Throughout your life, you might meet several equivocators who will try to deter you from reaching your goals. Either for personal gain or just pure hatred, in several cases, you will not even notice until much later. A perfect example of this experience is in Shakespeare 's tragedy, Macbeth, in which the witches are regarded as the equivocators of the play. They make several appearances, twice bearing prophecies for Macbeth. Hecate 's plan to give Macbeth a false sense of security succeeds and Macbeth’s resulting overconfidence leads to his downfall. The evidence includes the misinterpretations of the three predictions given to Macbeth during his second visit to the witches, his subsequent actions, and how this relates to the completion
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When the first apparition warns Macbeth about Macduff, Macbeth foolishly casts aside this prophecy, "Then live, Macduff. What need I fear of thee?" (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 77), and deems that the second prediction cancels out the first one. Macbeth should have been more wary because he would not have to be warned about Macduff if he could not be killed. He thinks Macduff will be the one to bring back an army, but unbeknownst to him, Malcolm will be the one to do so. Moving on, the second prediction states that no man born of woman will be able to kill Macbeth. Biologically, everyone is born of woman so Macbeth assumes that he will not lose his life or throne. During Macbeth 's battle with Macduff, he says, "Thou losest labor. As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air with thy keen sword impress as make me bleed. Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests. I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born." (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 107), which implies that he still thinks he is unbeatable. Finally, the last prediction tells Macbeth he will only fall when the woods will march to Dunsinane. He presumes that he will never be killed because technically, forests cannot travel. Shakespeare shows that Macbeth is happy with this prediction when he says, "Who can impress the forest, bid the tree unfix his …show more content…
The witches want Macbeth to become careless and narrow-minded, "... He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes above wisdom , grace, and fear. And you all know security is mortals ' chiefest enemy." (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 69), which is exactly what happens. Believing that Macduff will bring back the army, he punishes the Macduff household. However, this only triggers Macduff 's vengeance, "Front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself. Within my sword 's length set him. If he 'scape, Heaven forgive him too!" (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 90), the after-effects of the Macduff murders, sets Macduff on an even more determined journey to kill Macbeth. As the play progresses, Macbeth 's future looks grim and many of his nobles begin to desert him. Several opportunities to leave Scotland befall Macbeth, but even with all the warnings, he decides to stay because he is confident that he will win, "Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane, I cannot taint with fear... The mind I sway by and the heart I bear shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear." (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 98). Having said that, the witches ' plan is going accordingly and Macbeth continues to perform unnecessary deeds and ignore all the signs that he should leave which untimely results in the increase of his enemies, and
When the first apparition warns Macbeth about Macduff, Macbeth foolishly casts aside this prophecy, "Then live, Macduff. What need I fear of thee?" (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 77), and deems that the second prediction cancels out the first one. Macbeth should have been more wary because he would not have to be warned about Macduff if he could not be killed. He thinks Macduff will be the one to bring back an army, but unbeknownst to him, Malcolm will be the one to do so. Moving on, the second prediction states that no man born of woman will be able to kill Macbeth. Biologically, everyone is born of woman so Macbeth assumes that he will not lose his life or throne. During Macbeth 's battle with Macduff, he says, "Thou losest labor. As easy mayst thou the intrenchant air with thy keen sword impress as make me bleed. Let fall thy blade on vulnerable crests. I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born." (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 107), which implies that he still thinks he is unbeatable. Finally, the last prediction tells Macbeth he will only fall when the woods will march to Dunsinane. He presumes that he will never be killed because technically, forests cannot travel. Shakespeare shows that Macbeth is happy with this prediction when he says, "Who can impress the forest, bid the tree unfix his …show more content…
The witches want Macbeth to become careless and narrow-minded, "... He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes above wisdom , grace, and fear. And you all know security is mortals ' chiefest enemy." (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 69), which is exactly what happens. Believing that Macduff will bring back the army, he punishes the Macduff household. However, this only triggers Macduff 's vengeance, "Front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself. Within my sword 's length set him. If he 'scape, Heaven forgive him too!" (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 90), the after-effects of the Macduff murders, sets Macduff on an even more determined journey to kill Macbeth. As the play progresses, Macbeth 's future looks grim and many of his nobles begin to desert him. Several opportunities to leave Scotland befall Macbeth, but even with all the warnings, he decides to stay because he is confident that he will win, "Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane, I cannot taint with fear... The mind I sway by and the heart I bear shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear." (Shakespeare, 1996, p. 98). Having said that, the witches ' plan is going accordingly and Macbeth continues to perform unnecessary deeds and ignore all the signs that he should leave which untimely results in the increase of his enemies, and