Equivocation In Macbeth

Practice Essay Question
Question: How does Macbeth follow what is expected in a Shakespearean tragedy? In you answer, you should refer to characterisation, themes and support your argument with evidence from the text. The theatrical play ‘Macbeth’ written by Shakespeare during the Elizabethan period in 1606 utilizes different themes and dramatic devices to depict what is anticipated from a Shakespearean tragedy. Throughout the play, three centralised themes include ‘Ambition’, ‘Equivocation’ and ‘Order and Disorder’. During the sixteenth century people believed in the doctrine of ‘The Great Chain of Being’, which is portrayed in Shakespearean tragedies. The protagonist, Macbeth resembles a conventional tragic hero through the illustration
Characters in the play are shown to have been mislead by ambiguous expressions from the witches. The encounters with the witches have a dark and ominous atmosphere amidst unnatural phenomena’s, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air” (Act1 Sc1). The use of oxymoron “Fair is foul”, again addresses that fairness is not a necessity, thus suggesting that characters may be going through a misguided journey. The way in which Banquo interpreted the prophecy from the witches reflects once again the fatal flaw of Macbeth. Banquo was told that, “Your children shall be kings” but doubted the witches and exclaimed they will, “Win us to harm” (Act1 Sc3). This can be juxtaposed with Macbeth who gets condemned to abiding enigmatic riddles. The truth is only being half told here as the two men are not told what to do for them to become king, which foreshadows that Macbeth is
Dramatic irony achieved in knowing Hecate’s plans in deliberating Macbeth into a trap while he himself is oblivious. There Macbeth is shown three apparitions, an armed head telling Macbeth to “Beware of McDuff”, a bloody child claiming, “None of women born shall harm Macbeth” and a crowned child holding a tree saying, “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him” (Act4 Sc1). This is also dramatic irony as the audience will have pre-knowledge before watching the play that this is a tragedy and that the apparitions will not go according to plan. The double meaning is achieved with the trees being moved as a camouflage for the army and McDuff being “untimely ripp’d” (Act5 Sc7) from his mother’s womb. This reoccurring motif of prophecies depicts equivocation that gives Macbeth the false sense of security which eventually costs his