prophecies Flashcards
1
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overview
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The two sets of prophecies are very important within the play as they set the play into motion and influence Macbeth to change. When Macbeth first hears he will be king this triggers his ambition because he believes in the witches. The prophecy to Banquo also leads Macbeth to fear that his reign will end which leads him to kill Banquo. The second set of prophecies are also important because they make him think he is invincible which leads him to act impulsively. By Act 5 the prophecies make Macbeth overconfident and which eventually causes his death.
2
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A1
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- B asks for his own set of prophecies but says that he ‘neither beg nor fear your favours nor your hate.’ This suggests how B is curious about the prophecies and his future but he is unaffected by them because he doesn’t ‘beg’ for them. Therefore, he is not desperate to know.
- M says for the witches to ‘tell me more.’ This suggests how he is immediately interested in the prophecies and the use of the command ‘tell’ suggests how he is desperate to know more information.
- B calls the witches ‘instruments of darkness.’ This suggests how he already distrusts the witches and is sceptical of what they say. The word ‘darkness’ could suggest how the witches are evil and by saying that they are ‘instruments’ of evil suggests how B knows the witches are using the prophecies to toy with him and M. B is a foil to M because he is not effected by the witches and his scepticism emphasises the difference between M and B and how B is not easily tempted.
- When M and B return M is given the title of TOC which makes him wonder why he ‘yields’ to that ‘horrid image.’ By becoming TOC it sparks his thoughts of killing Duncan which is the ‘horrid image’ because one of the witches prophecies has already come true so he trusts in them even more now. The word ‘yield’ suggests how he is already giving in to temptation.
- LM is told about the prophecies through the letter M sends. After reading the letter she calls for evil spirits to ‘unsex me.’ This suggests how she immediately believes in the prophecies because she takes such drastic measure to help M without any doubt or hesitation.
3
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A3
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- M’s ‘fears in B stick deep.’ M is scared of B because he was there when M received the prophecies which makes B a threat to his safety as king. Shakespeare uses painful imagery like ‘stick deep’ to emphasise how M’s fear of B is physically bringing him pain because of B’s knowledge.
- M reflects on B’s prophecies and how he will have a line of kings. However, M’s crown is ‘fruitless.’ This metaphor of having a fruitless crown suggests how M will have no heirs or sons to carry out his line. This makes M angry so he decides to ‘fight fate’ and go against the prophecies by killing B and Fleance. This suggests M’s desperation to stay king but also his naivety to try and go against the prophecies.
4
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A4
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- M is given the three new prophecies – he is told that ‘none of woman born shall harm Macbeth’ which makes M feel safe because he believes that he can’t be killed. He asks the witches ‘what need I fear of thee’ and ‘thee’ being Macduff. Therefore, this suggests he no longer fears Macduff.
- The third prophecy is that he won’t be killed until Birnam wood moves to Dunsinane. M’s reaction to this prophecy is ‘that will never be’ which suggests how he is convinced of his safety because woods can’t move. M now believes that he is invincible which leads him to forget about the 1st prophecy which was to beware Macduff.
- The witches show M an apparition that has a ‘line of kings’ all with B’s face. This ‘sears’ M’s eyeballs and the painful imagery of his eyeballs burning suggests that seeing this physically hurts him. This leads to him killing Macduff’s family in anger.
5
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A5
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- He tells his servants to ‘bring me no more reports.’ M is completely reliant on the prophecies now and giving up strategy and war tactics because of his trust in them. He does not want to know what is going on which suggests how he believes he is safe.
- Even when he sees Birnam wood begin to move he chooses to rely on the second prophecy until Macduff reveals how he was ‘ripped’ from his mother and not conceived naturally. This leads M to call the witches ‘juggling fiends’ which suggests how he realises the witches are evil and have been playing with him. He no longer trusts the prophecies but it is too late and he is killed.
