Question

macbeth. o! yet i do repent me of my fury,
that i did kill them.
macduff. wherefore did you so?
macbeth. who can be wise, amazd, temperate and
furious,
loyal and neutral, in a moment? no man:
the expedition of my violent love
outran the pauser, reason.

-the tragedy of macbeth,
william shakespeare

read the passage. which rhetorical device does
macbeth use when he says, \who can be wise,
amazd, temperate and furious, / loyal and neutral, in a
moment?\

○ irony
○ metonymy
○ synecdoche
○ rhetorical question

Explanation:

A rhetorical question is a question posed not to seek an answer but to emphasize a point or express a sentiment. Macbeth's question "Who can be wise, amaz’d, temperate and furious, / loyal and neutral, in a moment?" is not asking for a genuine response—he immediately answers it himself ("No man:") to stress that no person can embody such contradictory traits in an instant, justifying his actions. Irony relies on contrast between expectation and reality, metonymy uses a related term to stand for a concept, and synecdoche uses a part to represent a whole, none of which match this example.

Answer:

rhetorical question