Prophecies In Macbeth

The Future is Told: The Meaning of Prophecies in Macbeth

In play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the prophecy motif plays a major role throughout the text. Prophecies set the plot in motion from the very beginning of this play. In each of the acts the prophecies are what drives Macbeth mad with greed and power and ultimately leads to his demise. If there were not prophecies Macbeth would have never thought about becoming King and would have never become mad. The play Macbeth begins with a prophecy from the witches. The witches prophesize that the civil war in Scotland will end “When the hurly-burly’s done./ When the battle’s lost and won” (I.i.3-4), and that they will meet Macbeth “Where the place/ Upon the heath/ There to meet with
“I go, and it is done. The bell invites me/ Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell/ That summons thee to heaven, or to hell” (II.i.63-65). Before being influenced by the witches and his wife Macbeth was loyal to the throne. The witches and his wife are the catalysts for Macbeth's series of killings in order to obtain and maintain his throne. After Macbeth kills Duncan he becomes paranoid about someone finding out what he did, this leads him to kill more people and eventually drives him to become mad with power and
The witches later meet up with Macbeth to tell him another prophecy, for this prophecy they show him three apparitions. In the first apparition an armed head appears telling him “beware Macduff/ Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough” (IV.i.94-95). In the second apparition a bloody child appears and tells Macbeth “for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth” (IV.i.102-103). In the third apparition a child with a crown and a tree in his hand says “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/ Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/ Shall come against him” (IV.i.113-115). After Macbeth sees these three apparitions he becomes overconfident that no one can hurt him and that he will be safe, he believes that the witches are showing him that he can not be hurt by any person. The witches prophecy is carried out, but with a twist that is unexpected from Macbeth. All the apparitions that Macbeth thought were reassuring him of his success were actually warning him of his downfall. He realized that this was telling him of his downfall when the wood of Birnam entered Dunsinane, “What wood is this before us/ The Wood of Birnam” (V.iv.4-5). Macbeth goes out to fight and just like the prophecy said MAcbeth would kill him, “But like a man he died/ The he is dead” (V.viii.