Question

Read these lines from Macbeth:

Where's the thane of Cawdor?
We coursed him at the heels, and had a purpose
To be his purveyor: but he rides well;

Which of the following correctly defines the word coursed as it is used here?

To direct one's path
To move swiftly over
To chase or follow
To gallop or run

Answer 1

C-  to chase or follow

Answer 2

To chase or follow

Translated this says, "Where is the guy from Cawdor (Macbeth)? We followed right behind him, and I wanted to get here first; but he is a faster rider." The context clues here that tell us it's chase or follow are the facts that the person was "at the heels" and "he rides well". We know that the speaker is not actually riding or galloping Macbeth, so option D is out. We know the speaker could not catch up to him, so this eliminates option B. It's also hard to direct a person's path when you are behind him so this eliminates A.