Welcome to our blog post ISC Macbeth Workbook Answers : Act 3, Scene 5 of William Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, “Macbeth.” As dedicated learners and educators, we recognize the importance of unraveling the nuances of Shakespearean literature, which is why we’ve curated this comprehensive guide specifically tailored to the ISC curriculum.
Within this blog, we’ll explore Act 3, Scene 5 , utilizing the meticulously crafted workbook provided by Morning Star publishers. Our objective is to not only present multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and detailed answers but also to foster a deeper comprehension of the play’s themes, characters, and linguistic complexities.
While our responses are structured based on the workbook, we encourage students to use this resource as a springboard for their own exploration. Shakespeare’s works offer rich layers of interpretation, inviting individual analysis. Therefore, feel empowered to adapt and personalize our insights to suit your unique learning style and needs.
Whether you’re striving for academic excellence or simply eager to unravel the depths of “Macbeth,” join us on this enlightening journey through Act 3, Scene 5 . Let’s embark on an adventure where Shakespeare’s words transcend time, captivating minds across generations.
Table of Contents
Workbook Summary :
This is a supernatural scene in which Hecate, the presiding queen of witchcraft, meets the three witches to admonish them for daring to meet Macbeth without her knowledge or guidance.. Hecate exerts her authority over the three witches, calling them beldams or old hags, for meddling with Macbeth without her permission. She mocks them for helping a man who does not respect witchcraft and who Loves for his own ends, not for you as she feels that Macbeth is a wayward son, who is exploiting them for his own selfish purpose. She therefore decides to take over charge when dealing with Macbeth when he comes to visit them.
She instructs the witches to be off to meet her later at the pit of Acheron (Hell’s river) where Macbeth is coming to meet them. She will spend the night collecting a drop of foam hanging from the corner of the moon to prepare her magic potions which have such great magical powers that they will conjure up powerful apparitions which would misguide and lead Macbeth to his ultimate doom.
As a result of these magic spells, Macbeth will become so reckless that he will defy fate and death, ignore all warnings of wisdom and lose all fear. It will be this over confidence, which is the greatest enemy of man, that will lead to his doom and destruction.
Workbook MCQs :
1. Why does Hecate look angrily at the witches?
I. The witches have been saucy and oversold
II. The witches have made an insipid broth
III. The witches did not consult Hecate when they dealt with Macbeth
IV. The witches did not appear to be malicious as they were expected to be
a. I and III
b. II and III
c. III and IV
d. I and IV
Answer :- a. I and III
2. Where does Hecate instruct the witches to meet her?
a. in the morning at the pit of Acheron
b. in the morning at the heath
c. the next night in front of Macbeth’s castle d.
d. upon the corner of the moon
Answer :- a. in the morning at the pit of Acheron
3. What apprehensions does Hecate have about Macbeth?
a. He is duping them
b. He is mocking them
c. He is exploiting them for his own gain
d. He is ridiculing them
Answer :- c. He is exploiting them for his own gain
4. Why according to Hecate is Macbeth a wayward man?
a. He does not respect witch craft.
b. He is too selfish
c. He is an opportunist
d. He is fickle-minded
Answer :- a. He does not respect witch craft.
5. There hangs a vap’rous drop profound
What is the importance of the vaporous drop when it is distilled?
a. it will bring Banquo and King Duncan back to life
b. it will raise apparitions which will lead Macbeth to his doom
c. it will summon Macbeth to the witches
d. it will cause disturbances in nature
Answer :- b. it will raise apparitions which will lead Macbeth to his doom
6. Where will the witch find this vap’rous drop?
a. at the mountain top
b. upon the corner of the moon
c. at the pit of Acheron
d. in the air
Answer :- b. upon the corner of the moon
7. What does Hecate tell the witches to be ready with?
a. their vessels and magic spells
b. their attendants
c. their magic books
d. their evil spirits
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
8. I am for th’ air, this night I’ll spend Where does Hecate intend to spend the night?
a. preparing a magic potion for Macbeth to drink
b. killing swines
c. preparing a disastrous and fatal end for Macbeth
d. dancing around to make up the mystic number nine
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
9. What will the apparitions conjured by the witches give Macbeth?
1. great peace of mind
2. a false sense of security
3. excessive joy
4. will draw him to his fatal end
a. 1 and 2
b. 1 and 3
c. 2 and 3
d. 2 and 4
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
10. Who is Hecate is summoned by?
a. The Hyrcan Tiger
b. The Ghost of Banquo
c. Her attendant spirit
d. The Ghost of King Duncan
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11. According to Hecate who is the greatest enemy of human beings?
a. pride
b. Over confidence
c. anger
d. deceit
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
12. Where does the attendant of Hecate wait for her?
a. In the moon
b. In a misty cloud
c. In the desolate heath
d. near Macbeth’s castle
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Contextual Questions :
(I) Hecate is very angry with the weird sisters because they dared to meet Macbeth without her guidance.
(II) According to Hecate Macbeth is sure to to go to the pit of Acheron because he wants to know his fate from the witches.
(III) Hecate feels she is superior to the witches because she is the presiding queen of witchcraft.
(IV) Hecate considers Macbeth to be a wayward son because he is exploiting the witches for his own selfish purpose.
(V) Hecate wants to catch the vaporous drop upon the corner of the moon because with it she wants to prepare her magic potion.
(VI) Hecate is confident that the vaporous drop is fatal for Macbeth because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(VII) Hecate wants to catch the vaporous drop before it comes to the ground because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(VIII) Hecate wants to instil a feeling of over confidence in Macbeth because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(IX) Hecate leaves abruptly at the end of the scene because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(X) The witches leave hurriedly, too, because Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Question Answers :
(I) Describe the supernatural effect in this scene. What kind of feelings does this scene produce? Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
Answer :- Although many critics have doubted the genuineness of this scene yet it has remarkable supernatural effect on the audience. Hecate the presiding diety of the witches, admonishes the three witches for meeting Macbeth and dealing with him in their own way. Hecate orders them to correct their mistake and she herself makes a plan to collect a drop of foam hanging from the corner of the moon to prepare a potion which would lead Macbeth to his doom. The world of supernatural, the meeting of witches with Hecate, the plan to drive Macbeth to his doom, all these leave the audience spell-bound. It frightens the readers. It also awakens their curiosity as to what is going to happen next.
(II) How does Hecate assert her authority over the witches? Write your answer in a short paragraph of about 100-150 words.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
(III) (a) What are Hecate’s plans regarding Macbeth? Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
Answer :- Hecate, the queen of witches, scolds the three witches for dealing with Macbeth without her involvement. She plans to manipulate and destroy him through deceptive magic.
Magical Preparations: She will gather “a drop of foam from the moon” and other dark ingredients to brew powerful potions. These will conjure apparitions designed to trick Macbeth into false security.
Psychological Warfare: Hecate aims to exploit Macbeth’s arrogance, making him “spurn fate” and ignore real threats. The ilusions will feed his overconfidence, convincing him he is invincible (“none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”).
Leading to Ruin: Her goal is to lure Macbeth deeper into evil until he is trapped by his own pride. She declares “security is mortals’ chiefest enemy”—highlighting how her tricks will blind him to his doom. Hecate’s scheme ensures Macbeth’s downfall is both dramatic and inevitable, turning the witches’ prophecies into a cruel game. Her involvement heightens the supernatural horror, showing that Macbeth is not just a victim of ambition, but of darker forces.
(b) How far is Hecate’s assessment of Macbeth’s character true? Give reasons for your answer. Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
Answer :- For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
Essay Question :
Q. Discuss briefly the genuineness of the scene in which the witches meet Hecate.
Answer :- Many critics have doubted the genuineness of the scene in view of the fact that it is rather un-Shakespearean in style. It has nothing of the genuineness and solemnity which mark the other two witches scenes. The personality of Hecate, the presiding deity of the witches, lacks impressiveness. She appears only as an ‘old hag’, irritable, ridiculous, and rather disregarded by the witches. For Full Answers Get The Workbook Answers PDF – View
