Witches Prophecies In Macbeth

In Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" act four, witches tell Macbeth three prophecies about his nobleman, Macduff. The predictions are intentionally vague, and Macbeth interprets them to be in his favor, he later discovers that they are not. As the story unfolds the witches' premonitions come true one by one, but not as expected. While the reader knows that these witches do not have Macbeth's best interests at heart, they have led him to his greatest success. And since he no longer has a reason to distrust or doubt the witches, he makes a fatal mistake and acts on the information they give him without hesitation. Eventually, the prophecies unfold and he begins to recognize the cruel joke and his grave mistake.

The first of the divinations in act …show more content…
Laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth." Telling him to be bold and don't hesitate, that he doesn’t need to worry no man born of woman can harm him. Two things about this are important, the first one being the bloody child. After he has spoken to the witches about Macduff he orders him and his family to be killed. Macduff has already fled to England to find the rightful heir to the throne Macbeth sits on, and escapes assassination but his family does not. When he learns of his wife and children's death he is devastated and decides to get revenge saying in act 4 scene 3 "Oh, I could play the woman with mine eyes And braggart with my tongue! But, gentle heavens, Cut short all intermission. 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." It is Macduff's revenge that kills Macbeth, and the bloody child telling the prophecy represents the children Macduff is avenging. Childless Macbeth could interpret this as a promise of children after the battle was fought, but that was not the case. The second important thing about this message is how it says " no man of woman born shall harm Macbeth" he takes it as a reassurance that no one can harm him, but he later discovers that he was misled when Macduff confronts him. He gloats about the prophecy but to …show more content…
A child with a crown, holding a tree branch says, "Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him." Assuring him that no one will defeat him till the woods themselves tried march to his castle. Macbeth might've interpreted the child with the tree branch as another assurance that he will have a child that will grow old and become his heir. Unfortunately for him it was not long at all before Birnam wood marched on Dunsinane hill. In act five scene four the rightful king of the Scottish throne, Malcom, is preparing to march on Macbeth's palace and take back what's his. He tells his army, "Let every soldier hew him down a bough And bear ’t before him. Thereby shall we shadow The numbers of our host and make discovery Err in report of us" under his command his soldiers hold tree branches taken from the Birnam wood to hide their numbers. Birnam wood is marching to Dunsinane hill, it's not a figure of speech like implied. And the child in the apparition is not his heir but the heir of the king before