Act 3 Scene 5 Flashcards
What is the significance of this scene?
The main significance of this scene is the appearance of Hecate, which serves to capture the attention of the audience and engage them further.
What is the nature of Hecate’s verse?
Her verse varies between different meters, from trochaic tetrameter and pentameter to iambic tetrameter and pentameter. It is all presented in rhyming couplets.
What is the significance of the irregular form and meter in Hecate’s verse?
The great amount of variation in the verse forms could emphasise the theme of the supernatural, further exemplified by the rhyming couplets; it reinforces Hecate’s weirdness as a character.
What does Hecate say?
She criticises the witches for meeting Macbeth without her permission and talks about her magical activity, perhaps to appeal to the Elizabethan audience’s interest in the supernatural.
What quote portrays a significant message about hubris?
“security is mortals’ chiefest enemy”
What does the quote mean?
It suggests that profound hubris results in the downfall of whoever develops it.
