Read the excerpt from act 3, scene 2 of The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth, who has just become king, is speaking to Lady Macbeth before the evening’s feast. Macbeth: Good things of day begin to droop and drowse, [While] night’s black agents to their preys do rouse. Thou marvell’st at my words: but hold thee still; Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill: So, prithee, go with me. Which word best describes the mood of this excerpt?
Macbeth describes night as a time when “black agents” awaken to hunt, and says that bad actions grow stronger through further evil. This dark, threatening imagery creates an unsettling mood. “Perplexed” might seem possible because Lady Macbeth marvels at his words, but the excerpt’s overall tone is ominous rather than confused.
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