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Macbeth Act 5 Scene 3: ISC Class 12 workbook answers

Get notes, workbook solutions, summary, questions and answers, and pdf of the drama/play Macbeth (Act 5 Scene 3) by William
Shakespeare, which is part of ISC Class 12 English. However, the notes should only be treated as references, and changes should be
made according to the needs of the students.

If you notice any errors in the notes, please mention them in the comments

Table of Contents
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Summary
Workbook answers
Multiple Choice Questions
Context questions
Essay question
Extra/additional MCQs
Extra/additional questions and answers

Summary

This scene portrays Macbeth, now isolated and filled with despair, within the confines of Dunsinane castle. Despite receiving reports of
thanes abandoning him and the English army advancing, he clings to the witches’ prophecy, believing himself invincible until Birnam
Wood moves towards Dunsinane.

A servant informs Macbeth of the approaching enemy forces, but Macbeth, angered by the servant’s fear, dismisses him with insults. He
calls for Seyton, his loyal officer, and reflects on his own life, lamenting the loss of honor, love, and obedience. He feels friendless and
cursed by all.

Seyton confirms the news of the approaching army, further fueling Macbeth’s anger and defiance. He declares his determination to fight
till the end, demanding his armor despite the enemy’s distance. Macbeth orders more horses and threatens those who speak of fear.

A doctor arrives, informing Macbeth of Lady Macbeth’s deteriorating mental state. He explains that her illness is beyond his medical
capabilities, originating from within her mind. Macbeth, frustrated and dismissive, rejects the doctor’s remedies and asks if he can cure
the sickness of the land, referring to the turmoil and rebellion he faces.

Macbeth’s despair is evident as he laments the thanes’ desertion and expresses his desire for a potion to rid the land of the English
forces. He fluctuates between wearing and removing his armor, showcasing his internal struggle and increasing anxiety. Despite his
growing desperation, he clings to the witches’ prophecy as his only source of hope, declaring his fearlessness until Birnam Wood moves
towards Dunsinane.

Workbook answers

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Macbeth lives in the assurance of the witches that he need not fear

a. a man born of a woman

Answer: a. a man born of a woman

2. The servant reports that there is an army of

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a. one thousand soldiers

Answer: b. ten thousand soldiers

3. Macbeth calls the servant

a. cream faced loon

Answer: a. cream faced loon

4. Seyton is an

a. Officer in waiting
b. a servant of Macbeth
c. a porter
d. a lord

Answer: a. Officer in waiting

5. Rhubarb and cyme are

a. pain killers
b. purgative drugs
c. poisonous drugs
d. energisers

Answer: b. purgative drugs

Context questions

1. The devil damn thee black, thou cream fac’d loon…

a. How does Macbeth complete the sentence? How does the servant correct Macbeth?

Answer: Macbeth completes the sentence by mistakenly assuming the servant is talking about geese, saying “Ten thousand geese, you
villain?” The servant corrects him by specifying, “There are ten thousand soldiers, Sir.”

b. What is the reaction of Macbeth when the servant tells him about his observations? What does he order the servant to do?

Answer: Macbeth reacts angrily to the servant’s report, scolding him for his cowardly appearance and ordering him to scratch his face
to cover his fear with blood, indicating Macbeth’s disdain for visible fear and his attempt to encourage a braver facade.

c. Who does Macbeth call out to? Why?

Answer: Macbeth calls out to Seyton, his officer in waiting, signaling his need for assistance and counsel in the face of the alarming
news brought by the servant.

d. While waiting for the person what does Macbeth introspect about himself?

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Answer: While waiting for Seyton, Macbeth introspects about the autumn of his life, reflecting on his lack of peace, honor, love,
obedience, and the company of friends, feeling dejected and alienated due to his crimes and longing for what he lacks.

e. What are your feelings towards Macbeth in this scene? Is he one to be pitied? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: In this scene, feelings towards Macbeth might be mixed. One might pity him for his loneliness and the despair he feels as he
realizes the consequences of his actions. Yet, this pity might be tempered by the recognition that his suffering is self-inflicted, resulting
from his ambition and the series of murders he committed.

3. Macbeth: Throw physic to the dogs; I’ll none of it. Come, put mine armour on; give me my staff. Seyton, send out -Doctor, the
thanes fly from me –

a. Why does Macbeth ask the Doctor to throw his medicine away? Who was the patient?

Answer: Macbeth asks the Doctor to throw his medicine away out of frustration with the ineffectiveness of medicine to cure Lady
Macbeth’s mental anguish. The patient is Lady Macbeth, who suffers from guilt-induced hallucinations and sleep disturbances.

b. What does Macbeth ask the Doctor to examine and cure?

Answer: Macbeth asks the Doctor to diagnose and cure the metaphorical disease affecting Scotland, reflecting his deeper anguish over
the turmoil and violence plaguing his reign. He seeks a remedy that could restore the kingdom to health, symbolizing his desire to undo
the consequences of his actions.

c. What drugs does Macbeth recommend?

Answer: Macbeth mentions rhubarb and cyme, seeking purgative drugs that could metaphorically cleanse Scotland of the English
forces, illustrating his desperation to eliminate the threats against his reign and possibly cleanse his conscience.

d. What decision does the Doctor take at the end of the scene? Why does he take such a decision?

Answer: The Doctor decides, in an aside, that if he could leave Dunsinane, nothing would make him return, not even the prospect of a
royal fee. This decision stems from witnessing the depth of Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s turmoil, the futility of his medical skills
against their spiritual and psychological wounds, and possibly a desire to escape the toxic environment of Macbeth’s court.

e. What is Macbeth’s greatest lament?

Answer: Macbeth’s greatest lament is his recognition of a life led astray by ambition and violence, which ultimately leaves him empty,
friendless, and devoid of the honor, love, obedience, and the company of friends that should accompany old age. He deeply regrets his
isolation and the spiritual desolation that his quest for power has brought upon him.

Essay question

Question. Describe the essence of the conversation between Macbeth and the Doctor. What insights does it offer about their
personalities?

Answer: The conversation between Macbeth and the Doctor is characterized by tension and hidden meanings. Both individuals appear
cautious and hesitant to openly confide in each other, choosing instead to communicate indirectly.

Macbeth inquires about the nature of his wife’s ailment. The Doctor reveals that her illness is not physical, but rather a mental one.
When Macbeth seeks a cure, the Doctor expresses his limitations, stating that her condition is beyond medical treatment and only she
holds the power to heal herself.

Frustrated, Macbeth urges the Doctor to abandon his medicines. In his desperation, he asks if the Doctor can examine and cleanse the
land of its sickness, restoring it to its former health. This metaphor alludes to the English forces advancing against him.

The Doctor offers no solutions and resolves to leave Dunsinane immediately, unwilling to return even for a royal fee.

This dialogue unveils the desperation and regret that Macbeth is grappling with, as he recognizes the devastating consequences of his
actions. It sheds light on both characters, portraying Macbeth as a remorseful tyrant and the Doctor as an independent thinker who

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prioritizes his own principles.

Extra/additional MCQs

1. What is the number of the enemy soldiers that the servant reports to Macbeth?

A. One thousand B. Ten thousand C. Hundred D. Lazy soldiers

Answer: B. Ten thousand

2. What does Macbeth call the servant?

A. Cream-faced loon B. A fiend C. A hot-tempered man D. A sly fox

Answer: A. Cream-faced loon

3. Who is Seyton?

A. An officer in waiting B. A servant of Macbeth C. A porter D. A lord

Answer: A. An officer in waiting

4. What are Rhubarb and Cyme?

A. Pain killers B. Purgative drugs C. Poisonous drugs D. Energizers

Answer: B. Purgative drugs

5. What does Macbeth say he will do till Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane?

A. Not be afraid of death and bane B. Flee from the English forces C. Surrender to the enemy D. Seek a cure for the diseased land

Answer: A. Not be afraid of death and bane

6. What does Macbeth ask the Doctor to do for his wife?

A. Cure her physical ailment B. Cure her mental illness C. Put her to sleep D. Send her away

Answer: B. Cure her mental illness

7. What does Macbeth call the Doctor’s medicine?

A. Worthless B. Powerful C. Essential D. Experimental

Answer: A. Worthless

8. What does Macbeth ask the Doctor to examine and cure?

A. Macbeth’s own illness B. Lady Macbeth’s illness C. The disease of the land D. The English forces

Answer: C. The disease of the land

9. What does Macbeth say he will do till Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane? A. Surrender B. Flee C. Fight till his flesh is hacked
from his bones D. Seek help from the Doctor

Answer: C. Fight till his flesh is hacked from his bones

10. What news does Seyton bring Macbeth?

A. The desertion of the Thanes B. The advance of the English forces C. The worsening condition of Lady Macbeth D. All of the above

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Answer: B. The advance of the English forces

11. What does Macbeth ask the Doctor to find to drive away the English?

A. Rhubarb and Cyme B. A sleeping potion C. A magic spell D. A poison

Answer: A. Rhubarb and Cyme

12. What does Macbeth call the English forces?

A. Pleasure-loving men B. Fearful soldiers C. Cowardly epicures D. All of the above

Answer: D. All of the above

13. What does Macbeth say the “robe of kingship” feels like on him?

A. Ill-fitting B. Comfortable C. Burdensome D. Glorious

Answer: A. Ill-fitting

14. What does the Doctor say about Macbeth’s wife’s condition?

A. She is physically ill B. She is mentally disturbed C. She is feigning illness D. She is possessed by evil spirits

Answer: B. She is mentally disturbed

15. What does the Doctor decide to do at the end of the scene?

A. Stay and help Macbeth B. Flee from Dunsinane C. Refuse to treat Macbeth D. Report Macbeth’s condition to the authorities

Answer: B. Flee from Dunsinane

Extra/additional questions and answers

1. What does Macbeth say he will not be afraid of?

Answer: Macbeth says he will not be afraid of death and destruction until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.

2. What does Macbeth call the Doctor’s medicine?

Answer: Macbeth contemptuously calls the Doctor’s medicine “worthless” and tells him to “throw physic to the dogs.”

3. What does Macbeth ask the Doctor to examine and cure?

Answer: Macbeth asks the Doctor to examine the “water of [his] land” and find a cure to restore the diseased country to its former
“pristine health.”

4. What does Macbeth say he lacks that accompanies old age?

Answer: Macbeth laments that he lacks the honor, love, obedience, and company of friends that should accompany old age.

5. What does the Doctor decide to do at the end of the scene?

Answer: The Doctor decides that if he could escape from Dunsinane, nothing would make him come back, not even the prospect of a
royal fee.

6. How does Macbeth react when the servant reports the strength of the enemy troops?

Answer: Macbeth flies into a rage, cursing the servant as a “cream-faced loon” and a “lily-livered boy,” dismissing the report of ten
thousand soldiers as mere “geese” and ordering the servant to “go prick [his] face” to make it redder and less cowardly.

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7. What does Macbeth ask the Doctor to do to cure his wife’s condition?

Answer: Macbeth desperately asks the Doctor if he can “minister to a mind diseased,” plucking from the memory the “rooted sorrow”
and erasing the “written troubles of the brain” with some “sweet oblivious antidote” to cleanse the “stuff’d bosom” of the “perilous
stuff” weighing on her heart.

8. How does Macbeth’s inner state of mind manifest in his contradictory actions and words?

Answer: Macbeth’s mental unrest is evident as he impulsively calls for his armor, then contradicts himself and tells Seyton it is not
needed yet, indicative of the turmoil and indecision plaguing his mind as he tries to console himself with the prophecy that he cannot be
defeated until Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane.

9. What does Macbeth’s lament about the lack of “honour, love, obedience, troops of friends” reveal about his state of mind?

Answer: Macbeth’s poignant lament reveals his deep loneliness and despair, as he realizes that in the autumn of his life, he has lost the
support and affection of his subjects, who now only serve him out of fear rather than genuine loyalty, leaving him friendless, unloved,
and cursed by all around him.

10. How does the scene depict Macbeth’s inner suffering and mental deterioration as a result of his crimes, and what is the
significance of this portrayal?

Answer: The scene vividly depicts Macbeth’s profound inner turmoil and mental anguish as he grapples with the consequences of his
bloody rise to power. Macbeth’s outbursts of rage, contradictory actions, and desperate pleas to the Doctor reveal a man tormented by
guilt, fear, and a sense of isolation, having alienated himself from his subjects and lost the love, honor, and companionship that should
have accompanied his old age. Yet, even amidst his degeneration, glimpses of the essential Macbeth – the noble, sensitive, and
vulnerable man he once was – shine through, evoking a sense of tragic pathos and making the audience pity the tyrant even as they
condemn his actions. This nuanced portrayal of Macbeth’s inner suffering underscores the play’s central theme of the corrosive effects
of unchecked ambition and the moral and psychological costs of wielding absolute power.

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