Saturday, December 6, 2014

The Prophesies of Macbeth

  1. "All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" (1.3.50)
    Fate #1: Macbeth will become Thane of Glamis (Past).
  2. "All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" (1.3.51)
    Fate #2: Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor (Present).
  3. "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!" (1.3.52)
    Fate #3: Macbeth will become King of Scotland (Future).
  4. "Beware Macduff,/Beware the Thane of Fife." (4.1.78-79)
    Macduff will kill Macbeth in the end.
  5. "Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn/The power of man, for none of woman born/Shall harm Macbeth." (4.1.87-89)
    Macbeth will not be harmed by any man of "women born". Only a man born of a Caesarean section, the only unnatural form of birth available during Macbeth's time, could kill Macbeth (possible Macduff).
  6. "Be lion-mettled, proud; and take no care/Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:/Macbeth shall never be vanquished, until/Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill/Shall come against him." (4.1.99-103)
    Macbeth cannot be harmed unless Great Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane Hill. Possibly Macduff and Malcom's troops will disguise themselves as trees and move from Great Birnam Wood to Dunsinane Hill.

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