When Prophecy Fails

through visions or prophecy, provides an additional experience when reading the play, Macbeth By William Shakespeare. The Witches in the play give Macbeth a prophecy, more specifically, a prophecy about his future. Their motivation for this action was the idea that telling Macbeth his future, will influence him to act in a way that will fulfill the prophecy. Now the Witches reasoning for this sequence creates a sort of paradox; if the witches had not told Macbeth the prophecy about his…

Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth receives prophecies from the witches. One of his prophecies was that he will become the king of Scotland. Because of this prophecy, Macbeth’s ambition and actions persuaded by Lady Macbeth made Macbeth kill King Duncan. This becomes a guilt that he has to overcome as the play goes on. As a king of Scotland, Macbeth manages his destiny by believing his prophecies will come true. He keeps his rulership of the Scottish kingdom by murdering…

tyrant who is influenced by his wife and the witches to commit horrendous crimes. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, outside influences, such as Lady Macbeth and Supernatural powers lead to Macbeth’s ultimate demise. Macbeth’s vaulting ambition, the prophecies and the witches deception lead him to become an evil king, hated by all his people and ultimately killed by Macduff, the Thane of Fife. Macbeth’s vaulting ambition is increased by Lady Macbeth and leads him to become paranoid of losing the…

eventual downfall. In the play Macbeth, some people claim that because the witches prophecize Macbeth’s future, and their prophecies come true, fate plays a bigger role in his future than choice. However Macbeth’s actions are actually more affected by his ambition than his fate because he makes irrational choices that have serious consequences, leading to Macbeth 's eventual downfall. When Macbeth decides to kill the King, Lady Macbeth 's ambition drives Macbeth to have his own ambition, until…

The first choice Macbeth made that was not of his own opinion was when he decided to kill Duncan. Referring back to his prophecy, the third witch had exclaimed, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (Act 1 Scene 3 Line 53). His immediate thought was to murder Duncan and he had sent out a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her the plan. Macbeth had shown some hesitation when the time to kill Duncan had been near. He had tried to make it less of a horrifying action…

scene 7 where he states in a soliloquy “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition”. When he says this it suggests that he knows the only thing that prompts his actions is his ambition. While ambition alone is not a bad trait, it can be very dangerous when it is mixed with a lust for power. By having both of these traits Macbeth was almost doomed to fail. It meant he had a weakness or a flaw, like every human being. At the start of the play Macbeth was seen as a…

and eventual fall as King. Banquo, Macduff, and Duncan all highlight the fundamental character flaws that lead Macbeth to his demise. Macbeth first enters the stage accompanied by Banquo, who contrasts Macbeth’s ambitious reaction to the witches’ prophecy. As soon as the witches proclaim Macbeth shall be King, Banquo describes him as “rapt withal” (1.3.57). Macbeth attempts to coax more information out of them: “stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more” (1.3.70). Once the witches have…

refers to the state of modesty; when…

The first example of Macbeth failing to recognise the difference between appearance and reality is when he approaches the witches a second time and demands for more prophecies. The witches create an apparition that provides him with equivocal answers; however, Macbeth assumes he will be invincible without any hesitation: “…none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.88-89). Macbeth believes…

Duncan wouldn’t have died. “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire” (1.7.39-41)? Lady Macbeth makes him seem like half a man by not doing what she wants him to do. Yet Macbeth tries to talk back to her but fails, “I dare do all that my become a man;…