List The Three Apparitions ( Image ) And What Each Means

This shows the audience that Banquo believes that the witches are telling them simple truths to deceive them and influence them to the path of evil. It also gives the audience the impression that Macbeth is hungry for power and fortune and is willing to take evil routes. In this part of the scene Shakespeare uses stage craft to create suspense. Macbeth moves ‘Aside’ when he refers to the witches so the audience can hear his thoughts.

The second hallucination that Macbeth has is of the ghost of Banquo. The witches prophesized to Banquo, “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” (1.3.70.) Macbeth knows that Banquo’s sons will be kings, and in his conflicted state suspects that the murder of Duncan was done in vain, for he believes he has done all of the work for Banquo’s sons. Macbeth puts into place the scheme for both Banquo and his son Fleance’s

But yet I’ll make assurance double sure” (4, 1, 81-82) Macduff is still seen as an imminent threat to power. Respectively, Macbeth has more murderers set out, who successfully kill Macduff’s wife and babes. Enraged, the demand “Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; within my sword’s length set him" (4, 3, 236) is stated. Empowered by the words of the Apparitions, Macbeth believes his life cannot be taken by Macduff, and resultantly, the position of power continues to be heedlessly defended, distinctly portrayed by the quote from Macbeth, “Bring it after me.- I will not be afraid of death and bane” (5, 4, 60). Desperate to defend his pride and reputation, it is before his final moments in battle that it is declared “I will try the last. Before my body, I throw on my warlike shield.” (5, 8, 32-33). Macbeth’s mindless, overwhelming need for power ultimately leads to his

The witches do not stop here, they even tempt Banquo addressing that his issues shall get the kingdom though he is not fated to be the king like Macbeth.

laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none born of woman / Shall harm Macbeth."

This speech portrays Banquo’s new found reluctance towards the witch’s forecast of the future. He now sees what Macbeth is blind too, the possibility of knowledge becoming more harmful to the men rather than helpful in Macbeth’s want for more, particularly pertaining to him becoming King. As Macbeth begins to weigh the prophecy against logic and the now present, he accepts the fact that if “two truths are told, as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme.” Macbeth is now beginning to assume that if portions of the prophecy are being fulfilled as the witch’s had said, it is only a matter of time before he shall become king. As Macbeth continues to be engulfed by what will be his future downfall, he assumes that all of his new found

Audience becomes aware of Macbeth’s corruption when he plans to kill his ‘friend’, Banquo. He describes him as “dispatched” (3.4.15), and later as “safe” (3.4.25). This positions the audience to feel as though Macbeth is somewhat desperate to convince himself that he has acted appropriately despite using corrupt power. Using this stylistic device of language further demonstrates that Macbeth has now been corrupted to the extent that he longer feels compassion for his former companions. This ultimately establishes the representation that Macbeth’s illegitimate power has directly resulted in his destructive nature.

The witches prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s influence intensifies his ambition and drives Macbeth to obtain and maintain his title of Scotland by whatever means, even murdering his best friend, Banquo. “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, ...no son of mine succeeding. If’t be so, for Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan I have murder’d; ...To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! (Act III. sc.I) At this point Macbeth’s passion becomes more and more extreme to the point where no one stands in his way. His greed, violence, and hunger for power drastically declines his

18. Macbeth challenges anyone present to fight him; he feels secure that no one “born of woman” can harm him, putting all of his

One of the pervasive motifs in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the bloody babe. Three major examples of the bloody babe are Lady Macbeth’s imaginary child, Duncan, who looks like a “naked new-born babe” and the apparition from the witch’s cauldron. These images have abundant symbolic meanings and help construct the chaotic world in Macbeth by showing the collapse of familial order, hierarchical order and time, . The world in Macbeth is not fit for innocent children. It is a world of bloody babes that are harmed by evil acts.

Anticipating Macbeth's arrival, the Witches get ready, gathering ingredients for what Macbeth so desires. Wandering up to the witches Macbeth calls out to the Witches, “I conjure you, by that which you profess/ Howe’re you come to know it answer me.” (4.1.51-52) With this the Witches tell him if he wants something, to tell them directly. And once he does, they conjure up three apparitions, each saying something different to Macbeth. The first, come out as head in armour, proclaiming, “ Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware/ Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough.” (4.1.78-80) Then the second one, a child covered in blood, proclaims, “Be bloody, bold, and resolute: laugh to scorn/ The power of man; for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth.” (4.1.87-89) Next, the third apparition, a

24-29). When Macbeth decides not to continue with their plan to murder Duncan, his wife urges him to act on his desires or he will think of himself as a coward. She says, "Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour / As thou art in desire?" (I, vii. 42-44). She then makes sure he will perform the deed by taking an active role in preparing for the murder. "his two chamberlains / Will I with wine and wassel so convince," (I, vii. 70-71) and cleaning up afterwards, "Give me the daggers: the sleeping, and the dead / Are but as pictures; 'tis the eye of childhood / That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed, / I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal, / For it must seem their guilt." (II, ii. 69-73).

After killing King Duncan , Macbeth is starting to realize what it is that he has done, and becomes suspicious and paranoid of everyone around him by puting spy's in every castle and killing those who are any treat to him what so ever. Banquo is the only other person who knows of the meeting with the witches and he would assume that it was Macbeth who killed the King. The witches also said that Banquo would beget kings but he himself would never be king after Macbeth, and so Macbeth decides that Banquo is a threat to him. To get rid of the treat with banquo he decides to kill him and his son Fleance.

Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Than of Fife!…Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Be bloody, bold and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth…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.

After Macbeth and Banquo receive prophecies, the foil characters start to diverge as Banquo’s takes the moral path of goodness while Macbeth takes the immoral path towards his ultimate decline. Banquo and Macbeth have the opportunity to pursue the same path, but because of his unchecked ambition, Macbeth deviates from Banquo's path of good morals. Immediately after the witches tell their prophecies, Banquo’s mindset is wary and rational. He warns Macbeth that, “oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / the instruments of darkness tell us truths...” (1.3.125-126). Banquo is not obsessed with the prophecies and the idea that one day his ancestors will be kings. On the other hand, Macbeth speculates, “Two truths are told, / as happy prologues to the swelling act / of the imperial theme.” (1.3.130-132) Because two of the three prophecies have come true, Macbeth is blinded by his ambition and seems to fantasize about the idea of being king. These contrasting reactions show that Macbeth takes a