of The Great Chain of Being does the Old Man say he has heard about?
A
The earthquake
B
Fires staring out of nowhere
C
The eclipse
D
Duncan’s horses eating each other
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Macbeth – Breaks the Chain of Being by killing his superior, the king, and also being weaker and more cautious than his wife. Lady Macbeth – Breaks the Chain of Being by being more assertive, decisive, ruthless, and ambitious than her husband.

Detailed explanation-2: -Key context: The great chain of being In Shakespeare’s time people believed that authority was derived from God in a great chain of being. God was at the top then came angels, mankind, animals, birds, fish and so on. In the human order the king was supreme. Males were above females.

Detailed explanation-3: -Duncan’s horses become uncontrollable and, apparently, eat each other. Shakespeare allows his audience to see that when God’s appointed representative is murdered, the whole of nature is disturbed.

Detailed explanation-4: -Macbeth shows this connection between the political and natural world: when Macbeth disrupts the social and political order by murdering Duncan and usurping the throne, nature goes haywire. Incredible storms rage, the earth tremors, animals go insane and eat each other.

There is 1 question to complete.