The epitaph of Mrs. Purkapile is part of Edgar Lee Masters'<em> "Spoon River Anthology". </em>It was published in 1915. This is a sequence of 245 free-verse epitaphs that are presented in the form of monologues. They are written from the point of view of deceased citizens of a small town.
The correct answer is option C: "<em>And out of respect for my own character / I refused to be drawn into a divorce."</em> These lines directly state the reason that Mrs. Purkapile had for staying married.
Answer:
Signifying <u>nothing</u>.
Explanation:
These lines are a quote from the tragedy play "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare. Taken from Act V scene v, these words are said by Macbeth after he hears of the death of his wife, lady Macbeth.
Macbeth at first seemed to be shaken with the news brought by Seyton that "<em>the queen, my lord, is dead</em>." But then, Macbeth began talking of the inevitability of death for everyone. He accepts that "<em>she should have died hereafter</em>", and that "<em>Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more. It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing.</em>" This could also be taken as his acceptance of the meaninglessness and the futility of human life, which also indirectly made his act of murdering King Duncan an insignificant act. He is in a way, justifying his murderous acts and seems to imply their insignificance. After all, life is just a shadow cast by a brief candle.
