Examples Of Foreshadowing In Macbeth

1353 Words3 Pages

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the play focuses on Macbeth, a Scottish thane from the upper ends of society and nobility. At the beginning of the play, he is introduced with both respect and awe as he fights bravely in battle and murders the former Thane of Cawdor. Upon returning home from battle, Macbeth is introduced to three witches who deliver unexpected prophecies to him. He is informed by the witches that not only will he be king as well as other prophecies that will shape the outcome of his future. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the three witches predict aspects of Macbeth’s life. In the play, Macbeth, the three witches foresee that Macbeth will become of the highest reign and power in Scotland. In the beginning of the …show more content…

The witches quickly begin to exclaim, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” (1.3.49) The witches then chant, “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” (1.3.50) These statements foreshadow to readers that not only is Macbeth is going to become the new ruler of Scotland, but something will happen to the current king of Scotland, as Duncan’s wishes for Malcolm to become the new king will no longer be optional. This not only causes bewilderment amongst Macbeth but also a need to confide to Lady Macbeth after learning of such news. After returning to Glamis, Macbeth returns home and shares the information with his wife, Lady Macbeth. Together, they successfully plan and murder the current king of Scotland as there was no other way for Macbeth to become the new king. This leads to both Malcolm and Donaldbain fleeing from Scotland. Donalbain states, “To Ireland I. Our separated fortune shall keep us both safer.” (2.3.136-137) This conveys to the audience that …show more content…

In the play, Macbeth, Macbeth becomes the highest reign and power in Scotland. The witches predicted that he will be the new king of Scotland and no one else is more capable of this position than he. The three witches also prophesized that many men will not be able to harm Macbeth or put an end to him. The witches’ prophecies proved to be true as the second apparition stated that Macbeth will not be harmed by man born of woman. This leads to Macbeth’s murder by Macduff as Macduff was not born of woman. In Macbeth, the three witches also have foreseen a revolt against Macbeth that will put an end to his reign. The three witches’ prophecies prove to be genuine as Macbeth was both surprised and shocked when the soldiers brought branches from Birnam Woods to Dunsinane Hill. Macbeth’s pride and personal hubris leads to his own downfall. Perhaps if he did not murder those who were gracious and kind to him, he may have lived a very content life. Unfortunately, his need for power leads to only what could have been as he now a legend amongst

Show More
Related

  • The Roles of Greed and Pride in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1287 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth begins to defer from his original character when he learns of the witches’ prophecies, which leads him to believe he is fated to be king and to pursue that “destiny.” After the witches make the prophecies, he merely views the thought of himself becoming king as something that “Stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. iii. 77). Macbeth’s disbelief of their claim of him obtaining the crown reveals how Macbeth does not trust the witches’ words and has no true ambition to become king. However soon after Banquo’s and Macbeth’s encounter with the witches, a messenger of the King greets him with the title of Thane of Cawdor as well as the title of Thane of Glamis as the witches had also done. These two titles are seen from Macbeth as “Two truths [that] are told/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme” (I. iii. 140-142). Having one of the two prophecies become reality validates the witches’ words and makes Macbeth take their words seriously to be the truth, sparking his desire for power to fulfill the last prophecy. He now believes that what the witches have made it his destiny to become king, and it is his duty to fulfill it. Through Duncan and Macbeth’s dialogue, Macbeth hears about Malcolm b...

    Read More

  • Sharing the Blame in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1984 Words  | 4 Pages

    The great Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth is a tale about a Scottish Thane, Macbeth, who, seemingly according to a prophecy of witches, becomes Thane of Cawdor, and King. And because Macbeth has gained his throne through deceit and treacherous ways, he loses it. The blame for the downfall of Macbeth lies with Macbeth himself, Lady Macbeth and the witches.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Arrogance In Macbeth

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    In fear of losing this power to his friend Banquo or his son Fleance, whom of which the witches said would be king after Macbeth and would yield a long line of kings, Macbeth had them murdered in the woods while they were out horseback riding. This proves that he truly believes in what the witches have to say about him and his future, which leads him to back to seek out more of the witches half truths to see what else would come of his future. The next set of prophecies that the witches had to offer were shown in a set of three apparitions. The first said “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of Fife,” the second apperition then spoke “none of woman born can harm Macbeth,” the third aperition then said “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him”(Shakespeare,168-170). Some say it was the witches fault for Macbeth’s actions next, but in reality it was Macbeth’s and Macbeth’s alone. Due to these three prophecies Macbeth’s level of arrogance went up along with his hunger for power as well, his level of common sense was decreasing faster and faster. Macbeth’s lack of common sense caused him to make rash decisions without thinking them through. Such as when he says “From this moment the very firstlings of my

    Read More

  • Free Essay on Macbeth - The Guilt of Lady Macbeth

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a trusted soldier, who is honest and noble. Unfortunately, he meets three witches who tell him three prophecies; that he will become thane of Cawdor, that he will become king and that Banquo’s sons will become kings. These three prophecies slowly change his opinions on life and turn him into a greedy, dishonest, tyrant, full of ambition. Lady Macbeth’s thoughts change as well when she is told about the three prophecies that were told to Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is ambitious, controlling and domineering. She is the one who encourages him to kill the king, she not only encourages him, she makes all the plans herself, which shows her determination and persistence."Yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full o’th milk of human kindness. To catch the nearest way thou wouldst be great. Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it." (Act 1, scene 5). Lady Macbeth is the force behind Macbeth’s sudden ambition and she tries to manipulate him into feeling guilty and unmanly for not following through with the murder, by using her husbands emotions, she manages to convince Macbeth to murder Duncan.

    Read More

  • Coincidence In Macbeth

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth’s private ambitions are initially displayed in the beginning through asides and soliloquies, making him seem ‘golden’; displaying Macbeth as ‘good willed’ and ‘honest’. However, it is until Macbeth encounters the three witches, that his own flaws are shown. The three witches arguably play the most import part in the play- with their prophecy’s fanning the flames of ambition within Macbeth, serving as the primary motivation to plot the death of Duncan- and as result Banquo; with there prognostics resonating deeply with his ambitious tendencies. As the prophecies come true, the possibility of becoming king increases and Macbeth immediately "yields to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix [his] hair" (1.3 144-145) as he fantasizes about killing Duncan. Macbeth becomes self aware of his thoughts; however, the idea that Malcolm poses a threat to his ambition outweighs his own moral conscience. He summons darkness to conceal his thoughts of murdering from heaven: "Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires:/ The eye wink at the hand!" (1.4

    Read More

  • How Did The Three Witches Contribute To Macbeth's Downfall

    1484 Words  | 3 Pages

    Their deceitful words keep him from thinking about a C-section. Macbeth starts acting destructive. He kills Duncan while believing nothing can happen to him as long as he gets the crown. Since the predictions of the future the witches are making come true, Macbeth keeps pursuing them to find out what else his future holds. He questions if the witches are telling the truth and asks them why he should kill Macduff. He believes that murdering Macduff will let him conquer his fear and sleep better at night. When the witches tell him this he begins to believe he is invincible. They tell Macbeth that he does not need to worry who hates him. The third apparition goes on to tell Macbeth that a child has a crown on his head. Macbeth then becomes very concerned he will lose his power and will not be the king of the Scotland much longer. Even when the witches are not there they still seem to invoke their evil into Macbeth’s mind (Cusick). Macbeth still hears their predictions in his head when he’s contemplating his evil plans. The witches projections rule him when it comes to making life altering decisions. The witches do not care about what happens to

    Read More

  • William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the suspenseful drama The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare tells a tale of an overly ambitious nobleman’s sinful rise to power and his dreadful, deadly downfall. Macbeth, the main character and antagonist, begins the drama as a loyal captain. Duncan, the King of Scotland, praises Macbeth, declaring him a “worthy gentleman” (I.ii.24). Later, three unnamed witches appear to Macbeth and his loyal friend Banquo, and the witches prophetically greet Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter. Of the bold, unsettling statements, only one is currently true about Macbeth, but the proclamation lights the fuse to a ticking time bomb of vaulting ambition in Macbeth.

    Read More

  • The Supernatural in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1823 Words  | 4 Pages

    The witches predict Macbeth’s future and tell him that he shall become the Thane of Cowdor and then king. The rest of the play is based on this supernatural happening. After learning that Macbeth is to become King of Scotland the play follows Macbeth’s plot to get rid off King Duncan and then Macbeth’s life after the murder.

    Read More

  • Supernatural in Shakespeare's Macbeth - The Witches and Lady Macbeth

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Macbeth the Witches are shown as being evil, conniving, and cruel. "Here I have a pilot’s thumb, wreck’d, as homeward he did come." The Witches play a major role in convincing Macbeth to kill Duncan. They give Macbeth and Bonquo three prophecies: "all hail Macbeth hail to thee, thane of Cawdor" "all hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter" "thou shalt get kings, though be none." Bonquo doesn’t take these prophecies seriously, but Macbeth shows some ambition for power. "If chance will have me king, why, chance will crown me." Macbeth becomes more dependent to the Witches. In Act 4 scene 1 Macbeth returns to the weird sisters, demanding what the future would bring. The Witches gave him three prophecies: "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, beware the thane of Fife." "none of woman born shall harm Macbeth" "Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill."

    Read More

  • Macbeth’s Tragic Flaw

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is a tale of a man and his un-bridled ambition, set in ancient Scotland. Macbeth is a nobleman of the king of Scotland, Duncan, who is in mid-war with Norway. Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter three witches. The witches tell the pair that Macbeth will be king, and Banquo’s children will also be kings. Any person in their right mind would question information given to them by strangers, let alone witches, but for some reason these statements intrigue Macbeth. They temp Macbeth to do evil things such as treason, and worse, to kill. Although un-bridled ambition is his main tragic flaw, there is one more that plays a big role in his decisions and the outcome of the story; Macbeth is far too impressionable.

    Read More

  • macbeth

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    With each word spoken from the witches, the importance he holds for Scotland increases. From Thane of Glamis, to Thane of Cawdor and eventually the all and mighty king. With all the praises he receives and learning about his new title, Macbeth’s ambition to become a powerful king can not help but rises. Macbeth wins a battle and proves loyal to Duncan, however his ambition to become King is too strong to keep his morals. When his ambition is associated with the witch’s prophecies, his morals become non-existent for he is easily persuaded into what he wants to hear.

    Read More

  • Factors Contributing to Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

    432 Words  | 1 Pages

    When the witches told Macbeth that no man born of a woman could harm him, he would not be defeated until the forest came to his castle, and that his only threat was Macduff, Macbeth felt very secure about his kingship. Little did Macbeth know, that all of these foretellings would bring about his demise. Macduff was born out of a dead woman, so he was the only one who could hurt Macbeth. When Malcolm's army attacked Macbeth's castle, they camouflaged themselves with trees, thus giving the appearance of the forest coming to the castle. Finally, Macduff was the only thing that Macbeth had to worry about, because he was not born of a woman, and could kill Macbeth. Macbeth completely disregarded the Witches' prophecies because he thought of them as rubbish. Had the three witches told Macbeth the real truth that they ticked him out of believing, Macbeth would not have gotten so cocky as a result of his security.

    Read More

  • Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    The witches play a brief, yet important role in Macbeth’s fate. At the beginning of the play, the witches deliver a prophecy to Macbeth stating that Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis, and he will become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. At first, Macbeth is humbled by this news. However, the prophecies give him false hope, overconfidence and much temptation and ambition to become King. This is exhibited when Macbeth writes a letter to his wife about the witches prophecies in which he says, “My dearest partner of greatness,/ that thou might’st not lose the dues of rejoicing, by being/ ignorant of what greatness is promised thee.” (1.5.10-12). As this quotation demonstrates, Macbeth is now eager to have the witches prophecies fulfilled as he knows now what his future holds. The witches also deliver another prophecy to Macbeth which aids in his downfall. This prophecy explains that no man who was born of a woman is capable of harming Macbeth. This causes...

    Read More

  • Macbeth Vaulting Ambition Analysis

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before Macbeth thought about being king, he had much respect for Duncan. Macbeth was also originally the Thane of Glamis. This changes when Macbeth and Banquo come across three witches who give both of them prophecies. Macbeth’s vaulting ambition comes into action when the third witch tell Macbeth that

    Read More

  • The Three Witches In Macbeth

    1044 Words  | 3 Pages

    Using their prophecies to entice Macbeth, the 3 witches drive everything that Macbeth does throughout the story. From the very first Act, the 3 sisters’ very first prophecy is what drove Macbeth and his wife to kill Duncan and he is in their control from then on, “In such a world killing a king seems almost in the nature of things; violence is in the air and the witches are its dealers. The first scene has the powerful authority inherent to first scenes: whatever happens after the opening develops out of it and is shaped by it. The witches are an integral part of whatever follows” (Cohen). The witches always come into the scene and control all of Macbeth’s decisions, whether he is aware of it or not. Stated in a paper written by Derek Cohen, “The witches can never be removed from the equation: their imprimatur is on every segment of the play. While Macbeth seems to act autonomously, he has seen the witches and they have infected him with a slow poison. They have a transformative effect on what he does and how he thinks” (Cohen). The Witches have control over Macbeth and all of his decisions from the very first scene. The witches are the reason that Macbeth became King, and then, eventually, for his downfall. In the story, the 3 sisters give Macbeth prophecies that immediately affect the decisions he makes that follow, that always have major impacts on his entire future. In Act 4, scene 1 of the play, the witches have 3 different apparitions come to Macbeth with three different prophecies. In this scene when given the prophecies, Macbeth immediately believes them but does not take them as seriously as he should. One of the prophecies the witches give Macbeth states, “.. Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.” (Document D). Later, in Act 5, scenes 5 and 8, all 3 of the prophecies that the witches provided to Macbeth come true. A messenger

    Read More

More about Examples Of Foreshadowing In Macbeth

Open Document